KoopLab: Participation through cooperative open space development in arrival quarters

The BMBF-funded research project "Integration through cooperative open space development - living labs to strengthen socio-ecological development in arrival districts (KoopLab)" deals with the question of how green spaces close to residential areas can be jointly developed with the involvement of local stakeholders in three selected municipalities (Hanover, Leipzig, Dortmund). The aim is to promote opportunities for neighborhood residents to participate and contribute to the ecological upgrading of neighborhoods. The spatial focus of the project is on districts that are particularly characterized by social disadvantage, migration and structural density. The target group is the neighborhood population with a focus on refugees and other migrants.

In addition to their function as leisure, recreational and relaxation areas, residential green spaces are central platforms for encounters between different neighborhood residents. The jointly developed green spaces in the sense of real-world laboratories are understood on the one hand as places of encounter and on the other as transdisciplinary forums for negotiating the interests of different neighborhood residents. In this way, they form model learning sites for cooperative socio-ecological neighborhood development.

The project staff at IMIS are responsible for the coordination of the overall network, including communication and public relations, and for the project location in Hanover. The project is based on the diverse experiences of local community gardens, which - supported by the participatory urban development program - are active in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of disadvantaged resident groups. In addition to the IMIS Research Center, the partners for the joint project in Hanover are the association Internationale StadtteilGärten Hannover e.V., the planning office Plan zwei. Stadtplanung und Architektur, the City of Hanover's Environment and Urban Green Schools and the municipal housing association Hanova. Gesellschaft für Bauen und Wohnen Hannover mbH (GBH).

The joint project will consolidate local cooperation structures in Hanover, Dortmund and Leipzig and facilitate learning processes in dealing with cooperative urban planning. Success factors for the collaborative development of urban green and open spaces are being identified and will be made available to other cities in the further course of the project through mentoring partnerships.

Further partners:

Dortmund: Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung gGmbh (ILS), Planerladen, e.V., Büro für Freiraum- und Quartiersprojekte der Landschaftsarchitektin Ute Ellermann, Koordinierungsstelle „Nordwärts“ der Ombundstelle für Bürgerinteressen und –initiativen der Stadt Dortmund, J. E. Schmitt GbR

Leipzig: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltsforschung (UFZ), ANNALINDE gGmbH, Amt für Stadtgrün und Gewässer der Stadt Leipzig, Leipziger Wohnungs- und Baugesellschaft mbH (LWB)