Base conversion—use of barracks, training grounds, national and international context

The end of the Cold War and the withdrawal of the Allied troops in the early 1990s together with the structural reform of the German Bundeswehr introduced in 2000 has meant that many communities and Länder in Germany have been confronted with planning and structural challenges. What concepts and strategies exist for the wise and innovative utilization of sites that were formerly used for military purposes? And furthermore-is base conversion merely a German problem? BICC has been studying these issues and questions intensively since its foundation in 1994. Today, the question which impulses the conversion of former military buildings could give to a city’s future development becomes more and more important. On the one hand, base conversion has come into the limelight once again with more urban living space needed e. g. for refugees. This occupies not only political and urban development planning but also refugee/displacement- and peace and conflict studies. On the other hand, BICC is interested in approaching the remembrance value of former military sites from the angle of peace research.