First referendum in Schwerin: Save the park in Lankow!

First referendum in Schwerin: Save the park in Lankow!

On Monday evening, September 29, 2025, there was an important meeting in Schwerin's town hall, which marked the start of a new path for citizen participation in the city. The focus of the discussion was the citizens' petition to withdraw the sale of the district park with playground in Lankow. All city representatives agreed that a successful referendum is not only positive for the city, but also strengthens the feeling of community Schwerin news reported.

However, the city council had to clarify some controversial points. While the city administration suggested holding the referendum in mid-March at the same time as the upcoming mayoral election, some representatives advocated postponing it until November. The CDU ultimately prevailed and proposed January 25, 2025 as the date for the first referendum in Schwerin. This will mean that the city will have to expect additional costs of at least 100,000 euros as this date does not coincide with the election. What is particularly exciting is the fact that this is the first substantive referendum in Schwerin's history since the former mayor Claussen was voted out in 2008.

The connection to the Lankow district park

The background to the citizens' initiative is clear: selling the property to an investor would mean the destruction of the popular district park and playground in Lankow. The park covers almost 5,000 square meters and is a central place to play and relax for families. Planned replacement areas that have been promised are loud Urban and cultural protection campaign “three times smaller” and cannot begin to compensate for the loss. This sale accelerated the demands of the City and Cultural Protection Action Group (ASK Schwerin), which vehemently calls for the park and playground to be preserved.

In order to initiate the referendum, at least 4,000 valid signatures must be collected from citizens with their main residence in Schwerin. Anyone eligible, including EU citizens aged 16 and over, can cast their vote. The signatures are collected by downloading the relevant lists, which must then be completely filled out and returned. Each person is only allowed to sign once in order to maintain the legitimacy of the decision.

Looking at future citizen participation

This referendum in Schwerin is also in line with a general trend towards greater involvement of citizens in urban planning decisions, as can be seen from an example from Bremen. The Citizens' Council was introduced there as part of an urban development competition, giving citizens the right to vote in the redesign of their surroundings. Such models could also provide inspiration in Schwerin to promote social cohesion and give people a voice when it comes to shaping their city, as on ifok is presented.

The coming months in Schwerin will be exciting. Citizens have the chance to vote on the preservation of a beloved place, and the city government faces new challenges in citizen participation. We are excited to see how the results will develop and what impulses they will provide for future urban design.