- Creative Strategies to Strengthen the Identity of Shrinking Cities    430 kb by    Tillner, Silja | silja.tillner@tw-arch.at    Short Outline Saxony-Anhalt succeeded in developing a demonstrative program that, with its novel approach to addressing the consequences of shrinkage, can serve as a model and inspiration for other cities and countries. Abstract 1 INTRODUCTION AND RESUMEE Saxony-Anhalt succeeded in developing a demonstrative program that can serve as a model and inspiration for other cities and countries with its novel approach to addressing the consequences of economic decline and population loss. The paper will the present the IBA program, themes, processes and working methods, based on the author’s experience as a board member. 2.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION AND STATE OF SAXONY - ANHALT UNTIL 2000 Since the reunification of Germany, a period of intensive and often speculative investments was followed by many failures, a sharp downturn and finally by massive emigration of young people, especially women. Since 1989 the region has lost 17 % of its population. In the past decades, no other region in Europe has experienced comparably dramatic transformation processes. In 2000 these demographic facts had led to a severe loss of the tax-base and presented the government, regional and city planning with new challenges, vacancies were spread unevenly across the country, maintenance of the entire infrastructure was no longer possible. 2.2 THE IBA SINCE 2000 Politicians and planners recognized a chance within these constraints to search for innovative solutions to create, in spite of the declining population, a livable future environment in attractive cities that would demand less energy and fewer spatial resources. The concept for the IBA 2010 was developed in close cooperation between the Bauhaus Dessau, the regional development agency (SALEG) and the planning authorities. In such a process, the leading role played by a scientific institution like the Bauhaus represented a novel approach. The IBA operated on several levels: political (country, communities, cities), planning (regional and local in the 19 IBA cities), population and scientific (international and interdisciplinary experts). 2.3 WORKING METHOD The broad spectrum from scientific research to intensive open participation processes was unique and one of the reasons for the great success of the IBA. Consequently, the resulting changes were realized not only materially in the built reality, but also immaterially: after having participated for eight years in this process the people involved themselves became part of the transformation and changed their methods of planning 3 LESSONS LEARNED These points will be elaborated on and illustrated with examples from various cities in Saxony- Anhalt. 3.1 To think and plan in longer time frames, appropriate to the task, is sustainable 3.2 Political support at all times is critical for projects of this magnitude. 3.3 The IBA was a unifying goal. 3.4 Tolerance and open-mindedness towards new methods and thoughts nourish innovation. 3.5 Cooperation instead of competition between neighboring cities strengthens all. 3.6 High aesthetic and functional quality standards lead to long-lasting projects. 3.7 Continuous evaluation and advice support and motivate. Keywords Creative Strategies in shrinking cities, motivation, cooperation, inspirationInspiration Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2012: Fast Forward: Planning in a (hyper) dynamic urban context   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper