How do German cities develop mass sports?

Modern sports play a decisive role in improving the quality of life of German citizens and enhancing international competitiveness. This importance is also reflected in urban planning and governance. This article aims to introduce the development strategy of how to integrate mass sports and urban green spaces in the process of urban development in Germany and comprehensively utilize them.

The relationship between sports and urban development

It is generally believed that modern sports originated in Britain in the 18th century, and Britain was also the first industrialized country in the world. This is no coincidence, because the development of modern sports relies on scientific sports medicine knowledge, perfect sports facilities and mass communication technology, as well as the organizational communication and consultation system of civil society - all of which are the modernity brought about by the industrial revolution. ) product.

Furthermore, the industrialization and modernization processes around the world almost all occur in cities, and modern sports are therefore inextricably linked to the development of cities. No matter which country in the East or West, whether it is competitive sports, commercial sports or mass sports, the more developed the urban construction, the better the development of its sports. Therefore, sports is an activity more suitable to be carried out in cities, that is, the urbanization of sports.

The popularity and popularity of modern sports in cities also has deeper social connotations. German sports sociologist Karl-Heinrich Bette pointed out from a macro theoretical perspective that this "die Versportlichung der Gesellschaft" (die Versportlichung der Gesellschaft) is an inevitable result of social processes.

The lifestyle in modern cities has led to the gradual "alienation" and "indifference" of relationships between people. Cities tend to make people feel "lost" and lose their passion and motivation. Therefore, sports are more popular among urban people and have become a way to achieve personality liberation and self-expression. People want to find space for entertainment, games and physical exercise in their busy lives, and eventually form a The physicalization of a city (space) (Versportlichung urbaner R ume).

It is under the combined influence of the two trends of "urbanization of sports" and "sports-oriented cities" that the relationship between sports and urban development has become increasingly close. Empirical research has found that sports can not only have an important impact on urban identity and community creation at the social psychological level, but also promote urban diversity and differentiation. Germany is one of the countries that attaches great importance to the development of sports. It has started a national sports infrastructure construction plan very early. The urban construction and development department of the federal government will also publish an official research report specifically discussing "Sports Facilities and Urban Development" "question.

The development history of mass sports in Germany

Germany is a typical country in the development of mass sports. There are a large number of private sports associations. Only in the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB: Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund) There are more than 90,000 registered associations (in 2015), with more than 27 million registered members, and members of sports associations account for 34% of the total population. In addition, there are more than 12 million people who are not registered but regularly participate in sports (the total population of Germany is about 82 million). The development process of mass sports in Germany can be roughly divided into three periods: (1) the early stage of the industrial revolution; (2) the period of the industrial revolution and the two world wars; (3) the post-war recovery period.

Before the Industrial Revolution in Germany, sports were mainly based on spontaneous non-governmental organizations. Popular sports activities among the people at that time mainly included archery, swimming, horseback riding, hunting, long jump, etc. Especially in the late Middle Ages, due to the decline of chivalry, archery organizations became popular among German people and gradually developed into the prototype of modern sports clubs. At the end of the 18th century, a group of famous philosophers and educators emerged in Germany. They believed that sports were as important as intelligence and were the basic guarantee for maintaining individual and national independence. This view of sports laid the theoretical foundation for German mass sports.

Germany ushered in its first industrial revolution and urbanization immediately after its unification in 1871. Due to heavy physical labor and environmental pollution, the physical fitness of German citizens began to deteriorate. In order to improve this situation, the German Imperial Government promulgated relevant laws and administrative orders to build mass sports venues and encourage the public to participate in outdoor sports activities. In 1896, a tourism organization called "Wandernvogel" (Wandernvogel) was established in Berlin. Driven by "Wandernvogel", a back-to-nature hiking trend sprang up throughout Germany and quickly developed into a "Wandernvogel" with the participation of all people. "sports. These regulations and measures undoubtedly played an important role in promoting the development of mass sports in Germany and laid a solid foundation for the subsequent establishment of sports clubs in urban and rural areas of Germany. Unfortunately, the newly emerging mass sports were quickly distorted by the two world wars, and the purpose of sports became a source of troops for rulers to launch aggressive wars.

After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into two countries, East and West Germany, and sports also showed significant differences under the two different political systems.

After the war, West Germany made brilliant economic achievements, and urbanization also achieved leapfrog development. By the early 1960s, West Germany's urbanization rate had exceeded 70%. At the same time, West Germany's post-war sports policy gradually developed from competitive sports to "sports for all" and "family sports", emphasizing leisure and physical and mental health functions. To this end, West Germany implemented three "Goldner Plans" from 1960 to 1990, the main content of which was to build a large number of sports venues across Germany to promote national fitness activities.

