The urbanization of small towns, Germany
(2024) ASBM01 20241Department of Architecture and Built Environment
- Abstract
- Germany‘s small towns are facing major challenges and at the same time offer great potential for relieving pressure on German cities. 24 million people currently live in the approximately 2,100 small towns, which is around 29% of the total population.
The research shows that, on the one hand, small towns are struggling with demographic change and out-migration, especially of young people. On the other hand, they are attractive to many young families who want to fulfill their dream of owning their own home, usually in the form of single-family houses. At the same time, vacancies are a major problem, and so are the increasing distances to amenities. These trends increase dependence on cars, encourage commuter traffic and lead to... (More) - Germany‘s small towns are facing major challenges and at the same time offer great potential for relieving pressure on German cities. 24 million people currently live in the approximately 2,100 small towns, which is around 29% of the total population.
The research shows that, on the one hand, small towns are struggling with demographic change and out-migration, especially of young people. On the other hand, they are attractive to many young families who want to fulfill their dream of owning their own home, usually in the form of single-family houses. At the same time, vacancies are a major problem, and so are the increasing distances to amenities. These trends increase dependence on cars, encourage commuter traffic and lead to unattractive streetscapes.
The focus of this work is on how small towns can develop from purely residential areas into places worth living in. The aim is to integrate these towns well into their surroundings without having to rely on car traffic, to ensure that the population is provided for and to promote social interaction through public spaces. Another focus of the work is the transformation of single-family housing areas and the associated open spaces.
For my designs, I concentrated on the district of Westerenger, which belongs to the town of Enger. The designs show a redesign of the street spaces towards car-reduced, bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly connections. Additional living space will also be created through the conversion of single-family homes and densification with new forms of housing. In addition, the activation of vacant buildings and areas as well as the creation of new uses that contribute to securing the supply of the district and enable shorter distances will be addressed. (Less)
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http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9177979
- author
- Pietschmann, Charlotte LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ASBM01 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Sustainable Urban Design, Small towns, Urbanization
- language
- English
- id
- 9177979
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-19 08:56:49
- date last changed
- 2024-11-19 08:56:49
@misc{9177979,
abstract = {{Germany‘s small towns are facing major challenges and at the same time offer great potential for relieving pressure on German cities. 24 million people currently live in the approximately 2,100 small towns, which is around 29% of the total population.
The research shows that, on the one hand, small towns are struggling with demographic change and out-migration, especially of young people. On the other hand, they are attractive to many young families who want to fulfill their dream of owning their own home, usually in the form of single-family houses. At the same time, vacancies are a major problem, and so are the increasing distances to amenities. These trends increase dependence on cars, encourage commuter traffic and lead to unattractive streetscapes.
The focus of this work is on how small towns can develop from purely residential areas into places worth living in. The aim is to integrate these towns well into their surroundings without having to rely on car traffic, to ensure that the population is provided for and to promote social interaction through public spaces. Another focus of the work is the transformation of single-family housing areas and the associated open spaces.
For my designs, I concentrated on the district of Westerenger, which belongs to the town of Enger. The designs show a redesign of the street spaces towards car-reduced, bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly connections. Additional living space will also be created through the conversion of single-family homes and densification with new forms of housing. In addition, the activation of vacant buildings and areas as well as the creation of new uses that contribute to securing the supply of the district and enable shorter distances will be addressed.}},
author = {{Pietschmann, Charlotte}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The urbanization of small towns, Germany}},
year = {{2024}},
}