With urban sites in short supply in most cities and municipalities, efficient use of any available space is a necessity. The potential of currently existing building zones should be exploited to enable structural development in existing urbanized areas in the future. We support cities and municipalities with this task by elaborating strategies for inward development.

Through urban concentration projects, the potential in existing urban areas can be exploited, and districts upgraded. However, which forms of urban concentration are appropriate for which districts? And how can urban concentration be facilitated and supported in each individual case? Many cities and municipalities are preoccupied with these questions. We support municipalities with the elaboration of strategies for settlement development using the following four steps:

Analysis:

An analysis of the potential for urban densification is a prerequisite for the subsequent steps: What potential remains within the scope of current planning regulations? How well suited are the various municipal zones for further densification, e.g. based on their spatial structure or the existing green zones?

Strategy:

Based on the analysis, municipalities elaborate a strategy for the urban area. Where does the municipality want to “preserve” the urban structure? Which areas does it want to “further develop” in terms of its structure? And which areas does it want to “restructure”?

Actions:

In a third step, suitable measures and tools are chosen for implementation of the urban densification strategy. In addition to creating new options within the planning regulations, informal tools and procedures are also reviewed.

Controlling:

Monitoring and evaluating the process of implementation of the strategy helps the municipality to secure the efficiency and quality of its urban development program on a long-term basis.