Since West Germany implemented its first "Gold Plan" in 1960, West Germany's sports infrastructure has been significantly improved. In terms of the number of national fitness centers, by 1990 West Germany had There are 65,132 fitness centers, almost double the number in 1960. Due to the influence of the Soviet Union, East Germany's sports policy emphasized "labor", "competition" and "collective spirit", which was in sharp contrast to West Germany's national sports. After reunification, Germany mainly implemented the sports development policy based on the original West Germany, further popularized sports, and promoted and implemented the "East German Gold Plan".

Citizen autonomy and communityization of German sports

Germany adopts a highly autonomous community system to manage sports. Generally speaking, German sports associations are composed of sports federations at all levels, which play a leading role in the formulation and implementation of national sports policies and the allocation of sports resources. Except for providing certain financial subsidies to sports organizations through sports lottery, the federal and state governments basically do not interfere in their management affairs and fully guarantee their autonomous status.

German sports autonomous organization framework.

Sports clubs play an extremely important role in German sports autonomy. The famous German scholar Heilman believes that sports clubs are based on "free membership", "member interests as the criterion" and "not relying on the third party". A free group characterized by "three", "compulsory participation in work" and "democratic decision-making". German sports clubs not only have absolutely independent financial rights, but also have free access to public sports infrastructure in towns and cities.

Another characteristic of German sports development is communityization. There are a large number of community sports federations in various regions and cities in Germany, and they play a key role in the construction and management of community sports infrastructure. According to the German constitution, state governments are responsible for the construction of sports infrastructure in urban communities.

In fact, German state governments not only provide funding but also provide consulting services. For example, German municipal and district governments are mainly responsible for the construction and maintenance of local sports and leisure facilities; city and community government services are involved in the construction and maintenance of local sports and leisure facilities; city and community government services are involved in the construction and maintenance of local sports and entertainment facilities. facilities as well as youth activity centers and even help maintain facilities at private sports clubs. At the same time, the management of German sports clubs is basically completed by local community residents through volunteer work.

Heidelberg’s Green Sports Space

Heidelberg is a medium-sized city in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. It is located in the center of Germany’s densely populated Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area. , with a population of about 150,000, is a typical university town in Germany (such as Heidelberg University). Because it is located in the middle of the beautiful Neckar Valley and the Odenwald (Odenwald), coupled with its long urban history and brilliant culture, Heidelberg has always been one of the most popular tourist cities in Germany.

Heidelberg is also a green city. The entire city covers an area of ??about 109k, of which green spaces (forests, grasslands, parks, farmland, waters, etc.) account for 70%. This unique natural resource and pleasant climate environment provide extremely favorable conditions for sports and leisure activities in Heidelberg. In fact, Heidelberg is a city at the forefront of sports development in Germany, both in terms of sports infrastructure and sports social organizations. In 2013-2014 alone, the city of Heidelberg's total investment in the sports field, including sports municipal facilities, reached more than 10 million euros. Moreover, these infrastructures are public welfare, and citizens only need to pay a very small admission fee to use them. In addition, there are many sports facilities in city parks and schools that are completely free to the public, the most common of which are children's play places ( Kinderspielplatz).

Growth of sports infrastructure in Heidelberg from 1970 to 2013.

Informal outdoor physical exercise is a daily habit of people in Germany, and most of these activities are carried out in urban green spaces. According to a survey conducted by German sports sociologist Huebner and others in large and medium-sized cities in western Germany, about 58% of sports and leisure activities are conducted in informal sports spaces, among which the most popular City parks, forests, pastoral paths and open water, so-called green spaces.

Heidelberg’s rich green land undoubtedly provides citizens with excellent outdoor sports venues. The following mainly explains how Heidelberg City can transform Heidelberg from four aspects: urban forest, pastoral trails, rivers and parks through reasonable planning and management. Valuable experience in using urban green land as sports venues.

(1) Urban Forest

40% of Heidelberg’s urban land is forest vegetation.

The forest is not only a valuable landscape resource in Heidelberg, but also provides citizens with a place for sports and leisure. As early as after World War II, the Heidelberg municipality began to plan and transform forests in urban areas, opening up about 300 kilometers of forest trails (Waldweg). These forest trails are mainly used for hiking (Volkswandern), running (Jogging), and bicycle tours. Among other sports, the most famous Heidelberg hiking trail is the Philosopher's Trail (Philosophenweg) next to the Neckar River. Forest trails are usually connected to each other into a network. In order to facilitate sports enthusiasts to find routes, there are generally detailed road signs at the intersections of forest trails. There are even fixed travel route markers planned by professional clubs. Travelers only need to follow specific Mark and go forward to reach the desired destination.

Heidelberg city forest hiking trail map.

Now the local sports club has launched a new online service. Users can query and plan their own hiking routes, download maps and GPS navigation and other information through the website (Regioausflug.de).

