Innovation/Evaluations

A key fact about the way the Green Ring project was set up is that it was run essentially by a non-city group, much like the original Ostraum project was intended. The differences in where these two projects were after their first 6 years is very telling. The project that was run by a municipal member (Ostram) was dead in 6 years. The project that was run from an outside group (Green Ring) is still going strong almost ten years later.

The idea of having a third party group organizing the project isn't new, but this project really shows how important it can be. The third party aspect may be why so many groups have signed on. If there was a single municipality/government group running it there are always doubts about fairness and equity. However a lot of the inherent doubting vanishes if the people in charge are impartial. This project shows that not only should third party groups be encouraged, but strongly recommended for the added stability and trust they bring to the group dynamic.

It was not innovative to try to use multiple municipalities, it is a must in regional open space plans. However, it was surprising how smoothly it seems to have gone, at least from an outsiders point of view. No municipalities have left, and it seems like all of the are working hard to reach the common goals of the project. Undoubtedly, the poor economic situation motivates governmental groups to at least play along since nothing else has worked to really spark growth in the area. There is also the fact that the population in the area is slowly rising after reunification, despite the high unemployment. It is possible that the areas around Leipzig think that by attracting people through greening, they will eventually reach a population density where more employment will come, in one form or another.

The last really effective part of this project is the level of organizational sponsorship and support. There are 26 listed organizations who support the project. This broad support also helps ensure stability, as the wide base it is from means that a single industries failure cannot destroy the project. This support is also likely largely due to the level of economic hardship the area is in. Any people who are attracted to the project are new potential customers, investors, and employees. While this is true anywhere, when the economy is as poor as it is in Leipzig, it is especially important.

Leipzig is an economically depressed area that is just starting to see improvement. Because of the improved economic picture, many companies and cities are willing to gamble a little on what they see as the new economic population that is moving into the area. With the similarities, a place like New Orleans might want to look to this example to see how they managed to stay organized. We cannot tell how prosperous this project will make Leipzig in the end, and if the idea of drawing more people in will we an economic benefit, and it seems to be going very well so far.