Diagnostic Analysis By Imaging Exam
In the upcoming September municipal election, Andreas Hupke's Action Alliance Innenstadt/Deutz (ABI) is making a strong push for residents' rights and quality of life in Cologne’s Innenstadt and Deutz districts.
At the helm of the ABI list is Andreas Hupke, who, with 20 years of experience in office, is running for re-election as the district mayor. Joining him are 12 other candidates, including Ruth Wennemar and former Green faction members Markus Graf and Stefan Fischer.
ABI's platform prioritises enhancing residents' protection and empowerment, opposing developments and policies that undermine local living conditions or exclude residents' voices from decision-making processes. The party also advocates for pragmatic, community-sensitive approaches to drug-related problems, favouring harm reduction and increased support services over purely punitive measures.
To address the notorious issues at Brussels Square, ABI seeks effective, community-driven solutions, combining coordination with social services and better policing to reclaim the area for the public. The party also supports maintaining and promoting local cultural life, ensuring that cultural initiatives and venues reflect the diversity of the community and remain accessible to all residents.
Affordable housing is another key issue for ABI, with the group campaigning against gentrification and for increased investment in housing projects that serve lower- and middle-income residents to prevent displacement.
Ruth Wennemar, an active member of the Bürgerverein Eigelstein, criticises the handling of the Brussels Square problem by Hupke's former party friends and opposes the comparison of inner-city living conditions with supposedly desired "Eifel circumstances". She questions the lack of solidarity in the city center, despite its attractiveness to high earners, and believes that the city's democracy is threatened, wanting to involve people who no longer feel represented.
To secure a seat in the district council, Andreas Hupke believes 1,500 votes are needed. If he doesn't gain a majority, he is willing to work as a simple member of the district council. However, he expresses hope for more than three seats for his party.
Staying in office requires Andreas Hupke to win and gain a majority with votes from other factions. Ruth Wennemar, the second person on the ABI list, is also in the running for a seat in the district council. Many inner-city residents, according to Wennemar, are concerned about the next eviction notice due to their landlord's needs.
As the election approaches, the race is on for the ABI, with the party promising a strong commitment to residents' rights and a focus on addressing pressing urban problems through balanced, socially conscious policies.
- Andreas Hupke's Action Alliance Innenstadt/Deutz (ABI) emphasizes their focus on policy-and-legislation regarding residents' protection, opposing undermining developments, and promoting community-sensitive strategies like harm reduction and increased support services in drug-related issues.
- In the race for the upcoming September municipal election, political parties like ABI are engaging in intense debates about general-news topics such as affordable housing, Brussels Square, and public representation, with Ruth Wennemar from ABI advocating for the rights of inner-city residents and questioning the lack of solidarity in the city center.
