Case Studies  The Karolinenviertel Case in Hamburg - St. Pauli

Role of the entrepreneurs

Approximately 400 small and very small businesses (less than three employees) are located in the area. Besides a huge number of shops there are also craftsmen businesses and service providers in the neighbourhood. In direct surroundings of the neighbourhood there are entrepreneurs with city-wide and regional significance. Therefore, a bearable local economy did not have to be newly established but only further developed within the development process. For example shops for the daily supply have closed due to heavy competition and were replaced by fashion and designer shops. The daily-supply-stores in the neighbourhood almost completely disappeared due to a Superstore closely by. Vacancies, however, could be avoided and a new economic potential was developed.

Start up centre Etage 21

The established entrepreneurs and the manifold mix of branches represent a high job potential. Although it has to be stated that the vast part of jobs is not occupied by inhabitants of the neighbourhood. A priority objective of neighbourhood development in the 1990s was the connection of urban regeneration and local small-space economic promotion in order to create jobs. Craftsmen and the producing trade should be stimulated to economic activities by taking them into consideration when placing orders for example for building measures. Unfortunately, practical experiences show that only few orders remained in the neighbourhood since the orders are being placed to the most favourable offer subject to public regulations. In general these are bigger companies which often come from the surroundings of Hamburg. Unfortunately, a commitment to placing public orders to local entrepreneurs does not exist because this would be not within the existing legal framework.

Therefore, other strategies for the strengthening of the local economy in the neighbourhood have been developed and carried out by STEG, mainly the following approaches:

Start up centre Etage 21

• Development of the central Marktstraße to an alternative economic-feasible shopping street with the main emphasis on fashion, design and alternative.

• Promotion and development of St. Pauli to a start-up district by realisation of two start-up projects.

• Development of a business-Network for entrepreneurs for communication and realisation of mutual activities. Since the level of organisation of entrepreneurs was rather low so far, the promotion of a network as an advertisement and/or interest group or for informal information mediation will be promoted.

3.4. Role of private proprietors    3.6. Partnerships in the Karolinenviertel