Green parliamentary group on the future of city centers
The Rhineland-Palatinate cities are to become modern meeting places, according to the Green parliamentary group. "People and their needs are at the center of our considerations," said parliamentary group leader Pia Schellhammer to the German Press Agency in Mainz on Wednesday. We are talking about "centers of modern retail and leisure experiences" and "places for social encounters and inclusive living".
"We therefore want to create more places for people to meet, for example in parks, green spaces, water areas and playgrounds with plenty of seating and meeting opportunities," said Schellhammer. A high quality of stay and a diverse mix of uses are also crucial for successful retail.
Schellhammer emphasized that the best concept, not the highest price, should be the deciding factor when allocating public spaces in future. Local authorities could avoid vacancies with regulations against misappropriation. "If vacancies do occur, they should be used flexibly, for example with the help of funding programs for interim uses such as pop-up stores," said Schellhammer.
"To ensure a more balanced urban climate, we want to create green and blue oases." There are already numerous state funding programs for this, too. "Our goal is also a barrier-free, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city center with strong public transport." For the Greens, the "city center of the future" is also a "city of short distances". The combination of traffic calming and an attractive environment for people to spend time in is central to the quality of life. "The designation of 30 km/h zones, pedestrian zones and traffic-calmed areas is important for this."
The parliamentary group had previously adopted a four-page paper entitled "The future of the city center is liveable, green and made for people" at a closed meeting in Landau. Creating modern, lively city centers is one of the main goals that the Ampel coalition agreed on in its coalition program for the current legislative period. The FDP is in charge of this topic within the coalition.
The Green parliamentary group proposes adding more public meeting spaces in municipalities, such as parks, green spaces, and playgrounds, to revitalize city centers. The Greens, along with municipalities and other parties, aim to create a more balanced urban climate with green and blue oases in city centers.
Source: www.dpa.com
