Ideas for 'Eberswalde 2035+'
In the German city of Eberswalde, a future council presented its recommendations on 7 September 2022. The randomly selected participants, had addressed the topics of housing, transport, urban development and climate as well as making the city centre more attractive and ideas for a "liveable Eberswalde 2035+".
The participants developed the main topics together during the first session. Particularly close to the hearts of the future council members was the expansion of barrier-free housing and the provision of better offers for social and health infrastructure. They also wanted comprehensive internet coverage and an optimisation of local public transport.
Low-threshold participation offerings
The city of Eberswalde tested a new form of citizen participation as part of a model project between November 2021 and June 2022. The project relied on an online participation platform eberswalde2035.de as well as on a Future Council to provide low-threshold participation offerings for urban development issues. For the Future Council, 30 participants were selected at random with the help of the residents' register.
Background to the citizens' participation is the development of the city of Eberswalde away from a shrinking city to an attractive location in which developments in the nearby metropolis of Berlin are reflected positively and dynamically. Against this background, Eberswalde is facing the future questions and issues of a city of tomorrow that is green, climate-adapted and sustainable, social, modern and in close exchange with its inhabitants.
Mayor satisfied
Mayor Götz Herrmann was satisfied with the process: "Eberswalde has a long tradition and a lot of experience in participation processes and has always been willing to try out new formats and instruments without prejudice. We are grateful that our participation in the model project 'My City of the Future' has given us the opportunity to implement the Future Council and the participation platform and to be in a continuous exchange of experience with seven other cities in the state of Brandenburg, each of which is designing its own formats and projects. I would also like to thank all the participating citizens for their commitment to the Future Council."
The Future Council had devoted seven meetings to the five topics determined by the participants. From their point of view, these play a special role in the further development of the city of Eberswalde. On this basis, they jointly decided on recommendations. The result was 37 concrete thematic proposals for a liveable Eberswalde 2035+. The resulting citizens' report was handed over to Mayor Götz Herrmann and First Deputy Mayor and Head of the Building Department Anne Fellner.
Numerous proposals taken on board
The 37 recommendations of the ‘Eberswalde 2035+’ Future Council were not adopted individually by the City Council. However, they were incorporated into further urban development planning. In particular, the Integrated Urban Development Concept (INSEK) ‘My City – Eberswalde 2035’, adopted in 2024, takes up numerous proposals and explicitly refers to the Future Council’s ideas on the topics of mobility and climate adaptation.
Measures currently in the planning or implementation stages include, amongst others, accessible housing, local amenities, improved walking and cycling facilities, public transport, car and bike sharing, parking management, urban green spaces, climate-adapted construction and rainwater management. Recommendations for the revitalisation and further development of the town centre have also been partially incorporated into the strategic planning.
‘My City of the Future’ project
The Future Council was part of the ‘My City of the Future’ project, an initiative of the Brandenburg state government, in which new model projects were launched in 17 cities in Brandenburg in 2021. These aimed to increase the involvement of urban societies in the development of innovative, sustainable planning projects.
The Future Council in Eberswalde was conceived in cooperation between the Building Department and the Office for Urban Development and implemented with professional support from the nexus institute and Complan!
Photo: (from left to right) Patrick Heger, Anna Müller, Antje Ziegler, members of the Future Council, handing over the citizens' report to First Deputy Mayor Anne Fellner and Mayor Götz Herrmann.