Strategies for city centre development
Finding a vision, strengthening identity, shaping cities: We design future visions for city centres
The challenge
Strong or weak for the future: What is the pulse of your city?
The city centre is the heart of a city. It is the crystallization point for the self-image of the entire city – it is where the pulse of the times beats. The attractiveness and functionality of the city centre reflect the future viability of a city.
But wait! – Today, city centre are often just shopping districts and have lost their historical functions as identity builders of the urban self-image, as places of democratic processes and for living, education and communication.
The focus on retail has been a promising consensus for decades, but it has been an existential weakness even before coronavirus: Expansive online retail, suburban mega shopping centres and interchangeable mass offerings are threatening many city centres. Including your city?
We develop visions and provide you with strategic advice on how you can identity recapture the identity of your city centre – and increase its multifunctionality.
“City centres belong to everyone. With diversity and vitality, they create Identity – and the future.”
Thorsten Kausch, Managing Director of Stadtmanufaktur
Our approach
Our curatorial principle: activate the city’s own resources
The “genius loci” – the DNA of a city – is unique and the starting point for our strategic consulting. That is why we design strategies, structures and processes for and with the people of a city.
Our aim is to combine urban, municipal and private interests – for a lively dramaturgy. In doing so, we follow our “curatorial principle”: in dialog and networking with city stakeholders, we draw on the city’s own resources to identify identities and develop visions.
We think and act in an interdisciplinary way – determined by our distinctive understanding of the functionality and impact of a city at the interface of urban development, city marketing and culture.
Our offer to you
Future prospects: a vibrant city centre
Together with you and key stakeholders from retail, real estate and the local community, we develop the brand for your city center, focusing on identities and visions on a large scale – and strengths, weaknesses and opportunities down to the last detail.
We work with you in your city’s ecosystem, developing processes, measures, concepts and the necessary structures such as city center management. We also take on stakeholder management and process control.
More quality of stay and experience in the inner city area, real prospects for the future: Talk to us now about your city center development issues.
The Stadtmanufaktur competencies:
Professional coaching for center managers
Do you already have a center manager – or do you have someone in mind who could take on this role in the long term? We offer individual coaching for city, center and neighborhood management.
Julia Staron (Neighborhood Manager BID Reeperbahn+Citymanager Bergedorf NOW) shares her knowledge and experience in flexible 1:1 coaching or group coaching.
Julia Staron, urban strategist and coach
City center development:
Building blocks of our consulting services
Guided individual interviews
We conduct one-on-one discussions – analog or digital – with key players and stakeholders from the retail sector, real estate industry, city administration and urban society.
Site surveys and potential analyses for retail
Our retail experts will prepare as-is analyses and potential analyses for you from a retail perspective – as well as recommendations for action for future uses and target sectors.
Development of stakeholder maps
Together with you, we identify the role, attitude and potential of the stakeholders in your city. The result: a stakeholder map as the basis for structure and process development.
Design thinking and idea sprints
With the help of design thinking and idea sprints, we rethink development models, fields of action, structures and processes. We rely on collaborative creativity and interdisciplinary project teams.
Think tank formats for citizens
We develop and moderate open dialog formats for citizens (analog or digital), such as bar camps or work cafés. In this way, we steer participation, involvement and activation of urban society on key inner-city issues.
Control, networking – and evaluation
Our interdisciplinary team has already led numerous strategy processes. Based on this experience, we accompany all project phases and are your partner for networking and interest management.
Our success stories:
Strategies for the future
Recklinghausen receives financial support from a funding program for the Recklinghausen-Süd district. We support the development of city center management and stakeholder management and accompany the process with strategic communication.
Development of a strength-based city brand: In cooperation with Brandmeyer Markenberatung, we are moderating the city brand process for the city of Siegen.
The city of Koblenz is very successful in terms of tourism. This leads to a high utilization of public spaces. An event strategy including a catalog of event criteria now serves as a management tool to influence the quality, number and content of events.