In the first part the presentation will outline the challenges, milestones and standards of citizen participation in urban renewal and transformation projects in Germany. In the second part examples of citizen participation and involvement in urban areas experiencing decay will be highlighted.

Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Reiner Staubach (graduated 1983 at the Faculty of Spatial Planning of Dortmund University. He is professor for planning-oriented sociology, planning theory and methods at the University of Applied Science OWL/ Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Architecture) and founder of the Planerladen is predominantly focusing on integrated approaches for the regeneration of multiply-deprived neigbhourhoods and the encouragement of civil society initiatives within trisectoral local partnerships.

Tülin Kabis-Staubach (architect, graduated 1983 at Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) is in the board of directors of the Planerladen, a non-profit neighbourhood development agency and very experienced in participation and neighbourhood management projects. Planerladen has his spatial basis in the Nordstadt of Dortmund which is a disadvantaged urban area and an arrival neighbourhood for migrants. Besides of that she is consulting local governments and housing cooperations in the implementation of urban renewal and transformation schemes mostly in neglected urban areas.