Inquiry to Daniel Flemm, OB candidate, regarding the leadership direction of Solinger City.
================================================================================
In the upcoming CDU mayoral election, candidate Daniel Flemm has proposed a uniform design guide for the external appearance of buildings in Solingen's city centre. While specific details about his revitalization plans for the city centre are yet to be disclosed, general urban revitalization strategies could provide insight into his vision.
General Revitalization Strategies
- Enhancing Public Spaces: Flemm suggests improving pedestrian areas by adding green spaces, public art, and better lighting. He also proposes organising events and festivals to attract visitors and create a vibrant atmosphere, particularly in key locations such as the Fronhof, Main Street, Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, Neumarkt, and the former P&C Kaufhof building.
- Fostering Commercial Growth: To stimulate business growth, Flemm advocates offering incentives for new businesses, especially in vacant buildings like the former P&C Kaufhof. He also supports local entrepreneurship by providing resources and funding opportunities.
- Improving Infrastructure: Flemm emphasises the importance of enhancing transportation links and investing in sustainable energy solutions and building renovations to reduce environmental impact.
- Community Engagement: Flemm underscores the need for engaging with local residents and businesses to understand their needs and preferences. He encourages community-led projects to ensure the revitalization aligns with local values.
Specific Proposals
- Neumarkt: Flemm sees the Neumarkt as a concrete desert and emphasizes the need to optically unify the downtown area and set clear design accents.
- Fronhof: Despite finding the structural condition of the Fronhof quite nice, Flemm notes a lack of foot traffic. He suggests reopening the pedestrian zone to vehicles and aims to preserve the area as a central place for gastronomy, events, and encounters.
- Main Street: Flemm suggests using flexible mobile bollards for events on the main street, funded by municipal funds.
- Graf-Wilhelm-Platz: Flemm criticises the neglected state of Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, with dirty spots, chewing gum remains, and graffiti.
- Former P&C Kaufhof building: Flemm rejects the idea of a medical center or a clinic branch for the building and sees little short-term perspective for its use.
Flemm acknowledges that the problems of Solingen's city centre cannot be solved overnight. He emphasises the connection between safety and the quality of stay, and proposes a visible municipal public order service to penalise minor offences. He also calls for clear, uniform rules for event safety, graduated by size, to facilitate smaller formats without bureaucracy.
The main street, especially the lower area between Entenpfuhl and Breidbacher Tor, is considered a problem area in Solingen's city centre. The Fronhof, located in the city centre, is often deserted despite its central location, with the planned renovation of the Fronhof as part of the City 2030 project postponed in the summer of 2025. The Fronhof is also associated with a terrorist attack that occurred during the "Festival of Diversity" in the summer of 2024, which significantly impaired the sense of security in the city centre.
In summary, while specific details about Daniel Flemm's revitalization plans for Solingen's city centre are yet to be disclosed, his proposals align with common urban revitalization strategies. For precise information on his proposals, it would be necessary to consult local news sources or official campaign documents.
- Daniel Flemm's proposed uniform design guide for Solingen's city centre, focusing on enhancing public spaces, fostering commercial growth, improving infrastructure, and community engagement, can be considered a part of the broader policy-and-legislation framework for urban revitalization.
- With his specific proposals for the Main Street, Graf-Wilhelm-Platz, and the former P&C Kaufhof building, as well as his involvement in politics through the CDU mayoral election, Flemm's revitalization plans for Solingen's city centre are clearly connected to the realm of politics and general-news.
