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Social City Nied

Topic:
Urban revitalization
District: Local district:
6
Size of area:
370 ha
Project management:

Mr. Felix Scharbert
fone: +49 (0)69 212 33026


Project description

Reason for planning

Nied is a district surrounded by parkland. Among its great attractions is its location between the Main and Nidda rivers as well as the fact that it is only a few minutes’ walk from Frankfurt’s greenbelt. There are, however, special challenges facing the district that were the reason why at the end of 2016 it was included in the “Social City – Investments in Urban Quarters” urban development funding program. The program has since been renamed “Social Cohesion”. To realize it, the City of Frankfurt applied for a period of ten years for annual funding from the Federal and State of Hessen governments. It must, in addition, provide a portion of the financing from local authority sources.

Nied has a diverse social structure and is very international. The ratio of people who are forced to depend on state transfers and rely on assistance, support, or advisory measures is high on a city-wide comparison. Related to this, the district’s social support structures face especial challenges.

The historical center of the district around the main street Alt-Nied is defined by vacant commercial and residential premises. Down-market outlets such as betting shops and electronics stores lower its appeal and thus play a role in a trading-down effect. A trading-down effect is the process of detrimental impacts mutually reinforcing one another.
In some cases the buildings in some settlements are in a condition that no longer reflects present-day standards or is deficient, specifically as regards the design of façades, adaptation to current demographic and climatic norms, and the location of ancillary facilities.

Great distances to social and cultural amenities in surrounding districts and insufficient barrier-free opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the railroad tracks at and below ground level lead to some housing areas in Nied being isolated.
On the other hand, the attractive location between the Main and Nidda rivers as well as the close proximity to the Frankfurt Green Belt mean the Nied district has great potential. However, the streets have very little greenery and the green structures in the district are insufficiently linked by pedestrian and cycle paths.

The “Social Cohesion” scheme is intended to stabilize and nurture the positive development of the district offering a good quality of life there.

Development area
The preliminary development area is 370 hectares in size and has around 20,000 residents. It includes the existing housing in the district as well as the areas of greenery and open spaces in the vicinity of the Main and Nidda rivers.

Planning objectives
The aim of the development scheme is to intensively enhance the quality of life in the district in the long term by improving the lived environment and the associated technical and social infrastructure.

Linking the various parts of the district with one another will be an important issue. In general, the attractiveness of streets, plazas, and public space as a whole will gain in significance and be given more attention.
The integration of children, young people, the elderly, women, the unemployed, the physically challenged and people of different origin is a fundamental objective of the urban development support program. The social, cultural, economic, linguistic and health-related participation in society of these various groups is essential for all residents of Nied to coexist, as the support program’s integrating approach envisages both the bringing together of various points of view as well as the impact of structural and social measures vor.
Above and beyond the planning objectives in the district itself, the aim is also to improve its image: the intention is for the city as a whole to see Nied as a destination for recreation and a district with a high quality of life.

The urban development program promotes so-called investment measures and these include construction investments as well as the related non-investment measures required such as preparatory studies, concepts, measures to ensure civic participation, and PR work. The program is sub-divided into three phases. In the first phase, the basis is laid by compiling a so-called Integrated Urban Development Concept (IUDC). This is followed by the implementation phase and, at the end, by a so-called stabilization phase. Social urban renewal is only sustainable if in all three phases there is ongoing PR work with the goal of ensuring a strong flow of information and fostering the committed participation of local citizens and institutional players.

Project progress
Local inhabitants, associations, and institutions are strongly involved in the IUDC. Civic participation campaigns enable Nied citizens to input ideas and suggestions. Regular formats are the district Consultative Council , civic meetings in all sections of the district, and  projects driven by the Contingent Fund .

The City of Frankfurt Planning Dept. has commissioned Caritasverband Frankfurt e.V. to provide neighborhood management capacities. The neighborhood management team is the local point of contact with a District Management Office (Alt-Nied 13) Its task is to facilitate ongoing participation of inhabitants and local players in all phases of the urban renewal process. To this end, in its office the district management team hosts discussion hours, moderates civic meetings, and promotes and supports setting up and realizing an array of small local projects.

Construction work has already been completed redesigning the Alt-Nied high street and renewing the lighting along the LRT line to create a better sense of security. Over several participation rounds with inhabitants of Theresa Herger Anlage, the basis was devised for a climate-friendly makeover of the estate. To date, two sunshades have been installed on the playground and a wild bee house has been set up in the greenery. Moreover, a dozen small local projects were supported and realized with financing from the Contingent Fund and with great civic commitment.

In 2022, construction of a Calisthenics facility started marking the kick-off of the subsequent redesign of the entire Nied-Süd park. In addition, services for cyclists will be gradually improved in the guise of secure bike boxes. Key insights will also be provided in this regard by the cycle traffic concept for West Frankfurt that is currently on the drawing board.

At present, preparatory measures are underway for other projects, too, starting with coordination of the specialist departments involved in realizing the proposals and aligning efforts to the legally required tendering process for planning and construction services.

Anyone wishing to stay abreast of developments in Nied and on the projects can have themselves included on the mailing list [Link zur Unterüberschrift] for the district managements information bulletin .

Jump to City Planning Department Neighborhood Offices




More information

IUDC

Integrated Urban Development Concept  © City of Frankfurt Planning Dept.

