When Germany was reunified in 1990, the entire industrial sector of the state of Saxony-Anhalt collapsed. This initiated a gradual exodus from the east German city which continues today, as people, particularly young residents, leave in search of greater opportunities elsewhere. Dessau is projected to lose nearly a third of it’s 1990 population by 2020 [16]. In 2007, the city of Dessau merged with the city of Roßlau to combat this declining population, but the city, now Dessau-Roßlau, is still shrinking. Population decline has produced an oversupply of housing and neglected urban centers [17].
Solutions (2004 - Present)
"Landscapes Emerge When Buildings Fall Away"[16]
The challenge of shirking cities is best exemplified by but not unique to Dessau. In response to the widespread epidemic of shrinking cities in the region, the state government began an experiment in 2003 called the “International Building Exhibition” to come up with solutions for shrinking cities. Faculty at the Bauhaus University in Dessau played an important role in developing solutions to these challenges, one proposal being the idea of “city islands”; rather than one compact, central city, buildings are cut out and replaced with landscape (See Figure 4) [1]. The plan both stabilizes important urban cores and develops green corridors, which create new open spaces between urban centers [2]. This renewed focus on green space within urban centers is not unique in Dessau but calls back to era of Prince Leopold, which emphasized harmony between humans and the nature world.
Figure 4: Diagram depicting location of Urban Core -Landscape Zone and the Surrounding Topography
Source: IBE Urban Development Saxony-Anhalt Booklet
Figure 5: Banner depicting motto “Where buildings fall...gardens arise” accompanied by sign encouraging residents to claim open space to cultivate.
Source: Raumtaktik: Office for a Better Future
The current plan draws upon the city’s unique position within the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Roßlau and the regional tradition of gardens and landscaping and locals urged city planners to "Bring the Garden Kingdom into the city." With the motto “Landscapes emerge when buildings fall away” in mind, the city has defined 3 types of areas in the Urban Basic Structure 2020 Target Plan: stable residential areas which will remain residential, reduced residential areas which will remain partially residential and partially converted to green space, and commercial areas. Much of the initial demolition work has taken place on government owned property but the city has also bought privately owned previously built-up land in order to convert it into green spaces [1].
Since 2004, a number of green spaces have emerged in previously vacant residential, office and industrial buildings to the east and west of the inner city. The built areas of the town has already been reduced by 60,000 square meters [1]. The challenge is that the city has very little money to put towards curating these open spaces so much of it has been allowed to return to a natural states with wildflowers and wild grasses [3]. Community intervention on the neighborhood level has proved essential in cultivating community support for these redevelopment projects and reframing public perception of the open space, not as a vacancy but as a positive addition to urban communities [2].
[1]Muller, R. (2010). When Less Is More: Eastern German Project Provides Hope for Shrinking Cities - SPIEGEL ONLINE. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from [2]Schmell, R., & Schmell, D. (2010). Revitalization of former industrial sites in Dessau-Rosslau | EUKN. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from http://www.eukn.eu/e-library/project/bericht/eventDetail/revitalization-of-former-industrial-sites-in-dessau-rosslau/ [3]Zimmerman, N. (2016). German city Dessau experiments with rewilding. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from