Election program for the city council elections on 9 June 2024
adopted at the General Meeting on 20 January 2024
We, the members of the Dissident:innen Dresden Electoral program are presenting a clear program for the city council elections, centered on the issues of urban policy. We stand for radical climate protection, affordable housing prices, transitioning away from cars, and expanding democracy. We stand for a social urban society against the impending shift to the right. We stand for increasing the „Total public happiness“.
We at Dissident:innen Dresden see ourselves as a platform for progressive initiatives, not as a party. We want to continue the successful work of the DISSIDENT parliamentary group in the city council on a broader basis. In the current city council the AfD, CDU. „Freie Wähler“ and FDP parliamentary groups have 35 votes. The Green, Left, SPD and DISSIDENT groups also have 35 votes. Therefore Lord mayor Hilbert’s vote is the deciding factor in decisions.
The Greens, CDU, Left and SPD have proven incapable of acting, since the latest battle over the mayoral posts there have been no fixed majorities. The red-green-red reform initiatives from 2014 to 2019 are fizzling out or being reversed, therefore it is no wonder that urban politics are drifting ever further to the right.
That is why we are running as the electoral platform Dissident:innen Dresden. You hold the responsibility in your hands to cast your three votes to ensure a new reform majority against the AfD’s advance.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: For radical climate protection and a rapid energy transition
1.1 Climate neutrality by 2035
1.2 Expansion of renewable energies
1.3 No waste incineration plant in Neustadt
Chapter 2: Survival of humans and nature in a changing climate
Chapter 3: For climate-neutral and urban-friendly mobility
3.1 Expansion instead of reduction of local public transport
3.2 For a good cycling and walking network
3.3 For the reduction of car traffic: Paris as a role model
Chapter 4: For affordable housing, neighbourhood protection and small cooperatives
Chapter 5: For more democracy and civil rights
Chapter 6: For a social urban society for all
6.1 For „Total public happiness“
6.2 Social administration
6.3 Community centers
6.4 Friedrichstadt Hospital
6.5 Recovery counselors
6.6 Inclusion and participation for all people
6.7 People with experiences of flight and migration
Chapter 7: For a green, climate-neutral city worth living in
7.1 For an active land and urban development policy
7.2 Positions on current urban development projects
Chapter 8: Education, day-care centers and schools
Chapter 9: For diverse and affordable culture for all
Chapter 10: Economy in harmony with the city’s goals
10.1 Supporting local economic development
10.2 Sustainable collaborative urban development
Chapter 11: For transparent and accessible administration and digitization
Chapter 12: For peace and safety with social solutions
Chapter 1: For radical climate protection and a rapid energy transition
1.1 Climate neutrality by 2035
We dissidents are fighting for radical climate protection and aim to achieve climate neutrality in Dresden by 2035.This is the only way to preserve our chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the 1800’s. There has been a lot of talk about climate protection in our city, but little action. The only significant progress in the past 35 years has been replacing the Nossenener Brücke coal-fired power plant with a combined Heat and Power plant at the end of the 1990s.
In 2020, the city council commissioned SachsenEnergie, a municipal company, to provide electricity and heat to households and businesses affordably without climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. However, SachsenEnergies’ „decarbonization concept“ does not aim to achieve climate neutrality until 2045. This violates the city councils decision in December 2022, which followed the citizens petition for the „Dresden Zero“ initiative adopting the goal of climate neutrality by 2035.
SachenEnergie’s confidential (!) „decarbonization concept’, which has only been made available to city councilors, aims to continue the model of centralized fossil gas-fired power plants for as long as possible. In contrast we want a decentralized renewable energy supply that strengthens the self determination of citizens. They do not plan to fire the plant with green hydrogen until 2035, if it is even available by then! There is no sign of the promised massive expansion of wind and solar power. The lord mayor and SachsenEnergie are also not focusing on connecting heat pumps to the central heating system. Rather SachsenEnergie plans to spend 250 million building a waste incineration plant on Radeburger Straße.
We demand:
(1) Compliance with the city council resolution of December 2022 to Achieve climate neutrality in Dresden by 2035. (citizen’s petition „Dresden Zero“
(2) Municipal Heat planning with the aim of completely decarbonization of the heat supply by 2035.
(3) Utilizing all environmental and industrious heat sources and feeding them into the central heating network.
