In the case of Rostock, the city must cope with the structural "break down" of the changes caused by the unification of the two Germanys in 1989, and subsequently with high unemployment rates, decrease in the number of inhabitant the, and the loss of a regional status as the most important harbour, industrial and military - area. A mayor threats to the urban structure as a whole is the decline of the residential areas from the fast industrialisation in Rostock build during the years leading up till the 1. World War. Areas that suffers from a complexity of problems, threatening social segregation, which can only be solved, when looked upon with a holistic view on planning.

The area of Kröpeliner Tor Vorstadt, west of the historical inner area, was built from the mid 1850 ties, at the beginning of the industrialisation. The area was meant for the working class population, and the more well off part of the population, still connected with the harbour functions. Kröpeliner Tor developed freely, without any specific overall planning, and with very landscape related - with direct access to the villages surrounding Rostock. Besides multi storey housing the area was dominated by urban villas and local trade and handicraft. Most dwellings consist of 2 rooms, with a minimum of installations. The decline of the area is caused by multiple factors. Income stronger people have moved out, and the area has dominantly many single households. Enormous rates of unemployment (20 % according to national statistic), and buildings with insufficient technical installations, and large maintenance problems.

In 1994/95, the misunderstanding in the urban management of this area had become so alarming that the area was granted support from the European Commission. An integrated action concept, aiming to attract investments to the area was elaborated. This area - orientated strategy, also aimed to provide better investment climate for local handicraft, and base future development of the area on involvement of the community, was seen as "innovative" in the context of planning tradition in Germany. Building orientated renewal were in the URBAN project combined with new strategies to more holistic planning views, and the project has proved its success, empirically shown that social planners, trade counsellors, unemployment counsellors and urban managers should work out instrument to area oriented planning in collaboration with municipal authorities and traditional urban planners.