Acquisition of key real estate
For more attractive cities: Association of cities for land Fund
In order for cities to remain attractive, the Association of cities, a proposal. Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
More and more inner cities, and the desertification threatens – also due to Corona. But Rent in the best locations are high, municipalities can’t keep up that often. Now the advance of the German cities comes tags.
The German Association of cities has proposed a “land Fund” so that municipalities can purchase easier for real estate in Central city locations. The aim is to increase their attractiveness.
“We need more space for meeting in inner cities, social facilities, more housing and more Work,” said Helmut Dedy, managing Director of the cities and towns, of the dpa.
It’s going to be a key property in the heart of the inner cities and not to “the house back at the end of the pedestrian zone,” said Dedy. “For more acquisition of land by the cities, we should also think about a land Fund, or an extension of the urban development promotion. Then cities could pay for the temporary acquisition of key real estate.” The Federation and the Länder were financially required, to provide sufficient funding, said Dedy, also with a view to the collapse of the trade tax in consequence of the Corona-crisis. In addition, the right of pre-emption could be extended.
“The downtown is the face of the city,” said Dedy. “And this face of the city shines not everywhere, but sometimes looks a little sad.” The topic of the future of the inner cities stand at the top of the agenda, there is no time to lose. “We can’t plan cheerful in front of us and then with good ideas, but we need to be relatively fast, because the landlord scene is also relatively fast. If someone has rented his house to someone who has certain interests that might fit into our city or not in our concept fit, then that is a Problem,” said Dedy.
There are the municipalities, the debate about the to go on key real estate, which are free, in the purchase of land. “Then the cities would have a lot more options, if you are a long time owner. At key real estate I need a set of instruments and the financial means to acquire such a building.”
The Corona-crisis has exacerbated the problems of the City-trade in many German cities, also because of the Online-increases trade. Among other things, the Department store group’s Galeria, Karstadt, Kaufhof 50 of its 172 stores in affected locations and the plans have triggered Concerns about a depopulation of urban centers and subsequent business failures.
Federal Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) had announced that he wanted to prevent it from coming to a “Dying business” in the inner cities. “We need to develop concepts for the revitalisation of inner cities”, had Altmaier said of the dpa. In doing so, he focuses primarily on digitization, in order to strengthen retailers and to make the Shopping and stay for the customers in the city centres more attractive.
“To speak about the future of the inner cities together with all the actors is good,” said Dedy. “The idea of economy Minister Altmaier to more digitization, however, is too short.” A big Problem is high Rent or Rents were. “The can only large corporations, owner-managed shops are getting pushed back further and further.”
The economy Ministry said, on the subject of retail in the fall Workshop series were planned. Here, the use of empty shops, the digitalization of trading, as well as the question of how small businesses brought into the inner cities back standing could be.