(4) The construction of more „Power to Heat“ storage facilities that use surplus electricity to heat water and other storage fluids.
(5) Connecting Dresden to the German hydrogen network.
(6) The construction of its own power-to-gas and green hydrogen production plants.
(7) Opening of the centralized heating network to accept renewably generated heat from decentralized sources.
(8) Establishing a city council climate advisory board and a „central climate protection strategies“ coordination office under the lord mayor which involves social expertise, according to the city councils decision in January of 2023.
1.2 Expansion of renewable energies
(1) Promotion of solar power systems on roofs, facades and balconies and heat pump heating systems.
(2) Access to Photovoltaic and heat pump systems for all public buildings such as schools or day-care centers, rather than a connection to the centralized fossil fuel heating network.
(3) Improvement of existing preservation statues to allow permits for solar systems.
(4) The lifting of the ban on cooperatively owned wind turbines on Dresden’s territory.
1.3 No waste incineration plant in Neustadt
SachsenEnergie plans to spend €250 million building a waste incineration plant on Radeburger Straße in Neustadt. The given reason for this is „decarbonization“. However, the plant will emit approximately 1 tonne of CO² per ton of household waste incinerated, with no CO² capture to be expected for cost reasons. This will incur heavy costs on CO² pollution rights from 2024.
A genuine circular economy does not incinerate waste materials rather it uses them for new products. A waste incineration plant undermines this. The planned plant will require more waste than is generated in Dresden. Therefore for the plant to be economically viable large quantities of waste will have to be trucked in from the surrounding districts for the next 20 to 25 years.
We demand:
(1) A consistent „zero waste strategy“ for Dresden and the abandonment of the Neustadt waste incineration plant.
(2) A municipal packaging tax based on the Tübingen model which for example would tax the plastic cups and pizza boxes that litter our parks.
(3) Disclosure of the number of truck transports and the pollutant emissions that a waste incineration plant would bring.
(4) Disclosure of the CO² emissions and costs of a waste incineration plant.
Chapter 2: Survival of humans and nature in a changing climate
Climate change is increasingly bringing hot summers, droughts, forest fires, heavy rain and storms. Therefore, cool zones close to residential areas with parks, small trees, streams and large trees along streets and in gardens will become a matter of survival.
We want a climate remediation of overheated areas. Water must no longer be drained away quickly, but must stored in the ground. To do this we need green spaces that absorb water according to the „Sponge City“ concept. The ongoing sealing of public areas must finally be reversed. Areas covered in concrete must be unsealed and greened, as will roofs and facades.
Our street trees are expensive to plant and maintain and they are also pruned high to give drivers a clear view. While they are important for the cityscape they not sufficient to create a healthy micro climate. We need groves close to residential areas and wide green corridors from the surrounding countryside into the city like the Weißeritzgrünzug or the „Blaues Band Geberbach“ project.
We demand more water:
(1) Making rainwater infiltration on properties the builder’s and owner’s obligation
(2) Opening up Dresden’s streams and naturalizing them with wide green strips, especially the Kaitzbach in the Großer Garten and as far out as the Elbe.
(3) Removal of drainage systems from fields and forests.
(4) Protection and restoration of former moorland in the landscapes and forest.
We demand more trees and greenery:
(1) A greening statue for overheated areas with mandatory green roofs and facades, tree planting and a ban on rubble „gardens of horror“
(2) A shift of funds from the planting and „maintenance“ of expensive trees to the acquisition of land on which trees may grow permanently.
(3) Preservation and creation of new groves close to residential areas, such as the Holunderweg.
(4) Orientating the tree protection statues towards biotope networks, micro climatization and species protection, as demanded by BUND and NABU.
(5) Public drinking fountains and cool natural recreational areas in the city and district centers.
(6) Completion of the promenade ring at Rathausplatz and and Dr.-Külz-Ring, as well as between Wilsdruffer Straße and the Elbe and on the Neustadt side.
(7) Wide green corridors through the city, which serve biotope networks, climate control, recreation and urban gardening, as well as bicycle and pedestrian access.
(8) A concept for the German Federal Garden Show in 2033 in Dresden which implements climate adaptation in an exemplary manner.
(9) Preservation and expansion of publicly accessible, near-natural and socially oriented allotment gardens and allotment parks as well as urban gardening.
