"Revitalising the city centre with culture and creative industries": New guide supports municipalities, culture and business

With this in mind, the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Planning and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Climate Protection and Europe have been working together with partners from local authorities, culture, the creative industries and administration to find answers in a workshop process since 2023.

The result is the guide "Revitalising the city centre with culture and the creative industries", which bundles existing knowledge and accompanies stakeholders step by step from the initial idea to financing and approvals to the implementation and continuation of projects. It is aimed at local politicians and administrators, cultural and creative players and property owners who are looking for new utilisation perspectives for city centre spaces.
 

Manja Schüle, Minister of Culture: "Brandenburg's city centres are not only a place to feast, shop and stroll, they are also home to our culture and creative industries – in theatres, clubs and concert halls, in galleries, libraries and museums as well as in co-working spaces. All in all, they turn our city centres into meeting places where we can talk to each other, be inspired and develop new ideas. Vacancies are not just a problem, but also a resource for change and innovation. With this guide, we want to encourage people to take advantage of these opportunities and tackle and implement their own projects."

The Ministry of Science, Research and Culture is strengthening the cultural infrastructure throughout the country with its cultural policy – from theatres, museums and music schools to socio-cultural centres and festivals. With concepts for cultural education, remembrance culture and the promotion of the independent scene, the MWFK is helping to ensure that cultural offerings remain visible in city centres and that new spaces for culture are opened up. In the guidelines, the MWFK contributes its specialist expertise in art and culture, cultural education and the views of cultural stakeholders, thus supporting the strategic anchoring of culture in city centre development.
 

Robert Crumbach, Minister of Infrastructure: "Our city centres have undergone a complex and successful process of urban redevelopment in recent decades, but are facing major challenges in the face of demographic and economic changes such as the decline in retail. These far-reaching changes also offer the opportunity to rethink our historic centres for the future so that they appeal to locals and tourists alike. The guide shows how local authorities can use their tools to bring culture and the creative industries to the centre, activate vacant spaces and turn city centres back into the beating heart of the city."

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Planning is a member of the Brandenburg Alliance for Vibrant City Centres. The MIL supports cities and municipalities in the sustainable development of their city centres as places to live, work and spend time – for example through urban development funding. One focus is on preserving existing buildings, enabling mixed use and securing city centres as places of coexistence and services of general interest. Experience from urban development, the activation of vacant properties, the preservation of historical monuments and cooperation with local authorities have been incorporated into the guidelines. It makes it clear how city centre stakeholders can work together and use planning instruments and funding programmes specifically for cultural and creative projects.
 

Martina Klement, Minister of Economic Affairs: "The cultural and creative industries are an important economic driver in Brandenburg. It develops viable utilisation concepts for vacant spaces, attracts people and provides impetus for gastronomy, trade and tourism. The guide brings together this wealth of experience, makes practical knowledge from Brandenburg visible and shows how strong networks, reliable partnerships and good framework conditions can help to secure the vitality and diversity of our city centres in the long term."

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Climate Protection and Europe supports the cultural and creative industries as a dynamic sector with above-average growth rates and supports them with advisory services, networks and funding programmes. This includes formats for networking the creative scene, such as cross-sector meetings or platforms that make cultural and creative companies visible in the state. The guidelines link these economic perspectives with urban development and cultural policy so that local authorities, companies and other partners can work together on sustainable concepts for vibrant city centres.