The Itzehoe region would like to expand and deepen the previously quantitatively oriented coordination of residential development to include quality aspects.
The municipalities in the Itzehoe region have been working closely together on quantitative housing development since 2002 and agreed on a joint housing agreement even then. In recent years, against the background of demand for living space on the one hand and changing demands on the living environment due to demographic and social developments on the other, questions about qualitative residential space development have increasingly come to the fore.
The Itzehoe region is therefore striving for even closer inter-municipal cooperation in the area of housing development in order to be able to meet the need for and desire for special forms of housing – barrier-free housing, affordable housing, smaller housing in multi-story residential buildings, etc. In order to achieve this, on the one hand, the key players in the region are to be made aware of this issue and, on the other hand, joint approaches to solving the lack of land availability are to be found. In addition to the demographic trends in society as a whole, foreseeable developments specific to the region, such as the large-scale expansion of the Itzehoe innovation area, a possible northern bypass around Itzehoe, the accession of the Steinburg district to the HVV public transport system, and the expansion of the A20 motorway in the district, are to be taken into account.
Funding projects
In order to create the basis for a new housing agreement for the Itzehoe region by 2030, an inter-municipal housing development concept is being developed. For the first time, the experts determine the potential new areas and inner development areas of all member municipalities on the basis of uniform criteria and evaluate their chances of realization. The central result of the concept is a new housing agreement for the Itzehoe region until 2030, which takes into account the need for housing units identified by the state planning department. This project is supported by AktivRegion Steinburg and on the initiative of the Ministry of the Interior, Rural Areas, Integration and Equality of the State of Schleswig-Holstein with funds from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
In addition, the Itzehoe region is a sub-project in the Hamburg metropolitan region’s lead project “Housing in the Hamburg metropolitan region – meeting needs, sustainable, designing together”. Under this umbrella, a total of 9 model sub-projects from all states of the metropolitan region are gathered, which take up many of the known problems and issues – e.g. inter-municipal housing development; grievance management due to housing vacancy and building dilapidation; housing market monitoring; control of vacation use; development of need-based and affordable housing – and seek model solutions. The Hamburg Metropolitan Region is making the entire project possible by providing financial support of around 1 million euros.
The sub-project of the Itzehoe region is mainly concerned with aspects of monitoring, mobilization of potential areas and raising awareness of politics, administration and the public for housing issues.
Based on the preceding inter-municipally coordinated spatial housing development concept for the entire region, instruments of a regional housing market monitoring are examined. For this purpose, a GIS-based residential development map is being built. Regional land management is being implemented to activate the identified potential sites for residential development. The subproject thus points the way from purely quantitative monitoring to qualitative approaches to potential mobilization.
For the mobilization of potential areas, the question of the appropriate development and housing form plays an important role in order to align the residential development with the needs of future residents. An important basis for this will be an expert opinion on special forms of housing. This examines where and under what conditions special forms of housing can be implemented even in smaller rural communities. In addition to special forms of housing for the classic target group of senior citizens, young people (trainees, interns) and people with low incomes are also targeted.
The overall project is accompanied by a dialog process that is intended to establish a continuous exchange on the topic of housing within politics and administration as well as with the interested public and key stakeholders. Questions such as social responsibility in housing construction, instruments for monitoring the housing market, energy-efficient construction, new forms of housing such as Tiny Houses, or the reconciliation of land-saving goals on the one hand and the provision of housing on the other will be brought into focus and illuminated.
The Itzehoe region will receive a total of around 134,000 euros for these project modules from the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein development fund of the Hamburg metropolitan region.
The project was successfully completed at the end of 2022.
A documentation of all sub-projects can be found here:
Further subprojects of the lead project
- Municipality of Malente & Holstein Switzerland Region
- Heath region
- Hamburg & closer surrounding area
- City of Cuxhaven
- Cities network A14
- Dannenberg (Elbe) and Hitzacker (Elbe)
- Medium-sized center Reinbek, Glinde, Wentorf
- North Khedingen
On the lead project of the Hamburg metropolitan region
Commercial space development concept for the Itzehoe region 2018
The inter-communal project “Commercial space development concept for the Itzehoe region” is an outstanding example of good inter-communal cooperation. The aim is to designate commercial areas to enable companies to relocate to and from the region and to maintain and strengthen the region’s economic power. The concept developed by CIMA in 2017-2018 identified a need for approximately 69 ha by 2030.
Among other things, the experts come to the conclusion that, in addition to the “classic” industry, the consideration of so-called “special developments” will play an important role. This is intended in particular to satisfy the expected demand for space from companies in the industries of the future, which essentially belong to automation technology and energy and environmental technology. Already today, more than 50 companies with more than 1,400 jobs are at home at the technology site in Itzehoe-Nord, contributing significantly to the prosperity of the Itzehoe region.
- Concept
- Economic development of the city of Itzehoe
- egw:wirtschaftsförderung Development Company Westholstein
- Commercial space information system of the Hamburg metropolitan region
Support of the Steinburg evening market
With the financial support of the Steinburg Evening Market, the Itzehoe region would like to contribute to (re)revitalizing Itzehoe’s city center after the challenging times, to strengthen the center for people from the entire Itzehoe region and to provide it with new appeal. Artists, musicians, creatives and high-class regional manufactures and traders create a market experience with a sustainable focus at the foot of St. Laurentii.
