Is the outcome of the referendum good or bad news for Germering? Of course, very good news is that so many people took part in the vote. This shows that what is happening in their town is important to the people of Germeringer. You want to have a say in it. The news for the parties in the city council is not quite as good, especially not for the CSU and Free Voters. Apparently, many of those voting got the impression that their elected representatives were not acting in their interest when planning for the Kreuzlinger Feld. And the investors have probably harmed themselves with their elaborate advertising campaign rather than being able to convince them.
Whether the result is good for the city itself and for the environment will be seen when the Kreuzlinger Feld is reconsidered. The ideas of what should be built differ widely. The Greens, for example, advocate taller buildings so that less ground needs to be sealed for the same number of apartments. In the text of the decision, on the other hand, it is said that the new buildings should adapt to the surrounding buildings – which often consist of one or two-story buildings, many are single-family houses. Many citizens also want fewer buildings for fear of traffic chaos. However, from the point of view of environmental protection, a development with single-family houses would be the worst option: With a lot of sealing, you would get expensive living space for a few.
If the investors do not want to accept the postponement of planning but withdraw, the project would have to be completely relaunched. That would offer the chance to think about it completely differently. Perhaps citizens could build cooperatives together, in the best case a settlement in which ecology receives the great importance it should have everywhere. Or you leave the Kreuzlinger Feld undeveloped and focus on densification in the city.
The City Council has a lot of work to do. It will be crucial that the city councilors manage to work together objectively after the sometimes tough confrontation, for the benefit of the city and its residents. It remains exciting.