The Elastic City Change this

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Austrian government‘s struggles with the accommodation of refugees is not a well kept secret anymore. Clearly, this kind of situation demands new strategies. We regard our responsibility as urban planners to at least contribute a proposal which not only discusses the quantitative, but more a qualitative way of how to cooperate with people in need in a dignified yet non-sentimental way. 75% of Austrian municipalities do not provide shelter for refugees yet. And still those hosting refugees seem to deal with less xenophobia among the local population. This might be due to the fact that actually knowing what you are confronted with can help you overcome most fears of contacts and lay the foundation for integration of people with different backgrounds and needs. The city‘s adaptability is its intelligence and sensitiveness to react on human and spacial requirements. In order to achieve these mechanisms, a system has to form a base. By establishing a framework for a socially sustainable growth, we contribute to St. Pölten‘s capability to respond to those future challenges. We believe a clear but exible system enables a higher stage of freedom and urban variety. Today‘s strategies in urban planning need to react on economic and societal challenges and be aware of their responsibility in order to assist in preventing segregation and poverty.

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