Chapter 3: For climate-neutral and urban-friendly mobility
We advocate socially and environmentally compatible mobility. Transport must become climate neutral by 2035. The cars must no longer main the linchpin of urban and transport planning. Car traffic damages health with noise and pollutants and its enormous space requirements destroy the city and the joy of being outdoors. Instead, walking, cycling and public transport must become the main means of transportation. Cars must be powered by renewable energy.
3.1 Expansion instead of reduction of local public transport
We are sticking to the goal adopted by the city council in 2019 of expanding the percentage of journeys made by commuter trains, streetcars and busses from 20% to 25-30% by 2030. If the fossil right continue to succeed in stopping the expansion, this target will not be achieved.
We demand for the streetcar and bus:
(1) The rapid construction of the „Stadtbahn 2020“ from the Kesselsdorfer Straße stop via Nürnberger Platz through the university to the Strehlen stop.
(2) The rapid construction of Königsbrücker Straße as the main streetcar line from the north of Dresden.
(3) Extending the streetcar line 8 to Hellerau further to the new TSMC chip factory.
(4) Further planning and construction of streetcar line 5 Johannstadt – city center – Plauen.
(5) Rapid renovation of the Ullersdorfer Platz public transport interchange.
(6) Increased frequency on the main streetcar lines.
(7) Examination of an additional bus stop on Bergstraße / Nöthnitzer Straße.
(8) Examination of a bus connection from Johannstadt via Fischhausstraße to Langebrück as well as a better connection to the chip factories.
(9) Effective priority switching at traffic lights for local public transport, including pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
(1) Accessibility at all DVB and suburban railway stops as well as barrier-free connections at transfer points.
(2) Cross-financing of Dresden’s transport companies with higher parking fees.
(3) Decriminalization of fare evasion, the DVB and railroad do not need to enact criminal charges, an „increased transport fee“ of €60 is enough!
We demand for the railroads:
(1) Rapid expansion of the suburban railway to the surrounding area in order to comfortably transport all passengers on the Deutschland-Ticket.
(2) Construction of the suburban railway stations Stauffenbergalle and Strehlener Platz.
(3) Ground-level access to Friedrichstadt station.
(4) A platform at track 6 of Mitte station.
3.2 For a good cycling and walking network
The city is implementing the 2017 cycling concept far too slowly. We want to provide more funds so that we can speed up the process. Everyone must be able to walk safely from their home to local amenities, day-care centers and schools on comfortable footpaths. This applies in particular to children, elderly people with walking frames and parents with baby carriages.
We demand:
(1) Safe cycle and footpaths to schools for children by reallocating lanes for cars (school streets). We reject stopping places for „parent cabs“.
(2) Abolition of traffic lights on request („begging lights“), for the equivalence of the different types of traffic, rapid conversion to uniform barrier-free signal heads!?
(3) Consistent prosecution of parking offenders by the public order office, including towing in the event of danger to cyclists and pedestrians.
(4) Rapid implementation of the 2017 cycling concept and a continuous safe cycling network with parking facilities for everyday cycling as well as quick accessibility to the city districts and surrounding areas.
(5) Cycle paths on the Blaues Wunder, including the elimination of parking spaces on Hüblerstraße.
(6) Cycle priority route on the 26er Ring, with convenient connections to the city center and the districts.
(7) Repeal of the city council decision enforced by the fossil right to create a new parking space for every parking space eliminated by cycle paths.
(8) Tripling the annual funds allocated by the city budget for the expansion of cycling to €20 per inhabitant e. g. €12 million.
3.3 For the reduction of car traffic: Paris as a role model
We want to reduce car traffic in the city and district centers by reducing car access lanes, wide streets and parking spaces. There must be no more deaths or injuries in traffic. („Vision Zero“)! When planning and building roads the „ease“ and speed of car traffic should no longer be the deciding factor, but rather the needs of local public transport and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. We advocate for residential parking areas only if the conditions are met. We want parking fees based on the economic value of the land.
We demand:
(1) Dismantling of traffic clogs such as Köpckestraße / Große Meißner Straße, Petersburger Straße or Schäferstraße.
(2) Reduction of road noise to a level that is not harmful to health.
(3) „30 km/H“ as the standard speed in residential areas.
(4) Approval and promotion of school and play streets.
(5) Expansion of MoBi points, including the outer districts.
