IBA Stadtumbau 2010

Many cities are reacting to declining populations and job losses by concentrating on special economic focal points and using image-building and branding to keep their competitive edge. In Saxony-Anhalt, the International Building Exhibition 2010 (IBA) has developed projects and strategies to open up new perspectives for small and medium-sized cities through concentration on special economic areas and on their particular cultural, social and public skills. This volume compares the IBA cities with other European cities with regards to the knowledge-based economy, culture and health care, and specifically examines strategies, political practices and the cities’ future prospects.Complementing these comparisons, experts on the three sectors also analyse the individual future prospects and the constantly changing challenges facing these cities. The framework for these investigations is formed by the various contributions, which discuss the chances and risks of such profiling strategies on the basis of current ideas and findings from the international debate on urban and regional development.