Rainer Kunst meets Düsseldorf's Lord Mayor Stephan Keller

Düsseldorf's Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller (CDU) has been in office for about nine months. On a joint racing bike tour, VIVID editor Rainer Kunst spoke with him about a very special start in office, future transport and economic policy, the importance of table tennis for Düsseldorf's health and the need for a 700-million-euro opera house.

How did the coronavirus pandemic influence your start as Lord Mayor?

In many different ways. It took a lot away from what I was looking forward to, of course: Namely, meeting people face to face. I would have liked to continue what was possible before in the election campaign. Christmas market, the turn of the year, carnival - all that was cancelled and that was a great pity. On the other hand, this situation also created a bit of space in the calendar, in a way the Covid-19 crisis gave me more time to get started in depth on the issues. I had more time to familiarise myself intensively with topics and to talk a lot with my colleagues in the administration. Moreover, the task of dealing with the pandemic was and is a very big challenge, so it was an incredibly intensive time.

“in a way the Covid-19 crisis gave me more time to get started in depth on the issues.”

As the city's former head of transport, the issue of traffic is particularly close to your heart. Instead of the eco-lane, you rely on intelligent traffic guidance through traffic light control. How does that work exactly?

With the intelligent traffic light control, we can regulate the traffic in such a way that we safely comply with the limits that we collect at the air monitoring stations during the course of the day. This means that we can also adjust the traffic levels on a daily basis if necessary. The traffic engineers are sure that this is more effective and also ensures more traffic flow than this rigid eco-lane system. And if the measured value allows it, we can also open up a little more for the traffic. This at least avoids traffic jams at times when they are really unnecessary due to the volume of traffic.

Another pillar of your transport policy is to improve the situation for cyclists.

We want to become one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Germany and therefore accelerate the construction of cycle paths. The newly founded Transport Department will also take care of this. And we will also reorganise the Office for Traffic Management and strengthen its staff accordingly. As a third measure, we will commission IPM GmbH, a municipal construction subsidiary, to plan and build cycle paths along the major traffic routes from a single source. In this way, I hope that we will be able to realise much more of the cycle path network in the next five years than before.

Let's move on to Düsseldorf's economy, which has suffered greatly in some respects during the last few months of the pandemic. What are the city’s plans to further support businesses on their way out of the crisis?

As a city we cannot, of course, give direct financial aid to companies; this task would completely overburden a municipal budget. But we can improve the conditions in such a way that businesses can quickly get back on their feet. On the one hand, there are smaller things, such as the still open-ended exemption of restaurateurs from the fees for outdoor catering. Then we are in close contact with the retail association and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce to see: How can we develop the city centre in the post-Covid-19 period? Otherwise, we coordinate very closely and regularly with the business associations with regard to the current Covid-19 situation: What wishes do the chambers have, what is important for the retail association, where does Dehoga still see problems for hotels and restaurants? We try to make possible what can be made possible. We are also looking to ensure that our trade fair can continue its success before the pandemic, because it is a very important economic factor for the city and - together with the airport - something like our gateway to the world. And of course, the continued combating of the pandemic is also very relevant for Düsseldorf's economy - here we are very well positioned compared to other cities, also with our vaccination centre.

Düsseldorf's economy also includes a lively start-up scene. Just recently, the Start-up Week was successfully held here again. How does the city continue to promote the local scene and what needs to be done to make the location even more attractive for start-ups?

We recently conducted a study on so-called scale-ups. These are start-ups that are already one step further - that have already been successfully founded and now want to grow. And it became very clear that we still have to work hard on networking in the city. The employees of these scale-ups would like us to create meeting points or forums where they can exchange ideas and where we can bring this start-up scene closer together with the old economy, i.e. with the classic SMEs and with the industrial companies here in Düsseldorf. As a city administration, we can't provide venture capital, but we can work on a corresponding ecosystem for start-ups and scale-ups and make the framework programme for young and creative people with entrepreneurial spirit a bit more attractive.

Along the river Rhine towards the town hall: Rainer Kunst and Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller on their racing bikes on the Volmerswerther Deich.

This issue of VIVID is also about the connection between the economy and health. What does the city do for its citizens in this respect?

We have an incredibly active sports club life here with a huge range of activities. And we have a lot of opportunities to do sports in public spaces. Just recently, for example, the table tennis league team Borussia Düsseldorf launched a great campaign that I support as patron: "Düsseldorf plays table tennis. For Düsseldorf." Around 650 table tennis tables in parks and playgrounds in Düsseldorf have been equipped with a QR code that people can use to arrange to play together via an app. The more who participate, the more sponsorship money flows into the project, which in turn finances so-called exercise boxes for schools and social institutions. This is a good example of a beautiful sport with which people can do something for their health - and which, on top of that, can also be practised in a Covid-19 compliant way. And our popular "Sport in the Park" programme has also restarted.