(6) Reduction of parking spaces in the city and district centers in favor of trees, benches and outdoor dining.
(7) No construction of oversized parking garages that draw car traffic into the city, such as in Friedrichstadt or on Nöthnitzer Straße.
(8) Fewer parking space requirements for cars, for example for job or tenant tickets for residents, as well as more secure bicycle parking spaces,
(9) Expansion of residents‘ parking zones if non-residents park all over the place, taking into account parking spaces for care services and tradesmen.
(10) Increase general parking fees to at last 3€ per parking hour in the city center like in Leipzig. Add an additional 10 cents to each parking ticket for humanitarian purposes such as sea rescue.
(11) Charging residents parking fees according to the economic value of the parking space, at minimum 240 per year.
Chapter 4: For affordable housing, neighborhood protection and small cooperatives
For all citizens, housing is the most basic necessity for a self determined life. It must not be subjected to the capitalist logic of exploitation. We want to protect the legitimate interests of tenants and strengthen their influence on their own homes and surroundings. Small self determined tenant cooperatives, apartment building syndicates or building owners associations not only prevent luxury renovations, they also ensure affordable rents and act as the social hub of their neighborhoods.
The founding of the municipal housing association WID („Wohnen in Dresden“) in 2017 was a decisive step in the development of social municipal housing following the total sale of WoBa in 2006. Dresden needs occupancy rights for at least 10,000 apartments by 2035. The repurchase of 1,200 apartments from VONOVIA is the first step.
The apartments built or renovated by WID must remain in municipal hands and cannot be sold: Apartments are for those who live in them! We are fighting against the intentions of AfD and CDU which aim to financially dry up WID or sell it off completely.
We demand:
(1) Preservation and promotion of the Dresden housing company WID, for example allocating municipal building plots or providing subsidies from the city budget.
(2) Conversion of municipal garage plots into social housing and green development.
(3) Buying back as many VONOVIA apartments as possible in all parts of the city at a favorable price.
(4) Resale of suitable houses or building plots to small tenant cooperatives or rental housing syndicates.
(5) Increasing the quota for social housing in development plans from 15% to 50%
(6) Social preservation statutes („milieu protection“) against the displacement of tenants for luxury upgrading and gentrification in places like Neustadt, Pieschen and Löbtau.
(7) Tenant advisory councils with the right to participate in the management of their homes and the design of their living environment.
(8) A ban on the misappropriation of apartments for tourist accommodation, at minimum in Neustadt.
(9) Prompt payment of housing benefits and the granting of sufficient advances.
Chapter 5: For more democracy and civil rights
On the basis of our antifascist and antiracist principles we are fighting for a city that shows solidarity and is open to the world. A city where democracy is not just an empty phrase. A clear commitment to these principals on the part of the city administration does not contradict the requirement of neutrality. Giving more decision-making and participation rights to citizens so that they may shape their own living environment, is the best means of ensuring the acceptance of democratic decisions. The direct election and funding of city district councils from 2019 onward was an important step that nobody questions today. We want to expand the rights of citizens and elected municipal district councils.
We demand:
(1) Implementation of the Citizen Participation Statutes adopted by the City Council in 2019, which allow citizens enforceable rights to information and a resolution recommendation to the City Council in a citizens‘ meeting after collecting a certain number of signatures,
(2) A Dresden transparency statue that allows citizens to inspect plans and programs of the administration and gives them enforceable information rights.
(3) The right for city district and local councils to make their own decisions on the specialist funding guidelines, for example on issues of community centers, social support or cultural funding in the city district.
(4) Right for the integration and foreigners’ advisory council to submit motions to the city council.
(5) Referral of draft resolutions to the municipal councils even without a first reading in the specialist committee.
Chapter 6: For a social urban society for all
The treatment of our most vulnerable reflects the human and democratic quality of a society. No one should be left behind. All people should have the ability to develop according to their abilities without material hardship.
6.1 For „Total public happiness“
While others focus on increasing the gross national product we instead choose to focus on the comprehensive individual wellbeing of all citizens. The total public happiness is the goal of our actions. Total public happiness results from an intact environment worth living in, cultural diversity, close relationships between people free of repression, and good physical and mental health. Political decisions and resources should be geared towards what increases peoples well-being and satisfaction in the long term through regular recording and analysis.
