McCloy Fellowship in Germany: The Future of Cities — Blog #1
This Blog is the first installment of a multi-part series written by Leah Hubbard, Senior Associate with Estolano Advisors, during her month-long research efforts in Germany as a McCloy Fellow.
Please note: some links below may take you to sites in German. Using Google Chrome, there is an option to “translate this page” in the top right of the address bar if you would like to read materials in English or another language.
Introduction: I’m on a journey to imagine a better future
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Leah Hubbard and I’m a Senior Associate with Estolano Advisors. I’ve been at the firm for over seven years and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continuously work on new projects that promote racial, economic, and environmental justice. Outside of projects, Estolano Advisors is also committed to its team’s professional development. Embodying the firm’s value for learning and curiosity, I applied for and was awarded a McCloy Fellowship, a program of the American Council on Germany, which gives me the opportunity to travel around Germany to research pressing planning topics. I’ve spent months researching, planning, and scheduling meetings with fellow planners, academics, and public sector staff across the country.
Follow me on my tour as I explore the landscapes of various cities and regions asking my interdisciplinary research question, “How do we create sustainable, inclusive cities for the future?” There are many underlying themes related to this question that include green infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction, alternative housing and transportation models, a just energy transition, quality workforce opportunities, and at the core, basic accessibility and belonging. While Germany does not have all the answers, I’m here to learn from its people and its cities. During the coming weeks, I will share with you my experiences, conversations, and observations that evoke hope and inspiration and, on occasion, also feed some of my cynicism and doubt.
Servus! The City of Munich
Population: 1.56 million (City; 2020); 6.2 million (Metro area; 2022)
Density: 12,000 per square mile
My first destination was Munich — the largest city in the southern state of Bavaria (one of 16 federal states) and the third largest city in Germany. Munich itself is a bit distinct from the rest of Bavaria as a large metropolitan area and a city largely governed by the Greens and the Social Democratic Party. Munich is an economic hub that is home to large companies and recognized for its strong economy, but it’s also known as a city with one of the highest costs of living. The City is working to address the existing housing crisis and prepare for the forecasted population increase to 1.85 million residents by 2040 through initiatives like the LaSie Plan. In addition, Munich aims to become climate neutral by 2035, 10 years sooner than Germany as a whole.
Arriving in Munich
After having to divert my flight plans just as I was boarding the plane at LAX, and dealing with subsequently delayed luggage, my mood eventually turned around. In true planning nerd fashion, I was thrilled I would be able to use the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) transit agency app to plan my journey on the S-Bahn (Munich’s urban-suburban rail network, pictured below) and also order my ticket on my phone. Though I arrived on a Sunday to a mostly quiet city (typical of Germany), this part of the Ludwigsvorstadt neighborhood was full of people having afternoon tea, picking up produce, and carrying freshly baked breads from Turkish, Afghani, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern shops. Also, just a few blocks away from this buzzing cultural enclave is Theresienwiese, the original home of Oktoberfest, where a similar but smaller spring festival was taking place.
As I settled into the city on my own, I began wanting some more context for my observations — we always need to go to the past to understand the future. I looked forward to my tour with Ingrid Oxfort, a city guide who has been leading tours for over 30 years. I met Ingrid at Marienplatz, the central square of Munich, and we took a three-hour journey around the Aldstadt. She explained how the city had developed since its founding, the city’s relationship to the River Isar, the conflicts between pedestrians, bikes, and cars (yes, it’s a thing in Germany as well!), adaptive reuse of old building courtyards, and her perception of the skyrocketing real estate prices in Munich. Ingrid shared about her passion for bike riding, and insisted I experience the River Isar on a bike (more on that shortly). Biking was clearly core to the city’s culture. I enjoyed seeing how many small children throughout Munich used balance bikes or got to ride in the increasingly popular cargo e-bikes (though hard to come by in the US, you can find more information on e-cargo bikes for families here).
Learning from Locals
My next stop was PlanTreff — a unique city agency responsible for city-wide visioning and long-term planning, engaging with residents and different citizen groups, and carrying out specific youth programming. I met with Director Anne Hogeback and other welcoming PlanTreff team members to discuss their work. The office hosts events, tours, and exhibitions. I attended the opening for the Gemeinsam für den Freiraum (or “Together for Open Space”) exhibition, which focused on the city’s new Open Space Guidelines. Representatives from different city departments emphasized the collaboration needed to protect green space and advance climate adaptation strategies. I will add that they also have an incredibly well-designed aesthetic that is most apparent via their Instagram. You can access some of the City Planning Department’s documents online in English, including the 2021–2022 Work Plan and the Urban Design and Public Space exhibition report from early this year.
The next day, I followed Ingrid’s advice and rented a bike to ride along the River Isar. I grabbed a bike (or Fahrrad) from an MVG-managed Radstation (bikeshare station). Traveling at my leisurely (and confused) pace alongside fast-moving, commuting Müncheners, I made it to a section of the Isar that had been part of an eight-kilometer restoration plan completed in 2011. Like the Los Angeles River, Munich had bound the River Isar into concrete embankments and canals to control its unpredictable flooding, and for years it was mainly used for industry and energy purposes. Today, the Isar’s restored segment is a true sanctuary — there are visitors of all ages, day and night, for recreation, socializing, and commuting. While the LA River Master Plan is a much larger and ambitious project, my experience on the Isar emphasized what a priority restoration and equitable access should be.