In the framework of the Integrated Urban Development Program (IUDC Nied), at the beginning of the funding program the district’s strengths and weaknesses are analyzed and development objectives agreed for the future. A list of measures then outlines the individual projects destined to be implemented in order to achieve the development objectives.

In this way, the IUDC forms the basis for the enire realization process. The IUDC is drawn up and implemented in consultation with the project managers at ProjektStadt appointed by the City Planning Dept. and with close involvement of the local inhabitants as well as associations and institutions in Nied. About 780 Nied inhabitants have to date contributed some 2,700 ideas and suggestions, and thus played a crucial part in the compilation process.


Council

Structure of the Social City Nied Advisory Council © City of Frankfurt Planning Department

The District Consultative Council that for the course of the program represents the interests of residents and local institutions. The District Consultative Council’s representatives exchange ideas and information here. The members of the Consultative Council represent the interests of the area and consult with regard to project proposals and necessary developments in the district. The Consultative Council convenes regularly and holds public sessions so as to include the suggestions of Nied residents in the Social Cohesion Nied project.

The Nied District Consultative Council officially began its work in August 2019. First chairperson is Torsten Gleich, representing local inhabitants. The Chairpersons chair the meetings and, with the support of the district management, ensure that the concerns of residents of Nied and the issues affecting them are taken into consideration. In all, 13 residents from all five quarters in Nied and 12 representatives of institutions are members of the District Consultative Council. The 25 members represent the area’s interests, discuss urban developments, and make decisions with regard to neighborhood projects that can be financed through a contingent fund.

The meetings take place every six to eight weeks on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m.


  

 


Resident's meetings

Meetings of the local inhabitants in the 5 settlement areas © City of Frankfurt  Planning Dept.

Resident's meetings
On the Consultative Council, the representatives of local inhabitants with the support of the district management team host regular meetings for inhabitants, in all five sections of the district. These open, informal meets take place if required approx. four times a year. Together with the Consultative Council, the five groups of inhabitants promote interaction within their respective section of the district and thus networking between the Consultative Council and the people who live in the respective sections of Nied.

Neighborhood interests and concerns are reported by the representatives of the inhabitants at the respective district Consultative Council meetings. The inhabitants’ meetings spawn project groups that then realize projects financed by the Contingent Fund.. 


Nied district office (Stadtteilbüro)

Nied District Office, © City of Frankfurt Planning Department

In January 2020 the premises of the former Volksbank branch at Alt-Nied 13 were rented for the Social Cohesion Nied scheme in order to create a single point of contact for project-related issues and a staff workstation. The office doubles up as a meeting place and as the office of the district management and has open consultation hours. In her capacity as the intermediary between the City Council, local institutions and local residents, district manager Marja Glage is thus the focal point on site for people wanting to find out about upcoming developments in the district or seeking advice on offers related to the Social Cohesion scheme.

 

Contact details and opening hours of the district management:

Marja Glage, Stadtteilbüro Nied, Alt-Nied 13, 65934 Frankfurt/Main, Tel.: 069 2982 6540 or 0176 12982 202,
Email: marja.glage@caritas-frankfurt.de

You can also find further information under:
https://www.caritas-frankfurt.de/ich-suche-hilfe/quartiersmanagement/qm-nied

Open office hours: Tuesdays  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  Thursdays 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

and by appointment.


Jan Thielmann (ProjektStadt), Lisa Gerdom (Caritas), Marja Glage (Caritas) and Frederik Daub (ProjektStadt)] © City of Frankfurt Planning Dept

The District Office functions as a regular venue for discussions, residents’ meetings or Consultative Council meetings and working groups on various topics. The existence of an easily accessible place such as the District Office enables new services to evolve that foster a neighborly exchange, shared leisure activities, and cultural diversity without excluding those people who could not otherwise afford such services or the related rent. After all, it is also possible for people to organize and manage their own event in the district office say to host an exhibition, a reading circle or a repair café. The District Office lends itself to various uses making it equally suitable as a kind of thinktank for projects financed from the Contingent Fund or a workshop for activities with kids. The room is intended for communal use and is open to all local residents.


Newsletter

A digital Newsletter keeps everyone interested always up to date. It is distributed by e-mail roughly once every two months and whenever the occasion otherwise demands and is posted in the information display cases and in the window front of the District Management Office. The Newsletter is prepared by an editorial team drawn from the District Consultative Council, the City Planning Dept., the project management team and the District Management Office.

The intention behind the Newsletter is to enhance general awareness of the program and of current events, while swiftly presenting information on the state of work and a look back on successful campaigns and encourage participate by indicating how local inhabitants can get involved. The target groups are specifically residents of Nied and West Frankfurt.
Anyone wishing to regularly received the Newsletter by e-mail can be included on the mailing list by simply emailing the District Management.


Contingent fund

City of Frankfurt Contingent Fund for Areas that come under Urban Development Promotion, © City of Frankfurt Planning Department

Contingent fund of the City of Frankfurt/Main
With a view to strengthening its commitment to the common good, the City of Frankfurt is making available to those districts undergoing urban renewal a budget (contingent fund) for the execution of minor local projects and measures. In an unbureaucratic way the fund will enable independent civic activity in the non-investment field.

Do you have an idea that could be used to play an active role in your neighborhood? The City of Frankfurt will be pleased to reimburse you for your efforts.

Initial ideas for projects can be discussed informally with the neighborhood management team. The district manager Marja Glage also offers assistance with submitting an application and the implementation process