Neighborhood Management - Berlin

The Neighborhood Management in Berlin, Germany ('Quartiersmanagement') is a community-based programme aiming to support disadvantaged urban neighborhoods from being left behind within the city's overall development and to compensate the negative consequences of social disadvantage. Since 1999, the programme channels funds from the Federal-State Urban Development Programme 'Social Cohesion - Living Together in the Neighbourhood' (previous called 'Urban districts with special development needs - the Social City' from 1999-2020) through three neighbourhood schemes: action, construction and project. One aspect of the Berlin Neighborhood Management programme is the creation, maintenance, upgrading and expansion of green and open spaces - e.g. urban gardens - with the involvement and networking of local actors. Since 2020, an additional programme focus is on climate protection and environmental justice. This theme is divided into eight project categories, with one being the open space project category. Urban green spaces are highlighted as key to climate protection and climate adaptation as fresh air corridors, infiltration areas and cooling climate oases. In addition to design (e.g. shading by heat-resistant tree species or sun sails, drinking fountains, permeable surfaces), usage behaviour, maintenance and accessibility are also outlined in the programme as being critical for their effectiveness. A wide range of structural and social tasks are included within the framework of integrated district development, forming the interface between the city administration and residents and other actors from business, foundations and civil society. The five fields of action include: education, training and youth, work and economy, neighbourhood, public space, and participation, networking and involvement of partners. Currently, 34 neighbourhoods in eight districts receive funding through the Berlin Neighborhood Management programme, coming from the 'Social Cohesion Program'. A total of €34 million was available in the programme year 2021.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Heat stress and heat island effect
Air quality
Social cohesion
Social equity
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The programme's structure includes both greening and other environmental as well as social aspects. All construction funded from programme year 2022/2023 onwards must be assigned to at least one of the following measures with regard to climate protection and climate adaptation: energy-efficient building refurbishment, soil unsealing, land recycling, climate-friendly mobility, use of climate-friendly building materials, creation, preservation or expansion of green spaces and open spaces, networking of green and open spaces, greening of building areas and increasing biodiversity. For each neighborhood from the programme from 2022 onwards, one "Social Climate Project" and one "Social Climate Project" will be implemented. The area on climate protection and adaptation is divided into eight project categories. One of them is the open space project category, which highlights urban green spaces as key to climate protection and climate adaptation - as fresh air corridors, infiltration areas and cooling climate oases. In addition to design (e.g. shading by heat-resistant tree species or sun sails, drinking fountains, permeable surfaces), the programme states that usage behaviour, maintenance and accessibility also play a major role in their effectiveness. Finally, the programme emphasizes the networking of green infrastructure with blue infrastructure, i.e. with water in the city, is becoming increasingly important for climate relevance.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Blue areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

State of Berlin and the German federal government

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The Neighborhood Management programme is a renaming and adaptation of a long established programme - Quatiermanagement (QM), which was established in 1998. The QM was triggered by the expert report "Socially Oriented Urban Development" and the resulting Monitoring Social Urban Development. The Senate's decision to introduce the urban development funding programme in March 1999 marked the birth of Berlin's neighbourhood management, which was initially designed as a pilot for a period of 3 years. In 1999, the federal government supplemented urban development funding with the programme "Districts with Special Development Needs - the Social City". This was preceded by discussions on supporting disadvantaged neighbourhoods within the framework of the Federal Conference of Building Ministers. In the process, the federal government adopted elements already conceived in the predecessor programmes at the state level, which were to develop into the brand essence of the programme: integrated development concepts (in Berlin: Integrated Action and Development Concept - IHEK), QM teams as local contact and networking points, and the establishment of disposition funds, which are decided on with the participation of residents (in Berlin: Action and Project Funds). However, the primarily investment-oriented urban development funding results in much more restrictive framework conditions than the interdepartmental approach originally envisaged by ARGEBAU.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The Berlin Neighborhood Management programme works in clearly defined neighbourhoods and for a limited time. The aim of the programme is to create a new sense of responsibility for living together in the neighbourhood. To achieve this, it relies particularly on the participation of residents and actors in the neighbourhood. Residents can participate in the neighbourhood committees and there is a neighbourhood council in each area made up of elected residents and representatives from institutions in the district as well as partners in neighbourhood development. With at least 15 members, the neighbourhood council decides on the allocation of project funding and helps determine the long-term goals of the area's development. An action fund jury also has between five and twelve members, depending on the neighbourhood, and makes decisions about the financial support of short-term actions. A neighbourhood management team is the central organiser in the district. An integrated action and development concept for the district forms the basis for participation and projects. Neighbourhood councils and action fund juries give residents a voice. A budget with several neighbourhood funds finances local offers and help for self-help. Therefore active interdisciplinary cooperation in the administration is performed. The basis for this participatory approach are jointly developed integrated (interdisciplinary) action and development concepts (IHEK), which are interdepartmental, locally bundled strategies of the neighbourhoods and defines as a kind of roadmap what should happen in the neighbourhood every three years. The district's specialist departments are also consulted about the status of the area and the necessary measures for its development, and are comprehensively involved in the IHEK process. They are asked to comment the draft and, describe the measures and activities in the neighbourhood for which they are financially responsible, as well as to supplement needs and plans in the respective neighbourhood. The respective district coordination steers the process and supports the final coordination with the neighbourhood council and the final editing. Subsequently, the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing releases the IHEK adopted by the district council. On the basis of the completed IHEK, the neighbourhood council then selects topics and needs that are to be supported in the future with funding from the Social Cohesion Programme.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Citizen councils or consultation for co-planning (e.g. workshops, surveys)

Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory role)

Citizen monitoring and review

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public national budget

Public regional budget

European Union

Budget:

Above 10 000 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The Berlin Neighborhood Management programme is funded by the Social Cohesion Programme, which is a German federal-state programme. Until 2020, the Berlin Neighborhood Management also received funding from the European Union. The funding is provided and divided into three neighbourhood funds, depending on whether short and long-term projects or structural measures are involved. The basis for the use of funding is the action and development concepts jointly developed in the neighbourhoods. In the action fund, each neighbourhood receives €10,000 per year. Short-term and quickly visible actions in the neighbourhood are funded up to €1,500 each (in 2014 it was €1,000 ). The aim is to support direct actions of voluntary engagement. In the project fund, funding is provided for projects that generally run for several years and cost €5,000 or more. The aim of the fund is to promote sustainable, structural measures that achieve the action goals of the action and development concepts in the neighbourhood management areas. In the construction fund Building fund funding is provided for construction projects of €50,000 or more that serve the sustainable stabilisation and development of neighbourhood management areas. The needs for the construction investments are determined with the participation of the residents, the stakeholders, the partners in the area development, the neighbourhood council and the local district offices. From 1999-2020, the Berlin Neighborhood Management received €508 million; for 2021, the funding is €34 million.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Currently, 34 neighbourhoods in eight Berlin districts receive funding from the Berlin Neighborhood Management programme, funded by the German federal-state Social Cohesion urban development programme. Since 1999, a total of 42 neighbourhoods have been supported as Socially Integrative City development areas. There are 1300 neighbourhood councils and members of action fund juries, of which 120 neighbourhood managers are active. The Berlin Neighborhood Management is 100% partnership-based and has already started 7255 projects. The resources are divided among three funds. At the same time, awareness is raised for climate protection and climate adaptation in a wide range of objectives.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The Neighbourhood Management programme is a valuable instrument for positive neighbourhood development in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods as the process starts with the local challenges of the neighbourhoods and seeks solutions together with diverse stakeholders. At the same time, the presence of the Neighborhood Management teams in the neighbourhoods makes the programme and involvement easy to access. Specifically, the programme reaches out to citizens and promotes civic engagement and participation, bringing together local actors, networks their activities and thereby generating synergy effects. Neighbourhood management also serves as a catalyst for innovations which can support other planning processes and administrative actions. For example, the federal evaluation outlines that instruments such as integrated development concepts, on-site teams or disposition funds can now also be found in other urban development programmes. The topic of participation has also gained considerable importance as a result of the programme, and participation processes are now part of good practice in public building projects and other planning processes. The programme is designed as a learning programme. Regular exchange formats as well as special evaluation processes serve this goal. In order to be sustainable in the long-term, the programme depends on reliable financial and human resources.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Abteilung SW - Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat (BMI). (2021). Sozialer Zusammenhalt - Zusammenleben im Quartier gemeinsam gestalten. Berlin: BMI.

Senatverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen (2019). 20 Jahre Berliner Quartiersmanagement Bilanz und Perspektiven für die Soziale Stadt. Berlin: Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen.

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/wohnen/quartiersmanagement/

https://www.quartiersmanagement-berlin.de/index.html

Photos

@https://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/wohnen/quartiersmanagement/