New Leipzig Charter
Global developments such as climate change, digitalisation and social inequality influence the way we live together in cities.
More than ever, our actions also have a global impact. While the Athens Charter (1933) still emphasised the separation of living, working and recreational areas in order to promote efficiency and health, today it is necessary to move from functional urban planning to an integrative and sustainable approach.
First adopted by European urban development ministers as the Leipzig Charter in 2007, the New Leipzig Charter 2020 was thoroughly updated during the German EU Council Presidency. The result is a strong political guideline for an urban development policy orientated towards the common good, the relevance of which results from the commitment to pursue national urban development policies that follow the principles of the Charter and translate them into concrete initiatives. How should this happen in concrete terms? Municipalities not only shape living spaces and quality of life locally, but they also preserve the values and traditions that the European city stands for. Or as the ministers put it in their declaration: ‘Urban transformation is based on the integration of the social, ecological and economic dimensions of sustainable development.’
In addition to the cross-cutting themes of digitalisation and land policy and the spatial levels (neighbourhood, city, urban region), three key objectives can be derived for the transformative power of cities: the just city, the green city and the productive city.
1. the just city
Equal opportunities and environmental justice for all, regardless of gender, socio-economic status, age and origin, are necessary. The just city leaves no one behind. It offers everyone the opportunity to integrate into society. In it, everyone has access to education, affordable housing, social services, culture, health and energy supply.
2. the green city
The green city is climate-neutral, relies on renewable resources and offers green and recreational areas for everyone. It networks environmentally friendly mobility options and protects sensitive ecosystems. In this way, the transformative power of cities contributes to the fight against global warming and to high environmental quality in terms of air, water and soil, as well as to sustainable land use.
3. The productive city
Structural change can only be mastered with a broad-based economy that creates jobs and a solid financial basis for sustainable urban development. As attractive, innovative and competitive business locations, cities need a skilled labour force, social, technical and logistical infrastructure as well as affordable and available space. Incentives can help here to bring small businesses, crafts and urban agriculture back into the cities.
Of interest in this context is the brochure published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing of the State of Baden-Württemberg, which presents and explains the New Leipzig Charter and provides suggestions directly from and for urban planning practice. Concrete practical approaches are presented for 21 topics and fields of action of the Leipzig Charter based on projects that are particularly exemplary in this context. They provide suggestions and impetus for the development of cities and municipalities in the state that is orientated towards the common good—from integrated development concepts to municipal cooperation, from A for Allgäu Genussmanufaktur to U for Urbane Stadtgärten.