M 03 - Continuous amendment of municipal land use plans - flexibilization or patchwork?

Major German cities generally amend their land use plans several times a year. The number of amendments increases as the age of the plans increases; however, amendment procedures are also common practice in the first five years. Amendments to the FNP are explicitly provided for in the law and can also be made on a large scale for entire districts or as a thematic addition of new content. Since the FNP does not have a maximum period of validity, when an update is needed, the municipality can choose whether to address it by amending or redrafting it (Bunzel 2012, 23-25). Amendments make it possible to react quickly to changed framework conditions despite lengthy drafting procedures and thus to deal with uncertainties. At the same time, the occasion-related amendment bears the risk that the overall urban perspective on urban development is lost sight of and the FNP becomes a patchwork (Allin 2009, 24). Even if they decide against a new plan, however, municipalities have the opportunity to embed changes in an overall strategy by bundling changes and preparing them conceptually with the help of informal strategic plans.

The aim of the project is to investigate the current practice of land use planning in German medium-sized and large cities and the interaction of formal and informal planning instruments. Qualitative research methods are used, in particular document analysis.