Recklinghausen-Süd: Immediate program for a strong center

Client: City of Recklinghausen

Project period: April 2022 – ongoing

The project in brief

Recklinghausen receives financial support for the district of Recklinghausen-Süd from the “Immediate action program to strengthen our inner cities and centers in North Rhine-Westphalia” funding program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim now is to use the funding sustainably – and to strengthen Recklinghausen-Süd as a district center.

We support the city of Recklinghausen in this,

city centre management and
establish a stakeholder management system – and
accompany the process through strategic communication and committee work.

Task and background

Recklinghausen-Süd is an important supply location for the southern districts of Recklinghausen. However, due to structural change – and intensified by the coronavirus pandemic – vacancies are also occurring here and there is a threat of further closures. At the same time, the district with its history and its own identity is of great importance to the city.

Recklinghausen is taking the development of the district center into its own hands with immediate effect – supported by the immediate action program of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the team at Stadtmanufaktur. The immediate action program offers the opportunity to try out ideas for use, support start-ups and new business models and develop long-term tenancies. In order to increase the vibrancy of the district – and thus the quality of life – in the long term, our to-dos also include linking the players and residents, involving property owners and other stakeholders and establishing city centre management.

Our strategic advice is based on the following convictions:

District centers form the heart of a district. The pulse of the city beats in them – the attractiveness and functionality of the district center reflects the future viability of a district.
City centers are multifunctional: A variety of uses is crucial for the vitality of city centers. They must not develop into pure shopping districts. They are also a place to live, a meeting place, a workplace, a commercial zone, a place of education, a learning area, a “playground” and a world of entertainment.
City centers belong to everyone. It is therefore important to involve all target and stakeholder groups in the long-term, participatory development process: Property owners, restaurants, retailers, office tenants, local residents and customers of all services in Recklinghausen-Süd.

Our way of working

We support Recklinghausen-Süd in setting up city center management – and in implementing the immediate action program.

Two central building blocks are:

Formation of a curatorial body: district coordinator or center manager, who orchestrates the focal points and actors and represents the process “into” the city, ideally even taking responsibility for it.
Addressing and involving property owners: Linking public and private interests, especially those of property owners, is crucial for sustainable success.

Our consulting approach summarized:

In this project, we are also focusing on transparency and comprehensive process communication in the form of stakeholder management, citizen participation, public relations and committee work. The development of city center management and stakeholder management is based on strategic measures such as

Guideline-based individual interviews,
Design thinking, “idea sprints” with stakeholders and
Digital and/or analog think tank formats for citizens (open formats, e.g. bar camp or world café).