Case study selection within Leipzig

Planning at the local, i.e. city, level takes place at different strategic levels (Schmidt- Eichstaedt et al., 2011: see Diagram 3.1) There are the ‘strategic planning policies’ which form the highest local planning level and contain overall strategies for the whole city. In the middle tier are ‘planning policies related to area development planning’ which are policies that are strongly linked to the building law and cover either parts of the city (building plans) or the whole city (land-use plan). The bottom tier comprises ‘specific project plans’ that are related to projects in certain parts of the city. Those levels can be seen as part of the vertical dimension of EPI.

Diagram 3. 1: Planning levels at the local level in Germany

The task was to identify cases in Leipzig that could help to form a comprehensive understanding of policy making processes and how they interrelate. In order to identify suitable cases at the highest strategic local planning level in Leipzig, planning policies were analysed both online and in local libraries. Policies related to mobility, the spatial structure of the city and environmental topics like noise and air quality were then taken into closer examination. The practical experience of the researcher gained in a planning office in Leipziger before this research started was helpful in identifying suitable cases.

In Leipzig the highest planning policy is the Integrated Urban Development Concept (SEKo – Integriertes Stadtentwicklungskonzept). It brings together all strategic planning policies of the various areas of planning, e.g. transport planning, urban development planning, school planning, and presents them in an integrated way. However, the SEKo was not chosen for this research as the policy is still under development.

Instead two Urban Development Plans which are also based at the strategic planning level and which will ultimately be incorporated into the SEKo were selected: (a) Centres Urban Development Plan which deals with the spatial structure of Leipzig with a focus on retail, and (b) Transport Urban Development Plan which deals with all mobility related topics. The Centres Plan was originally set up in 1999 and updated in 2009. The Transport Plan was developed for the first time in 2003 and updated since 2012. Both development plans were chosen as they can be linked to literature on environmentally friendly mobility (Pinto and Pourbaix, 2007, Banister, 2008).

Other plans at the strategic planning level are required to be created because they are directly related to European directives. How these types of plans are created is delegated to each nation state and, in the case of Germany, those plans are developed at the local level. Two of the plans were chosen for this research as they also relate to the aim of environmentally friendly mobility and, contrary to the Urban Development Plans, they have their origin in environmental planning. The first one is the Clean Air Plan which is related to the European directive on ambient air quality (European Commission, 2008). The second one is the Noise Action Plan which is based on the European directive on environmental noise (European Commission, 2002a). These two plans were chosen as they are related to two differently organised directives and, theoretically, provide the opportunity to reduce the impact of mobility on the environment.

The middle tier of Diagram 3.1 was excluded from this research. Area development planning is based on a tight legal framework that does not, so far, offer alterations with respect to the levels of EPI, DI and SI. In case, the national government adjusts the legal framework, an investigation of the middle tier would increase the understanding of integration approaches in planning processes at the local level.

Excluding the middle tier of Diagram 3.1, the second level addressed in this research is the project planning level. The selection of those cases was made during an initial

interview phase, which had the purpose of understanding local circumstances and identifying local planning actors and potential local cases. The initial four interviews took place two months before the main interview phase and interviewees named numerous projects that are either related to mobility or where different stakeholders are involved or projects that are highly discussed in Leipzig by citizens, planners and local politicians. In the end, three projects and two problems were selected for detailed investigation in the main interview phase where there was an indication of either a lack of integration or of new approaches in planning with higher levels of integration.

The first project is the development of a new shopping centre in the city centre of Leipzig, the project ‘Höfe am Brühl’ (Courtyards at Brühl). This project is related to the city’s spatial development but due to its size has also an influence on mobility and is linked to environmental concerns. The second project is the restructuring of a street South of the city centre, the Karl-Liebknecht-Street. In this case, the project does not only influence the various modes of transport but also the adjacent urban areas. Those two projects are very different in their outline but both were highly discussed by stakeholders and citizens. The third project was initiated by the transport planning department with the aim to promote private funding of bicycle racks in public space. In contrast to the other two, this project caused hardly any public interest despite clear local benefits.

Planning processes do not only deal with strategic concepts and the development of urban areas but also are intended to solve planning problems. The interviewees did not only talk about planning policies and projects in Leipzig but also cited numerous problems in the city that are related to mobility. Some of them show clearly the other side of planning, i.e. the reaction of planners to local problems and the reaction to issues named by the public. Therefore, two cases of this nature were also selected for analysis with the aim of finding out whether planners can respond to problems in an integrated way and whether there are differences in reactive planning compared to proactive planning. The first case refers to a shortage of parking spaces in the traditional residential areas of Leipzig. The second case is related to cycling on a main road in Leipzig.

In sum, nine case studies were chosen in Leipzig to create an evidence base to answer the research questions and to understand policy making processes at the local level through the lens of EPI.