We demand:
(1) Introduction of the concept of total public happiness as a central measurement tool
(2) Establishment of a commissioner of public happiness – the first Dresden happiness mayor!
6.2 Social administration
(1) Payment of advances for housing benefit after submission of proof of income and the tenancy agreement.
(2) Prohibition of energy cut-offs and continued supply with advance payments of the specific amount of energy.
(3) Refraining from filing criminal chargers for „fare evasion“ on streetcars and buses, a €60 „increased transportation fee“ is enough!
6.3 Community centers
The city council wants to set up „district houses“ in all districts. We want to develop them into community centers.
Here, social and health advice along with support services should be accessible to all without barriers. Community centers should work together with day-care centers, schools and clubs. As center of cultural education and civic participation, they should promote a diverse community life. The interdisciplinary work should be carried out by qualified staff and supported by volunteers.
Those responsible should report on their work to the respective district advisory council and be supported by them in order to strengthen the socio-spatial relationship and democratic responsibility in the district. They should primarily be set up in districts with a high need for support.
6.4 Friedrichstadt Hospital
We want a healthcare system based on solidarity and cooperation rather than competition. The municipal hospital should concentrate on providing basic and specialized care close to home. Duplicate structures and destructive competition for patients and staff must be ended. Outpatient care for mentally ill people should be expanded. Effective addiction prevention is focused on information and education, not repression.
We demand:
(1) The municipal hospital remains the property of the citizens of Dresden.
(2) Implementation of the future concept for the hospital, according to which all services and inpatient care will be bundled in Friedrichstadt with outpatient care to be developed in Trachau.
(3) Construction of the, logistics center, pharmaceutical center, medical technology, communications technology, computer center and laboratories on the Vorwerkstraße / Waltherstraße site.
(4) Expropriation of the owner if he is still unwilling to sell this property.
6.5 Recovery counselors
We want to promote awareness of mental health and support people with mental illness on their path to a fulfilled life. Recovery counselors are people with personal experience of a mental health crises who, following training, support people with mental illness in their recovery. In light of the increasing incidence of mental illness and insufficient treatment options, we support this approach by the EX IN association.
We demand:
(1) The city of Dresden should create positions for recovery counselors in mental health facilities.
(2) The city of Dresden, as the owner of the Municipal Hospital, should work to ensure that recovery counselors are included in the staffing plans of the clinics for psychiatry and psychotherapy in negotiations with the health insurance companies.
(3) Employees of the city of Dresden’s counseling centers should be trained in mental illness.
(4) An independent complaints office for psychiatry in Dresden.
6.6 Inclusion and participation for all people
All people have the right to participate equally in all services and culture. The concerns of people with disabilities must acknowledged and taken seriously. In the long term, we call for advice centers that are easily accessible by public transport on all topics relating to education, training and further training, work and employment law, housing and rents, health insurance and health, self-help and crisis management. We demand a comprehensive approach to accessibility.
We demand:
(1) Compliance with building regulations to create barrier-free access. This applies especially to public offices, but also to school, public and cultural facilities.
(2) Accessibility at all DVB and suburban railway stops.
(3) Easy-to-understand written and spoken language in public offices, including for applications, cultural and service facilities and doctors‘ surgeries.
(4) People with a degree of disability of 50% or more should be able to apply for the Dresden Pass.
(5) A fixed date each month on which public pools are solely available to disabled people.
(6) A fixed date each quarter where guided tours are offered in easy to understand languages in public museums.
(7) Employment of people with disabilities in permanent positions in public administrations and companies.
6.7 People with experiences of flight and migration
Millions of people around the world are fleeing war and persecution. They are looking for a safe life for themselves and their families. We support the Dresden-based non-governmental organization Mission LIFELINE in its aid for people under threat in Ukraine, Afghanistan or in the deadly escape routes in the Mediterranean. Only a small percentage of refugees come to Dresden. They are approximately half a percent of our city’s population. We stand up for their humane accommodation, treatment and integration. The CDU has abandoned the democratic consensus on housing refugees by wanting to house people in four large tent cities. It votes against every proposal in order to pander to right-wing extremist voters.
We demand:
(1) Decent decentralized housing for refuges in apartments.
(2) No allocation of payment cards instead of cash.
(3) Health insurance cards given to all refugees immediately.
(4) An immigration office that makes full use of its discretionary powers to assist in the integration of people.
(5) Preservation of the existing advisory structures.
