Michelhausen 2050: Citizens' dialogue brings new ideas for community design

29. November 2024

WOM

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In Michelhausen, an important “future dialogue” recently took place, which continued the “Michelhausen 2050” citizen participation process. Almost 100 participants accepted the invitation to this evening event and could be informed about the progress so far. This included the results of a previous citizen survey and the development of a local development concept.

Mayor Bernhard Heinl emphasized the relevance of such strategic planning initiatives in his opening speech. He said, "Anyone who doesn't know where they want to go will not arrive there." This process design is crucial in order to create sustainable foundations for the community. "The involvement of the citizens enables participation, creates transparency and promotes acceptance," he added. The strong interest in the event underlines the choice of approach.

The subject areas of discussion

A significant part of the evening devoted itself to working on project ideas in five defined subject areas. These areas include:

Social
economy
education
Environment
Mobility

The information table of the spatial planning office was particularly in demand, where lively discussions about the course of the local development concept took place. The feedback on the future dialogue was consistently positive, and Mayor Heinl was also enthusiastic about the commitment of the citizens: "It is a constructive and positive mood." The process will continue in spring with another citizen event, while the basic work for the development concept is progressing.

A focus of the event was also to present the results of the previous citizens' survey. Around 400 citizens had participated in this campaign and said numerous suggestions, especially on the open questions.

results of the citizen survey

among the respondents was a strikingly high proportion of new fellow citizens. In Pixendorf, 68 percent of those surveyed stated that they had moved in the past five years. This fact reflects dynamic growth in the community.

The survey results also testified to a positive attitude of the citizens to their place of residence. Around 85 percent of the participants felt comfortable in the community, and over 75 percent Michelhausen described them as sustainable. The social cohesion was also highly assessed: over 80 percent of those surveyed rated health care as "very good" or "good".

However, it was shown that there is still a need for improvement in areas such as youth friendliness, even if 40 percent of the respondents evaluate these aspects positively. Many named the village community as an important reason that makes the community worth living. The friendly and helpful neighbors contribute significantly to the fact that many people feel at home here.

The knowledge from the survey is used as a valuable basis for the further work in the "Michelhausen 2050" process. In particular, a large number of more than 1,000 proposals and project ideas were brought in by the respondents, whereby the topic of traffic was often addressed.

Various events have been taking place in Michelhausen as part of the citizen participation process since September. The start was a comprehensive questionnaire campaign that attracted 400 participants. This was followed by four local talks, in which around 230 citizens were discussed. More than 50 citizens showed interest in an active participation of the process and received their own information event in the run -up to the first future dialogue.

With the aim of involving the citizens in the strategic participation, various groups were also formed that meet regularly. This serenity and commitment of the Michelhauseners show that the path that the community has taken is the right one. You can find more information here.