PARTNER NEWS  

The IUPM Lead partner – Local Council of Kongens Enghave in Copenhagen, and its Urban Regeneration Experiment (Kvarterloeft) Secretariat has held two conferences in 1999.

Lykke Leonardsen, Urban Regeneration Experiment (Kvarterloeft) Secretariat project co-ordinator in Kongens Enghave, at Svendborg conference.		Susan Hedlund, Chairperson of Kongens Enghave Local council, and Jacob Reddersen, head of council administration, start the traditional lancier.
The vision conference in April 99. The aim of the vision conference in April 99 was to create a focus of some of the key issues for Kongens Enghave in order to create ownership for the development in the area – not only for the local council but also from key stakeholders such as the Municipality of Copenhagen, housing associations, private companies etc. The conference focused mainly on three issues where Kongens Enghave have structural problems (that is problems we cannot solve ourselves, we need the world around us to help). These issues were: Business and Employment, Traffic, and Housing. After the conference the visions of Kongens Enghave were formulated. Some 130 people attended the conference. The Svendborg conference August 1999. The conference in Svendborg was a continuation of a Kongens Enghave kvarterløft tradition. The conferences have been going on since January 1998, and this is the 3rd conference. The conference have two purposes: 1) The information and discussion of the various projects, the discussion of the overall programme and its progress. 2) The social interaction of politicians, professionals and residents in an area which is also an important aspect of a succesful project. The conference in Svendborg on day one focused on the individual projects and on day two on the development of methods within the project. 100 people attended the conference. Read "Project description for Kongens Enghave"

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In 1994 the EU common initiative URBAN program was initiated by the European Union. The aim was to revitalize deprived quarters and areas in cities with more than 100.000 citizens and certain problems like an antiquated infrastructure, broken economical and industrial structures, social and ecological mismanagement. In consequence the quality of life in those areas shall improve deeply.

At the end of the year 1995 the Kröpeliner-Tor-Vorstadt area in Rostock was chosen to participate in the EU common initiative program. The Hanseatic city of Rostock received about 30 million DM to improve the investment conditions for trade, industry and business as well as the social and ecological environment. In addition Rostock is successfully supporting local employment using local human resources through a clever combination of this European fund and the means of the local employment office. The Hanseatic city of Rostock started the project in the middle of the year 1996 and it will approximately finished in the year 2001.

News from Rostock

First of all, in the framework concerning the entire city of Rostock there have been several exciting new developments. The first work has taken place on the Warnow Tunnel and investment is assured. This will be the first privately funded construction project of its kind in all of Germany. This is happening in the neighborhood of Gross Klein.

In addition to the new tunnel, also in Gross Klein, the decision to construct a city owned Exposition Hall has been made by the city and local council. Both projects will be supported by 'Goal 1' EU monies.

In Schmarl, another neighborhood bordering Gross Klein, the program for a 'Social City' is underway. This program can be seen as a German version of the URBAN philosophy, whereby social structures and processes are supported through the focused development of a specific marginalized local area. This program is a new part of the Federal Urban Renewal Program (e.g., heritage protection, city and village renewal, living environment improvement).

As of 05.01.00 the proposal to treat Schmarl within the frame of the upcoming URBAN II project has been submitted to the State government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The national selection will take place sometime in the next week. We are hoping for the best!

***As of this point, the various interested parties within the city of Rostock are unified in considering KTV to no longer meet the criteria for a 'marginalized neighborhood' Last, but not least, in December the continuance of the Burgerhaus Initiative was assured through the support of the local council and City of Rostock funding (250,000, -DM) for the calendar year 2000. That is the news from Rostock!

Read:
Introduction to Pilot Project
Oestliche Altstadt Project

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After the completion of Vilnius Old Town Revitalisation strategy in 1997, co-financed by the World Bank and supported by UNESCO, the capital of Lithuania still needs to upgrade decaying areas and is heavily working on it. In the old town, the area of Uzupis suffers from physical deterioration, lack of utilities and social decay. Vilnius Old Town Renewal Agency (OTRA), in charge of upgrading the built fabric and social problems, closely works together with Uzupis NGO organisation - Uzupis Fund (UF) on the site regeneration. Uzupis upgrading project has not started yet because of financial delays but OTRA and UF are currently discussing opportunities of co-operation in rising and interacting of public, municipal and governmental funds. The project will serve as a feedback case to both test findings and provide experience to the project. This project intends to be the first study / demonstration case of active co-operation between the UF and OTRA (which represents Ministry of Culture and Municipality of Vilnius) in Vilnius Old Town.

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