(6) Assistance for the self-organization of refugees.
(7) Support for all refuges against attacks and hostility while also prosecuting the perpetrators.
(8) Dresden becomes a new partner city of the new ship for „Mission Lifeline“
Chapter 7: For a green, climate-neutral city worth living in
Our vision is a green, climate-neutral city where people live together without being encroached upon by cars, retailers or capital interests. We want to use our full legal authority to achieve this. To achieve this the principle of city densification must apply which, if applied correctly, does not contradict our plans for more trees and green zones. We reject urban sprawl into „greenfield areas“ in the countryside, for example in the Schönfeld highlands, in the west of Dresden or now in the north after the TSMC settlement. Reducing the number of cars is a necessary prerequisite for the introduction of wider footpaths, cycle paths and more green spaces. In short, for a city worth living in.
7.1 For an active land and urban development policy
We take seriously the Basic Law’s mandate that the use of property must serve the common good. We want to use the instruments of the Building Code for an active land, housing and urban development policy.
We demand:
(1) Development plans to be drawn up for all important areas so that the city council can decide democratically
(2) Application of the expropriation of land for important urban development objectives, such as the necessary expansion of the Friedrichstadt hospital, as provided for in the Building Code,
(3) Issuing building commands if owners leave their land undeveloped or their houses empty.
(4) Adoption of milieu protection statutes to protect the residential population from luxury renovations and displacement.
(5) Pre-emption right statute for the securing of allotment gardens and their path development as well as for social and ecological purposes in allotment gardens (allotment garden parks).
(6) Sale of urban land under heritable building rights for a limited period only.
(7) Reduction of property tax B with simultaneous levying of a property tax C for undeveloped plots ready for construction from January 1, 2025, against speculation and land consumption.
(8) Conversion of municipal garage plots for green development and social housing.
7.2 Positions on current urban development projects
(1) Promenade rings around Altstadt and Neustadt
We advocate the rapid completion of the promenade ring around Dresden’s Old Town between Pirnaischer Platz and Seestraße. The section between Schießgasse and the Elbe should also be planned. We welcome a narrower Petersburger Straße and the opening up of the Kaitzbach. We would also like to see a green promenade ring around Innere and Äußere Neustadt. From the promenade ring, there should be accessible green corridors leading into the city districts.
(2) Old Leipzig railroad station
We want to develop the site of the old Leipzig railroad station from Eisenbahnstraße to Erfurter Straße as a climate-neutral and low-car model district with a high proportion of affordable housing, woodland and green spaces. We are committed to the historical buildings of the Alter Leipziger Bahnhof as a place of remembrance, education and encounter and expect visible results by 2025. We want to preserve and expand the existing cultural uses such as Hanse 3, the Blaue Fabrik and the Stadtgarten. The Wagenplatz should remain as an alternative residential project.
(3) Chip industry in the north of Dresden
The relocation of Infineon and TSMC could become Dresden’s economic life insurance for the coming decades. The challenges for development, mobility connections and housing construction as well as the creation of a welcoming culture are enormous. The city will be left with high development costs for water and wastewater, the repayment of which is a bet on the future. There is still no efficient and attractive public transport connection compared to car traffic. That is why we want to extend line 8 quickly. The valuable natural area must not be overdeveloped by land-consuming detached houses, but the necessary living space must be created in the existing settlement area.
(4) German federal Garden Show 2023
We support the hosting of a Federal Garden Show in Dresden in 2033. The Blue Ribbon Geberbach project serves flood protection and the biotope network. The plans for Südpark and Proschhübel create new parks and connections to the landscape for the surrounding residential areas. Important connecting plots between Proschhübel and Hechtpark, from Südpark / Volkspark Räcknitz to the university campus or from the Leuben gravel lakes via the racecourse to the Großer Garten are to be permanently secured for the publicly accessible green network.
(5) Neustädter Königsufer
The Neustädter Markt, with its historic 1970s landmark, should be preserved; we reject the development or demolition of it’s houses. The right turn lane in front of the Blockhaus onto Augustusbrücke should be added to the square area, as decided by the city council long ago. We would like to see the corner of Köpckestraße and Augustusbrücke put to public use. The redesign of the Königsufer should create accessible parks on the Elbe. The space between the Japanese Palace and the hotel is to be upgraded as a square and extended into the Palaisgarten towards the Elbe.
