Cultivate Tungendorf : A new chance for sustainability for an inner-city district in the presence of demographic change

Abstract: The traditional approach to city planning has been one based on the assumption of growth- a false perception when considering that numerous cities in all corners of the post-industralized world have been declining populations inrecent decades. The phenomenon of shrinking cities can be traced back to a plethora of causes: from suburbanization, to demographic changes occurring in advanced societies. Additionally, global economic trends have led to intensecompetition between cities to gain both businesses and residents- a competition often won by cities with better connections to the global economic market.Planning policy has yet to catch up with these trends and is in need of a complete paradigm shift to deal with cities population declines and vacancy rates rise. Shrinkage being viewed as taboo is no longer acceptable as it representsa new direction in the development of post-industrialized nations. New planning concepts need to be explored to pro-actively handle these developments and ensure the sustainability and livability of these cities for current and future generations.The specific changes taking place in the city of Neumünster, Germany offer insight into future challenges for many cities in post-industrialized nations. Faced with economic diffi culties and demographic changes, the once booming industrial city exhibits both a greying and shrinking population and high vacancy rates in many city districts. Th e city district of Tungendorf, althoughrelatively stable at present, awaits the eff ects of these changes. The dated housing stock and high maintenance gardens are in conflict with today’s demands for space and convenience. As these homes change hands, vacancy rates areiv predicted to rise.This thesis explores local planning measures for shrinkage with the aim to develop a phased strategy for sustainable development in the district of Tungendorf, Neumünster, using shrinkage as a chance to accomplish this. Publicparticipation in the form of interviews and workshops with local residents and experts is used to ensure the fi nal proposal is realistic and reality-based.