Something new in the West

If you see the roof of a colorful circus tent in the Neustadt at the end of the month, then the Neustadt fan club may have invited to the Langen Tafel – with coffee, tea and homemade cakes. The Neustadt Fanclub is a loose connection from various initiatives in the district and wants to bring the neighborhood into dialogue so that people from the district with different opinions can listen to each other, exchange ideas and get to know each other – like in April at Niedersachsenplatz. Above all, older residents from the immediate neighborhood have gathered, many of them are first-time contenders.

Lower Saxony Square deserves the name Square not at all. It is a green fallow land. Lined with tall grass and isolated trees and shrubs, trails make their way. The district center once stood here, as was intended for the local supply of every residential complex. The dismantling followed at the turn of the day. The new town should shrink in the reverse order as it once grew – from the edges to the center. Apart from a department store, nothing stopped. But now there are plans for how the open space at Niedersachsenplatz could be used in the long term. In mid-April, the city presented its planning for an extensive green space design to the public in the context of early citizen participation. ‘The time of shrinkage is over,’ says Nico Schröter from the city.

Green strips to Heidesee

A green strip is to upgrade the center of the former sixth WKS and create an attractive connection to the local recreation area on the Heidesee. Overall, investment funds of almost three million euros, financed by urban development funding, are to be used for this purpose. The planning for the first construction phase is to be completed by the end of the year and implemented by the end of 2027. Numerous cross-generational games, sports and residency offers are to be created and a wildflower meadow and drought-resistant native tree species are to be planted. But the project is not only met with goodwill among the population present. Because many wishes and suggestions cannot be implemented. So there will be no lighting, even a barbecue area cannot be implemented for fire protection reasons. However, the creation of a dog meadow is conceivable and should be taken into account for the following planning. Public drinking fountains or toilets are also not planned, as the development is too expensive. 

However, the neighborhood center of the Haneuer Wohnen housing cooperative, in whose shell the citizen participation took place, could take care of this. This is to be completed by mid-2026, as Gerhard Wünscher, board member of the Haneer Wohnen, announced and for which he promptly harvested malicious laughter from the audience. Because an opening date for the neighborhood center has often been announced and postponed again. The increased construction costs and the lack of staff among the contractors are to blame for the fact that the opening date was repeatedly delayed. Meanwhile, the costs have doubled. The Haneer is keeping a low profile about the exact figures. The neighborhood center is particularly aimed at the older audience – target group Ü65. It should counteract loneliness. Because loneliness is a risk factor for high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia, says Claudia Treuter, nursing manager at Haneer Wohnen.

In the future, sports and exercise offers such as yoga, Zumba and dance courses will be offered in the neighborhood center in bundles. Physiotherapy wants to rent and a show kitchen will be accommodated in which isolated cooking events with star chefs are to take place. Nutritional advice is also offered and a community garden is to be created. The model apartment of the housing cooperative is also accommodated in the neighborhood center, where residents can find out about modern solutions for an apartment suitable for the elderly. According to the people of Haneu, the entire quarter with its 4,000 residents should be redesigned in a way suitable for the elderly. 

The daring grandma

You can already get an insight into this in the Göttingen Bogen. A mattress in bed measures movements and moisture. This may save the nursing service unnecessary ways. A drug box can be filled weekly by the pharmacy. A green light flashes and tells the residents which medications have to be taken at which day of the week and what time of day. Relatives can then check the income via the app or that they were at least taken out of the packaging. The lighting in the apartment can be controlled by voice input. A camera on TV measures the emotions of the residents, but unfortunately it works more badly than right, and Treuter lets Treuter know.

Using cameras in the fridge, the relatives can check from afar whether it is sufficiently filled. A cat seems to like the interested visitors of the model apartment in particular. She purrs and moves, but is otherwise not very much alive, because it is a robot. Such a thing is said to provide society with dementia as a companion. After all, living pets threaten to starve to their forgetful owners. Sensor technology is installed in the floor, which alerts the emergency service if the residents fall and informs the relatives via an app. The residents can also use an app to transmit vital data such as blood pressure and sugar levels, which are then forwarded to the responsible family doctors. About 50 residents are currently taking part in this model project. Technical solutions to a social problem that may have the opposite effect from what you intend to do. For example, when the concerns of the relatives about parents or grandparents are outsourced – and the grandchildren’s call will not call in the future, because instead the status update will only be checked in the app.: Everything in the green area – the grandmother lives. A deceptive certainty, because technical solutions are error-prone. And what about the self-determination of the participants? Isn’t the potential of self-distance possibly leading to a compulsion or expectation to participate in the project? Such objections considers Wunsch to be unfounded. It is the task of those affected and their relatives to determine what fits and what does not. 

Originally, a total of 300 apartments were to be equipped with such technical assistance systems. However, the Haneuer has said goodbye to this project, because the equipment is simply too expensive. A freely adjustable care bed would be a real relief for caregivers, but the long-term care insurance does not cover the costs of around 7,000 euros. In addition, Wunscher lets you see that you have now said goodbye to overly techno-optimistic solutions. For self-determined, elderly-friendly living in your own four walls, you also need the involvement of the family and the neighborhood. 

A quarter for everyone?

Back to the long table. A participant at the Langen Tafel lives directly opposite Niedersachsenplatz, on Oldenburger Strasse. Your block of flats was renovated a few years ago by the Haneuer appropriate for the elderly. elevators were installed. The apartments on the ground floor are barrier-free and can be used by members of the cooperative after rehabilitation stays. However, the older lady thinks very little of the constant self-assessment, she has done that often enough. A children’s playground is to be built right in front of their door, and there are fears of noise and vandalizing young people in the house. And one fears migrants. In the past ten years, the proportion of foreigners in western Neustadt has increased sevenfold. Every fourth person does not have a German passport. But wouldn’t playgrounds be suitable for ensuring social mixing across ages and making the neighborhood attractive for young families? However, Wunscher has little understanding for the noise sensation of the residents. Such conflicts must be negotiated among themselves. ‘We shouldn’t talk bad about everything,’ says Wunscher, ‘we now have the chance for a spirit of optimism’.

Together with the University of Halle, the Haneer wants to research how the mobility behavior of people with walkers and wheelchairs can be improved using digital possibilities. However, concepts such as multi-generational houses that older people not only as a cost factor, but also as valuable support for young families – for example in neighborhood childcare – understand and appreciate, do not play a major role in the planning of the housing cooperative. After all, the neighborhood center should take care of encounters between young and old. The people of Haneu are also trying to find vacant apartments with families and young people. In the west of the VI. WKS, within walking distance to the Soltauer Straße stop, the city also has suitable areas that could be used as building land for single-family homes to prevent young families from moving into the surrounding area.   

The western new town is one of the districts with the oldest population. In the last federal election, the AfD received 43.8 percent of the second votes and was by far the strongest force. The Neustadt fan club, the organizers of the Langen Tafel, wants to promote more understanding, not only between the generations, but also between long-established and newcomers. But there is still a lot of discussion to do and to do a lot of persuasion. Wait and drink tea.