(6) Wachwitz television tower
We understand the desire of many Dresdeners to climb the TV tower again. However, Reconstruction costs too much with too little visitor capacity, while also creating traffic problems for the surrounding residential areas. We therefore reject the opening of the TV tower, as well as the expensive mobility concept with the parking garage at the planned Rossendorfer Straße rail loop.
(7) Friedrichstadt Hospital
We support the plans to extend the Friedrichstadt hospital to the Vorwerkstraße / Waltherstraße site. The existing owner should be allowed to build a perimeter block development on Friedrichstrasse. If he continues to refuse to sell the necessary area to the city at market value, we will demand his expropriation.
(8) Relocation of the customs yard
The conditions at the customs yard on Stauffenbergallee are indefensible. We support its relocation to the highway in Kaditz. There is sufficient space there without placing an additional burden on local residents.
Chapter 8: Education, day-care centers and schools
We advocate high quality education and educational equality for all through inclusion, participation and longer support for joint learning so that children with special needs may remain with their peers. The school system should be as permeable as possible for all qualifications. Additional educational staff are essential for this purpose. Day-care centers and schools are places of socialization where children and young people spend a significant part of their day. Their time there should be enjoyable. The facilities must take this into consideration while planning their premises, education and content. School playgrounds with sufficient green space should invite children to relax and exercise. Health and quality nutrition must be an integral part of school education.
We demand:
(1) In the event of falling child enrollments – instead of closing facilities and laying off staff – use the opportunity to increase the quality of care and education through better working conditions for educators and a better childcare ratio.
(2) At least one community school in each of the six regional planning areas to ensure real freedom of choice for all families in Dresden in terms of education and location,
(3) To end the dual use of school and after-school care to the extent that the number of pupils decreases. The after-school care centers should be strengthened as an independent educational offer
(4) Accessibility in all school rooms, including „mobile room units“ (containers),
(5) An improvement in the compensation and working conditions for all-day program leaders and school support staff,
(6) More greenery and biodiversity in school playgrounds as well as a diversification of use with the participation of pupils and, where possible, the creation of school gardens,
(7) To maintain and create new swimming opportunities: Every child must be able to learn to swim as part of school swimming lessons,
(8) Following the scientific consensus, lessons should start later in the morning.
Chapter 9: For diverse and affordable culture for all
Our city contains incredible, world renowned museums, galleries, and theaters with amazing orchestras and choirs. These institutions are supported by the city and state. Dresden Pass holders receive free admission to performances held at municipal institutions and 10 of the city’s museums. The city creates opportunities for people with low incomes to participate.
But art and culture is much more than high culture. It is small studios, workshops and galleries. It is clubs. It is bands and music collectives. It is orchestras and choirs where amateurs can sing and make music. It is music schools which enable children and young people to learn and instrument or sing. It is institutions that make it possible for people to become artistically active. All of this must be accessible to everyone. People should have the opportunity to develop their creativity without barriers.
But art and culture is much more than high culture. They are small studios, workshops and galleries. They are clubs. There are bands and music collectives. It is orchestras and choirs in which amateurs make music and sing. They are music schools that enable children and young people to learn an instrument or sing in a choir. They are institutions that make it possible for people to become artistically active. All of this must be accessible to everyone. People should have the opportunity to develop their creativity without barriers.
We demand:
(1) Preservation and use of the former Robotron canteen as a new community art center Dresden.
(2) Examination of how the buildings of the Staatsoperette can be made available for barrier-free cultural use by associations and groups in the future.
(3) Facilitating non-commercial street and district festivals by reducing bureaucratic hurdles.
(4) Expansion of tactile city models
(4) More areas made available for legal spray painting (graffiti)
(5) Preservation of the „Naddl und Ronny“ lettering on the Carolabrücke,
(6) Full implementation of the cemetery concept
(7) Creating space for barrier-free cultural and artistic activities in the community center that are being built.
(8) Increasing the number of books in easy-to-understand language in the municipal libraries and offer a suitable tour of the central library twice a year for people who need it,
(9) The redesign of the Rondel on the Heidefriedhof: Equating the bombing of Dresden with the crimes committed in the Nazi German extermination camps and the European cities attacked by Germany is an intolerable falsification of history. Therefore, the Rondel cannot be a memorial site for the victims of February 13 and 14, 1945,
(10) The preservation of the forced labor camp in Dresden-Sporbtiz as a memorial site
(11) We support the idea of a solidarity partnership with a major Ukrainian city or region.