Every 1st Thursday of the month from May to October from 4:30 p.m., you can visit the Steinburg Evening Market in downtown Itzeho. The Itzehoe region and the city management of the city of Itzehoe are looking forward to your coming!
Well signposted in the Itzehoe region:
Excerpt article from the city newspaper of the city of Itzehoe
Issue: July 21, 2023
New weather shelter at the Bismarck Column ceremonially inaugurated
Itzehoe region provided impetus to expand leisure infrastructures in the region
For a few days now no one is left standing in the rain: A new shelter for hikers was ceremoniously completed and inaugurated on September 12, 2022 at the Bismarck Column in the city forest of Itzehoe. As part of an inter-municipal survey of the member municipalities of the Itzehoe region last year, it was determined that there was a particular need in the area of improving recreational infrastructure (e.g. hiking signs, shelters or benches). Dr. Koeppen, former chairman of the Itzehoe region, had promoted the strengthening and optimization of recreational infrastructure measures. Due to the support of the LAG AktivRegion Steinburg e.V. it was now possible to subsidize a shelter at the Bismarck Column with a funding quota of 80% within the framework of the regional budget support of small(est) projects. Mr. Hoppe, chairman of the Itzehoe region, thanked above all the hiking club for its great commitment to this joint project.
And even more projects have already been implemented or are in the planning stage: The six circular hiking trails that run through Itzehoe and the surrounding area were digitally entered on the Komoot route planner app last year by the Steinburg District Hiking Association. Large overview signs for the starting points of the circular hiking trails are currently in the works.
Starting this fall, it will again be possible to submit ideas for small(est) projects with gross costs of less than 20,000 euros to the office of AktivRegion Steinburg as part of the regional budget funding(www.leader-steinburg.de).
The LAG AktivRegion Steinburg e.V. is one of 22 AktivRegions in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The AktivRegion’s area comprises the districts and towns of the Steinburg district with the exception of the Kellinghusen district and extends to the outskirts of the Hamburg metropolitan region.
Photo: Björn Dethlefs
Itzehoe region takes stock of land management for inner-city development
– six new projects for residential use are being created, more projects to follow
ITZEHOE – The Itzehoe region has been under strong growth pressure in the Hamburg metropolitan region for years. Many people in particular are moving further and further into the surrounding areas in their search for housing, as the housing inquiries in the cities can hardly be met. But affordable and generation-appropriate housing is also becoming scarce here in the region. Land in new development areas is subject to high demand, and the need for housing continues to rise steadily in the surrounding communities as well. Therefore, it is necessary to take a look at the inner-city, already developed areas, to develop these (vacant) areas or vacancies and to reduce the designation of areas in the outer area on the “greenfield”. The so-called inner development thus contributes, among other things, to the reactivation and realization of existing or new residential areas. A win-win situation on two sides: both for the municipalities, whose land in the inner area can be (re)revitalized and developed for residential or commercial purposes, and a further potential for people looking for housing. In this way, brownfields or gaps between buildings can be carefully filled with new life and vacancies can be eliminated. The Itzehoe region, the Stadt-Umland-Kooperation, consisting of 17 surrounding municipalities and the city of Itzehoe, has also been addressing the topic of inner development for several years. For this purpose, CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH from Lübeck has been commissioned for the period 2021-2022 with the prioritization of areas and properties, the approaching of owners, the mediation of contacts with the specialist departments and the (further) development of utilization ideas. The measure is part of the Hamburg metropolitan region’s flagship housing project, which addresses issues of needs-based equity and sustainability of housing supply in the region. As a sub-project, the Itzehoe region is looking at sustainable, inter-municipal residential development up to 2030.
Nils Meyer, project manager of the land management project at CIMA, provides an overview of the areas investigated: “A total of 121 areas and 25 properties were included in the investigation. In the course of the project period, 80 property owners were actively contacted and made an offer to support the valorization of the respective area or property. Of these, 35 responded (44%). This is a very good response rate!”
The project was based in particular on the inter-municipal housing development concept for the Itzehoe region from 2020. Here, the eligible areas for internal development in the Itzehoe region have already been identified and the chances of realization have been evaluated for the first time.
The aim of the project was to sensitize politicians and owners to the importance of inner development, to remove barriers to implementation and to make clear the added value for all those involved. However, some of the owners had already started their own business, were about to sell their properties or had already carried out renovation work.
Ralf Hoppe, Chairman of the Itzehoe Region and Mayor of the City of Itzehoe, knows that it takes staying power and persuasion on the part of a city council to bring such properties to development. But this effort is worthwhile. “Six projects have been advanced in the Itzehoe region, so new residential uses can be expected here in the medium term. It is important to stay on the ball with the topic of inner development, even with project ideas that have already been initiated. In this context, it is important to seek contact with the owners at regular intervals. In addition, further projects may follow in the Itzehoe region under new legal regulations as well as subsidies in the coming years.
The project was financed with funds from the Hamburg Metropolitan Region Development Fund as part of the flagship project “Housing in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region – meeting needs, sustainable, designing together”.
