Headline: Mehr Nachhaltigkeit im Quartier erzielen: Erfolgsfaktoren aus drei kommunalen Planungsprozessen

In this qualitative analysis of three municipal planning processes, the housing project “Grüne Heyde” in Norderstedt is compared with projects in Hamburg (“Oberbillwerder”) and Ludwigsburg (“Rotbäumlesfeld”). The former two are still being developed whereas the third was planned quite some time ago. In all three cases, special demands were made for sustainable planning which were carried out and maintained to different degrees. The study shows that especially making use of competencies external to public administration, the fact that the projects are explicitly called “models”, the reference to strategic goals for the city as a whole, and the courage to experiment structurally in project management contributed to “more” sustainability in some of the cases. On the other hand, these factors led to risks in planning where they were lacking. A strategically though-out land policy is another influential factor that can be solidly affirmed on the basis of the case studies; however, public communication and participation are more difficult to assess in terms of their impact on urban development qualities. The study is accompanied by an insert with recommendations for action for municipal administrations.