Chapter 10: Economy in harmony with the city’s goals
Dresden is an economically well-positioned city that is home to outstanding companies and offers an enriching development environment. However, the past years of crisis have put small and medium-sized companies in particular in considerable financial difficulties and will continue to put a strain on Dresden as a business location in the coming years. In the coming years, these struggles will also include being able to provide a pleasant environment for local or immigrant skilled workers.
10.1 Supporting local economic development
In addition to the already established instruments of local, institutionalized economic development, we see considerable potential in mobilizing the city’s population, which is looking for investment opportunities in times of volatile financial markets anyway. Opportunities to participate in local investment projects with small amounts of money should be fostered throughout Dresden’s urban society.
We demand:
(1) Establishment of a citizens‘ fund for the crowd funding of local projects, initiatives, start-ups or business expansions.
(2) Management of the invested capital by an organization to be set up within the city administration
(3) City-wide advertising of the citizens‘ fund on the supply and demand side.
10.2 Sustainable collaborative urban development
The planned relocation of TSMC, the expansion at Infineon and the planned expansions at Globalfoundries and Bosch will transform Dresden’s microelectronics center (Silicon Saxony), which will have a definite impact on all areas of urban life. The consequences for the population, education, environment, nature and traffic will be key issues in the coming years.
We demand:
(1) The consistent decarbonization of existing industrial plants and binding guidelines for the planning of new industrial plants that meet the requirements of population, environmental and climate protection on the basis of a basic plan for Dresden’s industrial development,
(2) Binding agreements with industrial companies to compensate for municipal investments in infrastructure (e. g. local transport, water, wastewater) even if the company moves away,
(3) Involvement of the city council in the planning phase of major relocation projects so that issues relating to a sustainable, livable and easily accessible working environment can be planned by the city council at this stage.
Chapter 11: For transparent and accessible administration and digitization
We want an administration that is efficient, citizen-friendly, transparent and climate-neutral in the digital age. The city district offices are to be reinforced with more staff at the expense of the central administration. Dresden’s city administration should offer its employees appealing working conditions. Digital access to public authorities must become a matter of routine. However, we reject exclusively digital access to administrative services because it excludes people and leads to further forced collection of personal data. We are committed to the principles of open data and open government.
We demand:
(1) An increase in diversity in the administration and the proportion of people with a migration background, including in management positions.
(2) Non-digital access, also in easily understandable language, and services of the city administration must be maintained or restored.
(3) The city administration should work with open source software wherever possible and economical. The principle of „public money, public code“ applies.
(4) We want to make all administrative data that is not subject to confidentiality available to the public in a user-friendly form and in open file formats,
(5) The city administration’s data centers should be operated in a CO2-neutral manner and the waste heat should be utilized.
Chapter 12: For peace and safety with social solutions
The activities of Dresden’s public order office are one-sidedly focused on undesirable repression, while other tasks are neglected. Social solutions must take precedence over repression. We support the efforts in Neustadt to eliminate disturbances at the corner of Görlitzer Straße and Louisenstraße through discussions and offers.
We demand:
(1) The consistent prosecution of wrong-way and sidewalk parking by the public order office, including towing them to another location if they pose a danger to cyclists or pedestrians.
(2) The prevention and prosecution of inhuman demonstrations and statements, the prohibition of right-wing extremist demonstrations at the synagogue and the guarantee for anti-Nazi demonstrations to be able to take place without police repression.
(3) An end to the unlawful practice of the assembly authorities passing on personal data to the police and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
(4) Authorization of sit-in assemblies and symbolic blockades within the framework of the law
(5) The radical restriction of private fireworks; on New Year’s Eve, fireworks should be restricted to certain public places where safety is guaranteed.
(6) The prohibition of leaf blowers, which kill insects and small animals and disturb the neighborhood.
(7) The prevention of night-time light pollution caused by lighting without the purpose of safety.
(8) A ban on tobacco and alcohol advertising on DVB trains and buses, in the city center and district centers.
(9) Decriminalization of fare evasion, DVB and the railroads should refrain from filing criminal charges.
(10) The disarmament and resocialization of the „special task force“ of the Dresden public order office.