The City of Leipzig decided to proclaim 2018 as „Jahr der Lokalen Demokratie“, Year of Local Democracy. Accordingly, the focus was on strengthening democratic values ​​and motivation for continuous participation. Thus a media campaign was launched and 24 brochures with the title „Demokratie vor Ihrer Haustür“, Democracy at Your Doorstep, were published and distributed in order to present all district councils and local councils as local democratic bodies.

With the goal of harmonizing the quality of the meeting venues among all committees, Bürogemeinschaft Gauly & Volgmann, commissioned by the Department of General Administration of the City of Leipzig, examined the meeting venues of the local committees. Criterias such as the room size, accessibility and technical equipment as well as the connection to local public transportation have been taken into account to analyze these venues.

Based on interviews with the chairs of the committees and on-site visits to all meeting venues, extensive recommendations were made for improving their quality. While many recommendations were focused on the improvement of equipment of the existing facilities, in some cases medium-to-long-term relocation to other buildings was recommended.

Commissioned by: Stadt Leipzig, Dezernat Allgemeine Verwaltung, City of Leipzig, Department of General Administration
Period: 2018

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has a project to strengthen the cooperation of municipalities: Jointly with GIZ, the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM) in cooperation with the Service Agency for Communities in the one world (SKEW) implements the program “Integrated Experts for Municipalities worldwide (IFKW)” that brings together German and European experts with cities of the Global South.

Against the background of global migration and refugee seeking shelter around troubled regions in the Middle East and Africa, Bürogemeinschaft Gauly & Volgmann was commissioned to research the central issue: How can the secondment of integrated experts to partner cities affected by flight and migration contribute to cope better with these challenges and to use potentials?

Commissioned by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Period: 2016

In 2011, the City of Leipzig set itself the goal of developing a balance and strategy paper on  climate-friendly sustainable urban development in Leipzig. As part of the project, bgh. supported the cross-departmental communication process. One of the main tasks was to  prepare and facilitate different workshops. In cooperation with the involved actors and our partner, the agency Miriquidi Media, the concept idea was created and edited.

The balance and strategy paper formed the basis for the publication „Stadtentwicklung koopstadt. Klimagerechte und nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung Leipzig“ – published in 2012 as part of the pilot project of the National Urban Development Policy of the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR) „koopstadt – Stadtentwicklung in Bremen, Leipzig und Nürnberg“.

In terms of content, the balance and strategy paper deals with the following main topics:

• Climate protection
• City of mixed uses and short distances
• Leipzig Charter as a plan for action
• Milestones for climate policy in Leipzig
• Priority areas of action: Settlement development, mobility, open space development, municipal infrastructure, communication and consulting, experiences of co-operative partner cities Bremen and Nuremberg.

Commissioned by: City of Leipzig, City Planning Department
Cooperation partner: Agency Miriquidi Media
Period: 2011-2012

As part of the GIZ project “Strengthening Municipal Land Management in Serbia”, bgh. was in charge of an on-site mission to study the state of local land-use planning in August 2010. Overall, this project aimed to strengthen the competences of the Serbian municipalities in terms of achieving an ecologically sustainable and socially balanced development, and also of improving the efficient land use management.

In the three Serbian project cities Kragujevac, Smederevo and Novi Sad, the status of municipal land use planning were analysed. Thus, the study evaluated the current building and planning law in Serbia and provided recommendations for the further development of municipal land use planning in the country.

Commissioned by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Cooperation partners: Department of Strategic Planning and Development, Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade, Serbian experts
Period: 2010

bhg., in the person of Astrid Heck, cooperated with the Selbstnutzer Kompetenzzentrum für Wohneigentum GmbH on conducting a feasibility study on the transferability of the Leipzig “self-user model” to other municipalities. It implied the training of owners of heritage-listed buildings and townhouses in the inner city.

An intensive consultation and moderation for groups that have the same interest – jointly acquiring ownership of a flat/house – is especially necessary at the initial stages when the group members do not know each other. In order to be able to better assess the transferability of the model to other municipalities, further investigations were carried out as part of the National Urban Development Policy program.

In a nationwide study, a survey of 570 municipalities was carried out. The study examined the need to train the owners in the different municipalities and the financial support they would need. A final two-day workshop was held for about 60 representatives from different cities. The municipalities were interested in learning from the self-user model in Leipzig and contributed to the formulation of recommendations for action towards the Federal Government on the promotion of housing ownership.

Commissioned by: The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning / Selbstnutzer Kompetenzzentrum für Wohneigentum GmbH
Period: 2008-2009

The main goals of the association HausHalten e.V., founded in 2004, are to secure endangered old buildings in important urban areas by finding new users on a non-commercial basis and to preserve the buildings’ value. Astrid Heck was a co-initiator and long-time board member of the association. The aim of HausHalten e.V. is to engage with the two challenges Leipzig faced in the early 2000s – vacancy in unattractive areas and creative people seeking adequate spaces. HausHalten e.V. viewed this as an opportunity to bring potential users closer to owners.

Until September 2009, HausHalten e.V. received funding through the “Nationalen Stadtentwicklungspolitik” National Urban Development Policy by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS).

Main goals:

• Establishment of a training and competence centre “HausHalten” in Lützner Straße 39
• Further development of the Guardian House Model – Wächterhausmodell
• Transferability of the model to other cities which also face vacancy

Function: Co-initiator and long-time member of the board of the association
Period: 2004-2009