New attitude to life at the city harbor: Schwerin's building plan for the Werdervorstadt!

New attitude to life at the city harbor: Schwerin's building plan for the Werdervorstadt!

The city of Schwerin is planning a very special urban development project at the picturesque city harbor. There, south of Amtstrasse and east of Werderstrasse, new opportunities for living space and accommodation are emerging. These developments are part of the internal development plan no. 54.08/1 “Werdervorstadt – Am Stadthafen”, which was decided on in October 2010. How Schwerin local reports, the area near the Werderhof and the castle promenade is now being planned for future use.

The next important step is public participation, which will take place on July 16, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Demmlersaal in the town hall, Am Markt 14. Here the city representatives will present the goals of the construction project. A very special occasion for all interested citizens, because they have the opportunity to talk directly to the experts, ask questions and also make suggestions.

Public participation and citizen engagement

In the city of Schwentinental, the involvement of the population is also a central concern. When drawing up development plans, a two-stage process is used in which the public is actively involved. This happens not only on a legal basis, but also voluntarily. Like that Schwentinental land-use planning portal As explained, citizens can submit their comments either directly on the BOB-SH participation portal or by email. The planning documents are also available in the town hall and the employees are happy to answer questions about the existing planning.

In the first step, citizens learn about general goals, development opportunities and the expected effects of the planning. At this point it is important to always take a look at the announcements about participation. This is followed by the publication of detailed draft plans, which include a plan drawing including justification and environmental statements.

A look at urban development

A similar approach can be observed in many cities. The urban planning department advises citizens on planned projects and provides information about the various aspects of the new construction projects. Information about this, as well as at the Berlin Urban Development Administration, include not only the goals and purpose of planning, but also possible alternatives and the likely impacts.

An important feature of these public procedures is that the results of citizen participation are incorporated into the draft of the further planning procedure. Exceptions to this rule are only made if the impact of the planning decisions is minor, but this is not usually the case.

With the upcoming event in Schwerin and active citizen participation, the city administrations are proving that dialogue with citizens plays an essential role. So it remains exciting to see how the plans for the Schwerin city harbor will develop.