Life sciences, especially biotechnology, are an important pillar of Düsseldorf's health industry. We have the LifeScience Centre here, for example, and resident associations such as BioRiver. What else will be done in the future to strengthen this very important transfer of science and business?

The same applies here as with the start-ups: we simply try to create good framework conditions. For example, by providing rooms where young companies can also work in this area. And by trying to support research in Düsseldorf. For example, what many Düsseldorfers don't know: With the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research, we have an absolutely top institute here, i.e. world-class fundamental research. As a city administration, we have to ensure that the employees in such institutions can work well in Düsseldorf. This means that they may need expansion space or at least framework conditions to be able to maintain their operations. We are doing a lot to make this possible and to create a balance between economic space and residential development.

You have just beautifully described how sport makes our city so liveable. That also applies to culture. You see the opera house, whose new construction would cost around 700 million euros, as a flagship project for the future. Why do you think such a mega-investment would be worthwhile?

Especially in the post-Covid-19 era, we have to ask ourselves: What still makes a city attractive? What can we use to attract a public that we would like to have in Düsseldorf? How can a city centre be revitalised? And a well-positioned opera house is certainly an important point for exerting cultural charisma. And we can take advantage of an opportunity that will probably not come around again so soon to create another architectural highlight. That's why I'm also in favour of trying to do this with a new building and not with a renovation of the old opera house, which would cost around 460 million euros. When a city decides to spend so much money, there has to be a broad discussion about it. That is why we have now initiated a citizens' dialogue and I am looking forward to as many people as possible taking part in it.

Is it actually envisaged that the opera house will then also be open to other themes? And where exactly should a new building be constructed?

We put the label "opera for all" in the foreground. We really need an opera house that now not only appeals to the opera-specific audience, but a house that offers something attractive to broad sections of society. A house that is not only open when a performance takes place in the evening, but also offers cultural education and gastronomy during the day - and thus becomes the "place to be" in Düsseldorf.

As far as the location of a new building is concerned, I am really open. I would just be very much in favour of it being in the central city centre. If the opera is to have this function of also bringing people into the city, then it shouldn't be built in the harbour, for example. There must be an optimal connection - so that it can be reached easily by bicycle and public transport. That actually leaves only the city centre with three possible locations: Wehrhahn, Rheinpark or the old location at Hofgarten. In the latter case, the old building would be demolished and the new building erected on the same site, while there would be an interim venue.

Speaking of land use. Düsseldorf's population will continue to grow strongly in the coming years, but at the same time the city's space is very limited. How can you achieve a good mix of living, working, leisure and green spaces in the future under these conditions?

That is not so easy. Of course, we are happy that Düsseldorf is growing, that we are still developing dynamically, but we are already noticing that the city is also reaching its limits. Especially space is very scarce in Düsseldorf. That's why we have to increase the potential for redensification in order to promote housing construction. At the same time, we must ensure that valuable open spaces are preserved for climate protection and local recreation. Especially in village-like districts such as Volmerswerth or Hamm, we have to make sure that this structure stays the same and that we do not lose a piece of local history.

You mention climate protection. After Covid19, this is an even greater challenge for all of us. What are your plans to make Düsseldorf climate neutral?

The cooperation agreement already contains a number of things that we want to implement in the next five years. This year we have already made an additional 60 million euros available to finance climate protection measures. This ranges from the installation of electric pillars and solar roofs to the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings. We will renovate our own municipal properties as well as set up support programmes for citizens and entrepreneurs. Overall, we will increase the share of renewable energies in the city. We want to promote electromobility and expand hydrogen - the latter, for example, by the Rheinbahn purchasing hydrogen buses. In addition, we are establishing an environmental academy together with the skilled trades as a talent and think tank to further accelerate this process of conversion.

In a nutshell: What are your most important personal goals for the next five years?

I want to develop the city further, make it a safer place and make progress in the expansion of cycle paths. And after five years I want to be able to say: Düsseldorf is a better place than before.

About dr. Stephan Keller

since 01.11.2020 Lord Mayor of the State Capital Düsseldorf
01/2017 - 10/2020 City Director of the City of Cologne
01/2011 - 12/2016 Councillor for Law, Order and Traffic of the State Capital Düsseldorf
01/2006 - 12/2010 Councillor for Urban Development, Environment and Municipal Economy at the Association of Towns and Municipalities of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf
09/2000 - 12/2005 Head of the Office of the Chief Executive at the German Association of Cities and Towns, Cologne

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