How can city streets be sustainably redesigned and transformed into liveable public spaces? An interdisciplinary project team from the Wuppertal Institute, MUST Städtebau GmbH, Zukunftsinitiative Klima.Werk/EGLV and the Urban Participation Lab has been investigating this question over the past three and a half years in the "LesSON" project. Together, they developed designs for streets in Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen in an intensive participation process. They also supported seven municipalities in NRW for a year with specific street projects and exchanged ideas with national and international experts.
The focus was on methods for involving civil society, improving internal administrative cooperation and coordination between the city administration and local politicians. The aim was to develop socially viable and ambitious solutions that involve local residents and minimize potential resistance, for example by removing parking spaces.
The results and experiences are compiled in the Wuppertal Report "Liveable streets, places and neighborhoods - how future-oriented redevelopment can succeed". The report is less about detailed analysis and more about providing practical knowledge, inspiration and encouragement to initiate similar processes. It is primarily aimed at local authorities, but can also be used by civil society actors and interested parties.
Steven März, Theresa Brockhaus, Annika Greven, Anica Luggen-Hölscher, Franziska Stelzer, Lynn Verheyen, Matthias Wanner:
Lebenswerte Straßen, Orte und Nachbarschaften
Wie der zukunftsgerechte Umbau gelingen kann
Wuppertal, 2024
(Wuppertal Report no. 27)