Integrating Manufacturing: Strategies and Legal Approaches Dealing With Noise Conflicts in German Urban Planning

Abstract

This article examines the integration of urban manufacturing into German urban land‐use planning, with a focus on mixed‐use strategies, legal approaches, and the role of court decisions in resolving conflicts related to noise. Building on the findings of a German working group of inter‐ and transdisciplinary experts on urban manufacturing, we explore planning strategies within the current legal framework to secure and promote urban manufacturing. The research analyses nine preparatory and 87 binding land‐use plans from 23 large German cities, alongside 15 court cases where companies contested municipal binding land‐use plans due to noise regulations. The findings reveal that zoning, frequently cited as a tool to protect urban manufacturing, can withstand judicial scrutiny. However, municipalities often fail to adequately address conflicts or comply with procedural requirements, particularly in noise management and immission control. The analysis highlights the potential for both coarse‐ and fine‐grained mixes of uses, suggesting that tailored zoning approaches can enable integration of residential and productive areas. Nevertheless, industrial gentrification remains a significant challenge, as preparatory and binding land‐use plans rarely address this issue. These findings contribute to the broader international discourse on sustainable and integrated urban areas, in line with contemporary urban development concepts such as the New Leipzig Charter. The article calls for further empirical research and advocates for stronger legal frameworks to support the coexistence of residential and manufacturing spaces.

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