An aside around public space: I find that the distinct U.S. history of segregation requires a heightened emphasis on equity when considering access to public assets. As an observation, there are not the same types of stark physical boundaries, like freeways or industrial areas, that segregate or cut off communities of color in Munich as you may find in U.S. cities. In addition, the public transit system is incredibly robust and easy to use. While Germany has serious issues with race, immigration, and its history of colonialism (more on that in another post), there still seems be lower segregation indices compared to cities in other countries, especially the United States. Although, with a continued influx of refugees coupled with a housing crisis, disparities may increase. Nonetheless, no matter where I traveled within the city, whether historically high- or low-income, or within distinct cultural communities, there was no lack of tree canopy or accessible green space.
After my day at the river, I met with Liza Fakirova, a researcher and PhD candidate at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Originally from Russia, Liza came to Germany as a German Chancellor Fellow to research the implementation of green roof and façade strategies that could mitigate urban heat islands caused by climate impacts. Her project, BlueGreen, examined German case studies and provided recommendations for implementation in Moscow and other cities. I enjoyed connecting with a peer from across the globe about our similar interests, hopes, and worries for the future of cities.
On another day, I traversed up to the Olympic Park, which was highly suggested by almost everyone I met. This park, originally constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics, is located northwest of the city center, and continues to serve residents and visitors alike as a place for recreation, relaxation, and entertainment. The old Olympic Village is now used as apartments, including student housing. While a contentious subject, if the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are inevitable, the City of LA might want to learn from this case study — put your residents first, invest in public benefits, and consider the future implications for your city.
Afterwards I walked to a nearby district, Ackermannbogen, to meet Juliane Meister, a researcher and professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and part of the team at JUSTNature, a European Union-funded project focused on nature-based solutions for a just low-carbon transition. Once military barracks (a common site type for adaptive reuse in Germany, I have learned), the construction of Ackermannbogen began in 2002 and was completed around 2014. Juliane wanted to take me to this site because of her experience as a former practitioner with the City of Munich and because of her personal love of the neighborhood. When I arrived, I could see why. Lush, green space with apartments and townhomes that felt both dense but also calm and away from the busyness of the city. It was also apparent how seriously Munich considers the sustainability of new developments, not only in how they are built with certain materials but also in how they are planned — the density, the amount of green space, green infrastructure, mobility connections, energy alternatives, and access to daily needs. This is especially clear in the plans for a more recent development, Freiham, which is estimated to house about 10 times the population of Ackermannbogen by 2040.
Seeing the variety of housing types that existed just within Ackermannbogen, let alone in Munich as a whole, emphasized to me the need to diversify the housing stock in U.S. cities. Planners sometimes call this the “Missing Middle” to describe the spectrum of housing types that exist between single-family homes and mid- to high-rise buildings. It also made me reflect on the lack of three- or four-bedroom apartments, condos, or townhomes that some U.S. families might choose to live in if they had the option. It was amazing to see all the children and families gather outside in the evening to play and socialize in such numbers.
A Visit to Dachau
Please skip this section if you are sensitive to violence, torture, death
Lastly, I do want to touch on my trip to the nearby Dachau Concentration Camp. The first concentration camp established in 1933, Dachau became the model camp and training center for the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS). Over 200,000 prisoners were incarcerated at Dachau, at least 40,000 of which did not survive. In its last four years, Dachau was overcrowded and its living conditions were even more inhumane and unsafe. It is estimated that one third of all who lost their lives at Dachau died during the final six months of World War II. This place was characterized by terror through forced labor, medical experiments, torture and abuse, starvation, and death. When I arrived, I felt chills come over me. I sensed the pain of all those who suffered. It is sobering. While learning about the camp, I often felt like I was going to be sick and I ended up shedding some tears. Dachau truly represents the worst of humanity.
I write all this because although not directly connected to urban planning, it’s relevant to my research question. The United States has failed to confront its legacy of slavery compared to Germany’s confrontation of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Though it took some years for Germany to do the right thing, in the end it took many steps to repair what had been destroyed, give reparations, and memorialize victims, not perpetrators. There are still challenges in Germany, but the U.S. has yet to simply acknowledge its racist history, let alone give reparations owed to the descendants of enslaved Black people or take down existing memorials to confederate leaders. In addition, the parallels between Nazism and our current political and social climate in the United States is frightening — controlling narratives, banning books, othering and dehumanizing trans people, immigrants, unhoused people, people of color, and others, so much so that violence against them becomes a version of normalized. This is the dangerous slippery slope that our nation faces and a significant part of what threatens our shared future. Attitudes and culture shape our cities just as much as streets or physical infrastructure. We cannot plan sustainable, inclusive cities without a sense of justice and belonging that we establish together.
Stay tuned for more Blogs from Leah as she explores cities and places in other regions throughout Germany.
