Urban development plan 'STEP Leonberg 2020 Integrated ecological contribution and public participation

The urban development plan STEP Leonberg 2020 contains an integrated ecological contribution and is based on an extensive dialogue (process-oriented) citizen participation process. With it, a new identity is created in the large district town of Leonberg and paths and building blocks are formulated for a sustainable development of settlement and landscape on the edge of the Stuttgart conurbation.

As an informal planning instrument, the urban development plan 'STEP 2020' had to define the future urban and landscape ecological development goals against the background of demographic change in Leonberg. It was understood by the administration as a dialogue-based planning and dynamic decision-making process requiring comprehensive participation. The aim was to use the 'expertise' of the citizens as experts of their town and to actively integrate this into the planning. From the very beginning, ecological concerns were intensively integrated into the development of STEP 2020 and the participation process as a specialist contribution. In this way, important landscape ecological and design content could be anchored in the planning and participation process and decisive impulses for future urban development could be introduced.
The intensive planning and participation process, which lasted over a year, led to a new culture of dialogue both in the political body and between the citizens and their city. On the basis of trust thus created, a high degree of willingness to engage in dialogue, the personal and continuous cooperation of those involved, as well as quality and perseverance in the moderation, contributed significantly to the success of the project.
The results have found their way into the integrated overall concept via the 'filter' of the specialist planning and via the consideration in the political committee. However, the filter, which was absolutely necessary for a successful result with a political majority, also meant that not all of the citizens' ideas could ultimately be reflected in STEP 2020. The urban development plan led to the updating of the land use plan and landscape plan. Both plans could be updated with a shorter planning and procedural time, as the essential contents had already been developed and discussed in STEP 2020.
The moderation and consolidation of the results were carried out by Wick Partner, architects and urban planners from Stuttgart. All phases were intensively accompanied by Prof. Schmid I Treiber I Partner, independent landscape architects from Leonberg, within the framework of the ecological expert contribution.