Living. Thinking. Shaping the City Centre: Considerations from Frankfurt am Main

The (inner) city is a living and working space. It is the stage on which diverse lifestyles unfold. For this reason, urban planning must reflect economic, political, and cultural issues. Over the last decade, the city centre has suffered from a decline in visitor numbers. In particular, the expansion of online retail has led to many vacancies in central locations. This trend has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. We can note: On the one hand, we love the city centre since it creates a common identity. Its history is stored in buildings and collective memories. On the other hand, we ignore it out of convenience. After all, this is a rather sporadic love that is only exhibited on occasion, when it fits into the time budget of our lifestyle programme and there is an event to celebrate. Living the city centre means thinking and shaping the city centre under current conditions. This is a pragmatic shift in perspective, as shown in this paper by the case of Frankfurt am Main. The city centre must finally open up to residents, who are more than just consumers. It must provide offers for everyday life: spaces for the appropriation of individuals and groups which serve to promote identification through participation. Participation has at least as strong an effect as the identity-forming power of historical icons. Therefore, in addition to the material foundations of the built city, greater emphasis must be placed on the non-material skills of those who live the city centre. It would be an illusion to think that there is a way back to the old town centre as we know it from history. This belongs to the past. Today’s shaping of the city centre must be conceptualised within the framework of current possibilities. For this reason, the aspect of participation must be rethought. Cities must create an economic and political openness for this. The space of the city centre must once again belong to everyone.