December 5-12, 2010 | Leipzig, Germany and Manchester, UK

The first year of GMF’s Cities in Transition project (2010-11) focuses on the the challenges that arise from physical transformations occurring in a built environment that has been left behind by rapidly shifting settlement patterns. In cities in the United States’ Rust Belt and elsewhere, trends of decreasing population and suburbanization have sapped the vibrancy of many core city neighborhoods, leaving them vulnerable to blight and not dense enough to support a healthy civic life.

From December 5-12, 2010, GMF organized a trip for 14 delegates from Flint, Detroit, Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, and HUD to Leipzig, Germany, and Manchester, England, each of which have implemented successful strategies to stabilize population and bring life back to distressed neighborhoods.

The Context

Following the reunification of Germany, Leipzig experienced a dramatic collapse of its industry and significant population loss due to rapid suburbanization as well as migration to western Germany. To address the overwhelming vacancy levels, misalignment of infrastructure and population, and fiscal crisis that resulted, city leaders are implementing an integrated, cross agency strategy that combines center city revitalization with the targeting of funds to key neighborhoods, the innovative reuse of former industrial spaces, the development of new housing and homeownership models for urban areas, and the creation of strategically placed green space through targeted demolition. Though significant challenges remain, Leipzig is now experiencing an increase in population and key neighborhoods have stabilized.

Manchester has also undertaken a comprehensive approach to revitalization, not driven by one project or circumscribed by a single strategy, but by citywide planning and intermunicipal as well as public-private cooperation. A major focus of this effort has been on rebuilding Manchester as an internationally competitive city, reflected in the city’s focus on building up its airport and high-tech sector. Great emphasis has still been placed on place-based regeneration, encompassing both repopulation and redevelopment of the city center (including the rebuilding after the IRA bombing in 1996), as well as a network of other major neighborhood revitalization strategies. The city has created a number of innovative place-based public-private entities to lead these efforts.

• For a concise collection of key background resources on both cities and the strategies that support their stabilization, see the Cities in Transition Stakeholder Briefing Book [large PDF]. An additional resource is the Manchester Independent Economic Review, an excellent example of the type of data analysis that supports strategic public investment.

Key Takeaways

Delegates spent about two and a half days each in Leipzig and Manchester, meeting with key representatives from local government, non-profits, and the private sector (see agenda below for details). During the trip’s concluding workshop session, delegates identified key lessons which will be examined in more depth in a series of policy workshops through spring and summer 2011. These key lessons included:

• Think big, think long-term: especially in Manchester, long-term strategy was drafted independent of the availability of short-term resources. In both cities, bold, stable political leadership built a strong foundation for long-term vision.
• Integrated planning: Leipzig’s Integrated Planning Concept showed the importance of planning from the point of view of the household or property, not from the point of view of arbitrarily divided city government responsibilities. See Stefan Heinig’s presentation, below, for an overview of the Integrated Planning Concept
• Entrepreneurial role of public and private sectors: In both cities, government leaders and the private sector were on the same page regarding a vision for the city’s future. True partnership makes it easier to identify and capitalize on assets and opportunities.
• Investment, not subsidy: Both cities systematically identified areas where increased investment was likely to produce the greatest quantitative and qualitative returns. 

See the next section for more analysis of key lessons by trip participants.

Materials and Media

Trip Materials:

• Study Tour Agenda [PDF]
• Delegate Biographies [PDF]
• Guiding Questions [PDF]

Presentations:

• Presentation: Integrated Urban Development in Leipzig [PDF] – Stefan Heinig, Urban Development Planning, City Planning Office, City of Leipzig
• Presentation: Plagwitz – A District in Change [PDF] – Leipzig Economic Development Office
• Presentation: Manchester – Regeneration Capital [PDF] – Steve Mycio, Deputy Chief Executive, Manchester City Council
• Presentation: Transforming East Manchester [PDF] – New East Manchester

Post-Trip Analysis:

• "A New Deal for the Mahoning Valley" – Op-ed by participants Presley Gillespie, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, and Deb Flora, Lien Forward Ohio
• "Inspiration from Europe" – Article by participant John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press
• Blog posts by GMF’s Cities in Transition Fellows, Lavea Brachman and Alan Mallach, on the Greater Ohio Policy Center blog: 1. Introduction to Leipzig | 2. Introduction to Manchester | 3. The Leadership Secrets of Bob the Builder