Sustainable urban district development/ prevention

Social prevention is at the core of this priority axis: it includes enhancing the quality of life in urban districts, alleviating social issues and improving opportunities for education and all citizen’s future prospects. The OP ERDF NRW considers all aspects which play a part in this range of responsibility: Starting with measures concerning integration and the fight against poverty, continuing with new perspectives for the local economy, all the way to revitalizing and renovating industrial sites and former military bases. 
The complexity of this task explains why priority axis 4 is a so called “blending axis” in which several thematic funding goals are intertwined. 

The requirement for funding is an action plan by a local community with measures corresponding to this plan. Funding individual projects is not possible. The integrated action concepts have to describe economic, ecological, climatic, demographic and social challenges. Furthermore, two of the specific aims of priority axis 4 need to be covered by one integrated concept. Thereby aiming for “improving the integration of disadvantaged social groups into work, education and the community” is mandatory. 

The selection of eligible integrated action plans occurs in the form of a municipal call for projects (common call for projects of ERDF, EAFRD, and ESF “Starke Quartiere - starke Menschen”; under way: call for projects “Grüne.Infrastruktur.NRW”). Before participating, interested communities need to conclude the agreement “Über die Auswahl von Vorhaben zur nachhaltigen Stadtentwicklung gemäß Art.7 Abs. 4,5 VO (EU)  1301/2013 und Art. 123 Abs. 6 VO (EU) 1303/2013" with ERDF’s administrative authority.

About 233 million euros from ERDF are available for priority axis 4. This figure will be doubled through state funding and contributions by project participants.