Federal Minister for the Environment and Building Barbara Hendricks wants to help cities and local communities tackle social problems in deprived neighbourhoods. During a meeting with the mayors of several big cities, Minister Barbara Hendricks announced that the "Social City" urban development assistance programme will be considerably better and more reliably funded by the Government than it has been up until now.
Hendricks stated: "We want to provide concrete assistance with this money and help cities and local communities tackle urgent problems in deprived neighbourhoods. In doing so, we can create meeting places, more attractive public spaces and modernise apartments. A neighbourhood worth living in is an essential prerequisite for social interaction".
Meeting participants included representatives of thirteen German cities and some Federal Länder, Federal Government Commissioner for Migration Aydan Özoğuz and representatives from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In a joint letter written last November, the mayors highlighted their cities' difficulties in dealing with the consequences of poverty immigration.
Hendricks stressed that immigration is of great benefit to the country and is something our society needs. "This is why we need to work together to make it easier for immigrants to make a fresh start in their new surroundings." The immigration of poorer population groups has led to serious problems in some cities. "When I meet with the Federal Länder, I will advocate that the cities particularly affected will also actively benefit from additional funding" stated Hendricks. In addition to this, processes need to be sped up in order to start measures as soon as possible.
The Social City Programme promotes the building of neighbourhood meeting places and the acquisition and subsequent modernisation of so-called scrap property. The programme also promotes neighbourhood managers that can communicate directly with residents and help avoid conflicts. The programme was set up in 1999 and was recently provided with funding of 40 million euro.
The outcomes of today's talk between the Minister and local authorities, Federal Länder and other ministries will be incorporated into the work of the newly established state secretary committee. The aim is to develop a comprehensive Social City strategy that other ministries can also participate in. "I feel it is important that we work together to find ways to support economically underdeveloped and deprived areas and thus promote integration and social urban development" added the Minister. It was agreed that talks between local authorities, Federal Länder and the Federal Building Ministry will be continued at working level with a view to specifying funding priorities.