Project Name:

LandKiez

Project details:

Project Partners:

1. LandKiez e. V.

2. Zentrum für Sozialforschung Halle (ZSH)

Project Type:

LandKiez

Project Duration: 2025 – 2027

Contact:

LandKiez e. V.

Sierslebener Str. 26/27

06347

Gerbstedt OT Thondorf

e-mail: verein@landkiez.de

Project Description

Together with Siersleben, Thondorf forms a district of the unified municipality of Gerbstedt in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. The approximately 1000-year-old village is characterized by agriculture and mining. The former farm “Gutshof Weitzel” is located in the center of Thondorf. In 2021, the farm was purchased by the Held couple with the aim of creating an open third place to enrich village community life. This idea of a 'LandKiez' aims to improve the quality of life for local people, promote social mobility and enable various low-threshold offers for a wide range of target groups. The LandKiez e.V. association founded for this purpose is planning measures to renovate and redesign the estate in order to have a direct positive impact on the region and preserve its cultural heritage. The project aims to sustainably strengthen the region. The active involvement of the local community in the design of the LandKiez is intended to ensure broad acceptance and support. The Zentrum für Sozialforschung Halle (ZSH) is supporting LandKiez e. V. with a participatory feasibility study on future use and is scientifically evaluating the findings.

Project Goals

The main aim of the LandKiez project is to design a versatile and sustainable use for the former Weitzel estate. To this end, a feasibility study is being developed together with the villagers. The aim is to create a dynamic and lively neighborhood that enables and actively supports encounters, social interaction, cultural exchange and the development of ideas and innovation in rural areas. The already established presence of the Weitzel estate in the local community provides an ideal starting point for this. The focus is on integrating the estate and its services into the village community - it is not intended to be used separately from the village community. As the relationships between different age groups and their needs play a major role in rural areas, one focus of the feasibility study to be carried out by ZSH is on an intergenerationally balanced design that includes all groups and also looks prospectively at new groups. The ZSH is relying on qualitative surveys, the implementation of a co-creative prototyping for the joint testing and selection of potential uses of the LandKiez as well as the preparation of a feasibility report taking into account structural planning services, energy concept, cost estimation and findings of project-accompanying qualification work by students of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.

Project impressions

Criteria according to the NEB_Compass

Beautiful

Ambition II – to connect

The measures of the project are developed by the village population as part of a co-creative feasibility study during prototype development and construction planning. With the help of creative methods such as empathy mapping, the perspectives and needs of different age groups are collected and combined into a common vision that revitalizes a building ensemble that characterizes the village and turns it into a place for new communal experiences. Aesthetic requirements and subjective perceptions, such as “fresh air”, tranquillity and a connection to nature and rural life, of the three generations - children and young people, adults of working age and adults of retirement age - are taken into account. The final coordination of the utilization concept will allow those involved to provide feedback once again and ensure that all relevant aspects are taken into account. This promotes mutual understanding, connects and strengthens the sense of belonging in the village.

Sustainable

Ambition I – to repurpose

LandKiez e.V.'s measures for the structural adaptation of the estate follow a resource-conserving and climate-friendly approach that relies on the conversion of existing buildings. Aspects of circular construction and energy-efficient operation are also being considered. The concept and planning aim to convert currently vacant spaces using natural and reusable materials. An energy concept is being developed to ensure a sustainable energy supply for the entire ensemble. The feasibility study bundles the findings on social, economic and ecological sustainability and serves as a basis for the long-term, viable further development of LandKiez Thondorf as a new place to live and meet in a rural area.

Together

Ambition III – to transform

A new place of village community that is open to all and enables new forms of coming together and togetherness is to be created in the LandKiez. The project thrives on the active involvement of local people. Even in the early phase, a comprehensive village survey ensures broad participation: it takes place on an outreach basis, is low-threshold and allows everyone to get involved regardless of age, origin or educational background. A conscious effort is also made to ensure accessibility at events, workshops and planning processes. The development of joint concepts with different generations creates unifying perspectives that harmonize individual needs and collective wishes. The result is an integrative, social appropriation process that is supported by joint design, learning and living on site.

Participatory process

Ambition III - to self-govern

The initiative for the redesign and use of the Thondorf estate has already developed a self-controlling legal form: LandKiez e.V.. The project ensures that the goals of the association will continue to be developed in the long term together with the village population. Participation is not just a building block here, but the starting point for all further measures. A personal, outreach village survey forms the basis for comprehensively recording the wishes, ideas and visions of the future of the residents. All generations are addressed, several members of a household are directly involved and initial spaces for dialog are created. Building on these findings, specific design proposals are developed in workshop processes - together with children, young people, adults and older people. Using methods such as empathy mapping and mapping thoughts and feelings, personal perspectives, everyday experiences and social needs are incorporated directly into the spatial and programmatic planning.. Die entstehenden Prototypen werden nicht nur gemeinsam gedacht, sondern auch gemeinsam getestet und angepasst. This creates a process that not only informs or questions, but also enables real co-design - with an open result based on shared responsibility and shared experience. The resulting perspectives and proposals are documented in the utilization concept and made publicly accessible - as a tangible result of joint thinking and action.

Multiple levels of engagement

Ambition I – to work locally

Commitment to the LanKiez project manifests itself in various forms: Commitment in the context of point construction and creation, in the joint organization of events and campaigns, through participation in the planned surveys of the population, through involvement in the generational visions and through the co-design of the prototypes and the final feasibility report. This commitment is developed in a variety of ways: Involvement in building and creating as well as organizing events arises primarily through self-selection based on intrinsic motivation, while a comprehensive village survey appeals to all households and participation in the visions is open to all. Prototype development integrates the local village community as co-creators. The finalization of the feasibility report includes the integration of the local population and local networks. At this point, a cross-level transfer also takes place by involving supra-regional partners of similar project approaches as well as external scientific experts. The potential for engagement is activated through flexible formats and the accessibility of the estate. The community is involved through location-based approaches and external impulses to ensure that local voices and needs are adequately taken into account.

Transdisciplinary approach

Ambition III – to be beyond-disciplinary

The project will involve a variety of disciplines and integrate non-formal knowledge partners in all planned measures. The transdisciplinary approach is reflected in the expansion of the conventional social science survey structure through the integration of methods from other disciplines such as social space analysis (e.g. mapping the “favorite place”) and creative methods. Non-formal partners are directly integrated into knowledge creation for the development of generational visions. Citizens become co-scientists and contribute generation-specific knowledge as well as wishes and needs. This ensures that the concepts are based on local norms and values. Prototypes are developed in collaboration with different perspectives, including social science, design and regional perspectives. The finalization of the feasibility report also provides for the involvement of the local population as non-formal knowledge partners. Local and traditional knowledge is explicitly included in order to take full account of local perspectives, needs and experiences.

This is how it works:
NEB-Compass (PDF)

LandKiez

Project Description

Project Goals

Project impressions

Criteria according to the NEB_Compass

Durchführung

Verwendete Tools mit Darstellungen des Arbeitsprozesses

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