IBA Principles

August 2002, Guidelines of the Cabinet regarding the setup of the IBA Stadtumbau 2010

3. The form of the city is changing:

To specify pre-eminent images for the redeveloped city and realise these in concepts for districts.

  • Urban redevelopment’s unique new opportunity consists in giving back clear contours to the special character of each city by removing outgrowths and the superfluous: “Less is more”.
  • An unstructured interrelation of perforated urban fragments demands new interpretations and forms of arriving at the urban. Post-industrial behaviour patterns, virtual communication and transformed social networks alter our everyday perception and use of urban spaces: urban ways of life are no longer tied to the traditional form of the city.
  • A suggestion should be made for each city concerning the way in which its built-up districts from earlier epochs of urban development and additional waste ground, greenery, traffic areas and nets within the city area can be organised so that they remain functional within the structure of usage and architecturally attractive despite continuing shrinkage.
  • Districts with different density and usage – city areas with characteristic profiles – should be amalgamated both functionally and environmentally, in a lasting way.
  • Urban development requires an extended understanding of architectural planning and of the city as a social sphere; a change of paradigms concerning the interplay of planning, realisation and reflection on outcomes is necessary.