Innovation Quarters as an Instrument for Revitalizing Shrinking Cities - A Comparative Study of the Cities of Gelsenkirchen, NRW and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Period: April 25 - July 11

Participants: 5 students

Supervisors: Nina Müller, Jakob Schackmar, Christoph Dethlefs, Sibylle Hestermann

Languages: German, English

In shrinking cities, the decline of the overall population is usually accompanied by the decline of economic structures, causing a variety of problems. The smart city approaches favored by the megatrend of digitalization, which aim to strengthen economic development by promoting innovation activity, can counteract these. In many cities, attempts are already being made to create systems in which the creation, development and commercialization of ideas are facilitated and accelerated. These approaches are characterized by the term innovation district.

Since it can be assumed that the prerequisites for innovation districts cannot be fulfilled or can only be fulfilled to a limited extent, especially in shrinking cities due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of partners from industry and research the students of the master project 2022 came to the conclusion that cities in a deep structural crisis nevertheless have the chance to generate mutual benefits through intensive cooperation with external stakeholders by exchanging knowledge and sharing resources. Innovation districts can thus contribute to shaping the structural change towards a modern knowledge society.

To investigate concrete examples, the students used the two cities of Gelsenkirchen (NRW) and Cincinnati (Ohio) as case studies. The case studies analyzed the process and consequences of urban shrinkage, approaches to revitalization and smart cities, and the innovation district that exists in each case. As a methodological approach, indicators were defined, and SWOT analyses and a comparative study were conducted before recommendations for action were finally formulated.

As part of the project, a field trip to Gelsenkirchen, where some expert interviews were conducted.