Urban development with a view to Corona • THE ECONOMY OF COLOGNE

The study “Cologne Urban Development after Corona – Effects of the Corona Pandemic on the Implementation of the Cologne Perspectives 2030+ City Strategy” was published by the city of Cologne. She examines the question of how the corona pandemic influenced the implementation of the city strategy “Cologne Perspectives 2030+”.

The city strategy was approved by the Cologne City Council in December 2021. Even if the corona pandemic is now overshadowed by new crises, it still has an impact on the lives of Cologne residents. Andree Haack, Cologne city councilor for urban development, economy, digitalization and regional affairs, comments on the result: “The central result of the study confirms that the goals of the Cologne Perspectives 2030+ city strategy were chosen correctly and that we have identified the most important areas of focus for action.” Nevertheless The corona pandemic has increased the focus on certain areas of action and can also be seen as an opportunity for sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development. This means that the lessons from the pandemic can be seen as an opportunity to make the city of Cologne even stronger. Overall, the following consequences for urban development and the city strategy “Cologne Perspectives 2030+” can be derived:

• An increased mix of uses, i.e. a variety of retail, living, gastronomy, culture, advice and leisure offerings, leads to positive prospects for Cologne city center.
• In anticipation of future crises, resilient and forward-looking structures must be maintained or built. Collaboration is the key word here.
• The broad mix of industries and the flexibility of the companies carried Cologne through the corona pandemic relatively well.
• The mobility transition can only be achieved through a strong environmental network (public transport, cycling and walking, car sharing offers).
• Urban space (green areas, squares and public spaces) should be thought of and developed in a multifunctional manner, also in order to meet changing living needs (keywords: “home office” and “more time outdoors”).

The city of Cologne commissioned Prognos AG to carry out the analysis, which in turn looked at 16 European and international studies that generally address the effects of Corona. Comparability to the city of Cologne was possible because data on large cities and metropolises in Germany and Europe were examined. Selected interview partners were asked to transfer the results of this analysis to Cologne. Discussion partners from the areas of business and work (economic discussion group, HGK, Cologne Business and the Department for Urban Development, Economy, Digitalization and Regional Affairs), tourism (Köln Tourismus GmbH), mobility (KVB and the Mobility Department), housing (Köln AG, housing initiative) were involved Cologne and Department for Social Affairs, Health and Housing), science and teaching (University of Cologne), children and young people (Cologne Youth Ring and Department for Education, Youth and Sport) and green supply (Department for Climate, Environment, Greenery and Real Estate). This is how the conclusions were drawn, which have now been incorporated into the handling of the Cologne Perspectives 30+ city strategy. The goal is sustainable, strategic and future-oriented urban development.

(Karoline Sielski)