Citizens' dialogue in Dessau-Roßlau: Your vision for 2040 counts!

Citizens' dialogue in Dessau-Roßlau: Your vision for 2040 counts!

Today, September 8, 2025, there is a very special date for the citizens of Dessau-Roßlau. The citizens' dialogue on the Integrated Urban Development Concept (Insek) will take place on September 9th at 5:30 p.m. in St. Mary's Church. This event gives residents the opportunity to actively participate in shaping their city by 2040. The current urban development concept, which has been in effect since 2013, expires in December 2025, and now it's time to develop visions for the future. The MZ reports about the planned activities of this important event.

This future workshop not only offers a platform for thoughts and ideas, but also a real opportunity to get involved. Citizens are invited to contribute their opinions both before and during the dialogue. Mayor Robert Reck will open the event at 6 p.m. and a Potsdam planning team from Complan will inform all citizens present about the central points of the new urban development concept.

Thematic discussions and interaction

A panel discussion will start at 6:30 p.m., bringing together different age and interest groups: from trainees and students to families and seniors. Everyone has the chance to share their perspective. Things get interactive from 7 p.m. – participants can contribute their ideas at four topic islands. The topics are:

• Urbane Mitte stärken
• Resiliente Stadt- und Landschaftsräume schaffen
• Stadtteile und Quartiere gestalten
• Zukunftsstandorte entwickeln

Feedback, suggestions and tips from citizens are not only welcome, but expressly desired. An online survey on the website zukunftsreise.dessau-rosslau.de allows residents to share their opinions outside of the event.

Citizen participation as a key to urban development

The importance of citizen participation in urban planning is also underlined by other initiatives. This is how a comprehensive article shows Govocal that the involvement of citizens is a crucial component for the success of urban development projects. For example, green designations increase quality of life by creating recreational spaces and reducing stress in urban areas. Projects like the Grätzloase in Vienna demonstrate how useful it is for citizen activities to influence urban design.

For Dessau-Roßlau, this is not just about short-term measures. The discussion about 21 future impulses that have been developed since 2021 is part of a larger action program that sets the course for a city with a strong future. Mayor Reck has already emphasized in previous dialogues how important such cooperation between citizens, administration and city council is in order to achieve common goals.

With such concrete approaches, the people of Dessau-Roßlau show that they are ready to take the reins of their city into their own hands and to actively work on shaping its future. Developments like these are a strong signal in times in which cities increasingly have to struggle with challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers, a decline in population and digitalization.