- Sand, children's books and wine: revitalizing the city
City Center Revitalization: Photo Spots, a Children's City Book, a Wine Mile, and a Sand Sculpture Festival
With financial support from the Ministry of the Interior, cities in Rhineland-Palatinate are revitalizing their centers. In addition to investing in marketing, strategies, and online presence, they are also funding projects such as distinctive city name signs as photo spots, a children's city book, a wine mile, and a sand sculpture festival.
The "Inner City Impulses" model project, launched in 2021, has so far supported 42 cities and municipalities with over nine million euros (as of the end of 2023). This is in addition to the general urban development funding, which is budgeted at around 80 million euros this year, as it was in 2023. Revitalizing city centers is one of the major projects outlined in the coalition agreement. Here are three examples of funded inner-city impulses:
Worms' Wine Mile and City Center Revitalization
Worms is receiving around 225,000 euros in funding, including for a wine tasting route with local winemakers serving every 100 to 200 meters. The city has also purchased a mobile, seven-meter wide and three-meter high photo spot sign with the city name to bring life to the city and generate attention on social media. An online marketplace is also being developed to help businesses reach customers digitally.
A series of action days with an open-air stage, a multilingual city newspaper, a cultural festival, the promotion of new graffiti walls by renowned artists, and an image campaign are planned to kickstart the renewal of the city center. Urban gardening projects are also being implemented to bring more greenery and people together. The city's UNESCO World Heritage site will be made more visible with a mobile visitor center.
Worms, with around 85,000 inhabitants, will monitor the success of these ideas by measuring pedestrian traffic at various points over three years.
Neuwied: Planning and Sand Sculptures
Neuwied is using its allocated funding of around 248,000 euros for strategic planning elements, including a digitalization strategy for the city center, a feasibility study for a hotel and congress center, and the development of a tourism and marketing strategy. The city, with around 66,000 inhabitants, has held numerous discussions with experts and workshops to achieve this.
The sand sculpture festival in the spring, featuring five sculptures representing local landmarks and personalities, was a successful event. More than 50 tons of sand were used, and visitors could watch the sculptures being created and interact with the artists from Portugal, Ukraine, and Germany. In October, various activities centered around pumpkins will take place during two market days.
Alzey: Greener and More Colorful
With around 250,000 euros in funding, the smaller city of Alzey, with 20,000 inhabitants, aims to become greener. Plans include suspending the pedestrian zone with a cable construction and planting climbing and creeping plants to provide shade, cooling, and a more attractive atmosphere.
Mobile green facilities combined with seating areas are intended to make the museum square greener. Another green space is to be made more beautiful through the redesign of the Georg-Scheu monument. The winemaker lived from 1879 to 1949.
Ugly house walls are to be made more colorful. For this purpose, suggestions will be developed after an inventory and implemented by children, local artists, or students.
Similar to the state capital of Mainz, there is also a "market breakfast" alongside the Alzey weekly market. For this, beer tent furniture, umbrellas, and sun loungers have been acquired. With the inscription "(Heart) ALZEY" installed for the city's 1800th anniversary in November 2023, the city is promoting itself online, similar to Worms.
A children's city book and citizen weeks strengthen the bond with the city
A citizen week in May brought together different people with their ideas, cultures, languages, associations, religious communities, and interests to shape coexistence in the city center. The goal was also to jointly solve conflicts, problems, and challenges of coexistence in the multifunctional urban space, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior.
A children's city book is intended to create a connection with their city for seven to twelve-year-olds. The city also wants to rent empty loading areas and set up meeting places for culture, interest groups, and citizens to foster exchange and the development of new ideas.
Even beyond these specific projects, other cities in Rhineland-Palatinate are also leveraging this revitalization initiative to enhance their unique characteristics. For instance, a city might develop a thematic route showcasing its historical landmarks, or create a community garden to encourage local engagement.
Moreover, the children's city book is not limited to Worms; other cities are considering this initiative to foster a sense of belonging and cultural awareness among their young residents.
