Cities and regions today are faced with diverse and sometimes completely new challenges. At a time of globalisation, a change toward a service-based society and demographic change, there is a need for a shift in thinking around urban development and planning. This also applies to the metropolitan region of Salzgitter-Braunschweig-Wolfsburg-Hannover-Göttingen, where the diverse processes of growing and shrinking occur in close proximity to each other.

The research project "Creatives and 'their' city", funded to the tune of around €200,000 via the "Pro Niedersachsen" ["Pro Lower Saxony"] aid programme, led by the Institute for Tourism and Regional Research of Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, is currently dealing with questions concerning the creative-urban environment of the city of Braunschweig. Headed by Prof Dr Brigitte Wotha and Dr Grit Lessmann, new directions in urban development are being sought, with the help of network analysis and qualitative interviews by the project collaborator and geographer Katharina Bingel. In addition to her project work, the 32-year-old is writing her thesis on the topic of "Genesis and significance of third places for creative urban environments, with a gender-sensitive consideration, using the example of the city of Braunschweig".

For both the project and the thesis it is important to clarify the following questions: Who are these creatives? What makes a city of interest to them? Why are some cities hipper places-to-be than others? What specific locations within the cities are attractive for creatives and people involved in culture and arts? How can their potential be deployed in the urban development? What conditions need to exist for this to occur? What impetus is needed? How must cities be constructed so that everyone can live comfortably in them? And what does this mean for sustainable urban development planning?

"Cities rely on residents contributing their knowledge and creativity in order to avoid the cities not taking their needs and desires into account. Particularly with regard to the creative, urban environments, it depends on a willingness to allow oneself to control and be controlled by urban development. Traditional instruments of planning and participation have shown themselves to be unsuitable for this. For sustainable urban development, it is important to develop appropriate participation formats together with those concerned, and to tailor them to local needs," explained Katharina Bingel.

The practice-oriented bachelor's degree programme in Urban and Regional Management at Ostfalia also deals with these issues, and – via student projects – is working on solutions enabling the future-oriented positioning of local regions and cities. The students are learning how, through active management, the current conversion trends can be countered, and thus how attractive locations for the various stakeholder groups can come about in the future too.

Please contact Prof. Dr. Brigitte Wotha and Prof. Dr. Grit Leßmann for more information.

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