Heidelberg Forest Trail signage.

(2) Pastoral trails

Although Germany is a highly urbanized country, it still retains a large amount of agricultural land in and around the city, which is called "urban agriculture". Landwirtschaft). Heidelberg *** has 1831h farmland. Because the city is distributed in a star shape, each community in the city is very close to the farmland on the outskirts of the city. Urban countryside has naturally become an important place for citizens to enjoy sports and leisure. Farmland in Germany is all private property, but in order to provide citizens with sports venues, municipal authorities have planned and built very flat pastoral paths between farmlands, some of which are even open to traffic.

As a "citizen contract" protected by law, citizens can hike, run, pulley, cycle and other sports on the farm's trails, but are not allowed to damage or steal the farm's crops.

(3) Urban River

Like many other cities, Heidelberg developed on the Neckar River. The Neckar River crosses the city center from east to west. On the one hand, it provides the city with very valuable landscape resources, such as the famous Heidelberg Old Bridge. On the other hand, the river itself is also the best place for citizens to exercise and relax. The Neckar River is a public space completely open to the public. Boating enthusiasts only need to register the type of boat they are using in Heidelberg, and they can freely use the river. Every summer, family or club boats and yachts appear on the city's rivers, including the annual Heidelberg City Dragon Boat Festival. At the same time, riverside hiking trails (Neckarwege) exclusively for pedestrians and bicycles have been opened on both sides of the Neckar River.

Because of the unique natural scenery of the canyon and ancient urban architecture, the hiking trail around the Neckar River is the most popular travel path for sports enthusiasts and tourists. In addition, the municipal government also planned a green buffer zone about 200 to 300 meters wide at the interface between the river and the city, which is completely open to the public and has gradually become the best place for young students to practice volleyball and Frisbee.

Green sports space on the banks of the Neckar River in Heidelberg.

(4) City Park

Every community in Heidelberg has supporting parks. In addition, there is a large amount of park land in universities, hospitals, castles and other departments. Taking up a large part of the park area are outdoor sports infrastructure, such as small basketball courts, sand pits, gymnastics poles, swings, etc. The sports infrastructure in community parks is also completely open. This small sports venue is very popular with community teenagers. What's more special is that in order to facilitate citizen movement, German law allows people to walk and exercise on public lawns. The design of Heidelberg City Park also pays great attention to the physical exercise needs of children and disabled people. Almost most of the park's sports facilities are designed for children's sports. Wheelchairs used by disabled people can be used without the help of others. Easy access to park sports venues.

In addition, Heidelberg also holds urban sports regularly every year, mainly including: City Marathon, Heidelberg Triathlon, Heidelberg Dragon Boat Festival and pulley competitions. Sports events in these cities have a very wide range of citizen participation. Taking the city marathon as an example, more than 3,000 people participate in the half-marathon every year, as many as 1,500 people participate in the full marathon, and the number of participating spectators exceeds tens of thousands. . Moreover, the venues for these competitions are not dedicated, but are held in urban open spaces. The above-mentioned green spaces are especially the first choice for urban sports events. The promotion of these sports events not only greatly enhances Heidelberg's urban influence, thereby providing favorable conditions for the development of tourism and economy, but also encourages and promotes citizens' enthusiasm for sports participation and enhances people's physical fitness.

In short, in Heidelberg, the city’s public spaces (especially green spaces) have largely become citizens’ sports spaces, and this development and utilization is based on maintaining the original ecology. It is a sustainable urban sports development model based on its integrity and benefiting all citizens.

Summary and discussion

The successful experience of the German sports "Gold Plan" shows that the development of modern sports from competitive sports to popular sports is the only way for urban sports development. Urbanization and The popularization of sports promotes each other and develops in coordination. As a famous green city in Germany, Heidelberg has valuable practical experience in the comprehensive utilization of urban green spaces. Heidelberg uses its own rich green space resources (such as forests, fields, rivers, etc.) to integrate urban green spaces through reasonable planning and development. Transformed into a sports space that is generally popular with citizens. This process is not only reflected in the construction of sports facilities by city authorities, but also in the formulation of laws and the promotion of citizen participation.

Of course, due to differences in national conditions and social development levels, the German urban sports development model may not be fully applicable to China, but for urban planning, the German experience has great reference value. In the current practice of urban planning in China, practitioners still have deficiencies in the open sports space in the city - especially how to comprehensively plan and utilize green space.

The author He Jinliao is an associate researcher at the Human Geography Research Center of Nanjing University; Zhang Xiufeng is a Ph.D. in sociology at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and a visiting researcher at the Research Center of the Shanghai University Institute of Physical Education; Chen Jianfeng is an economics professor at the University of Heidelberg in Germany PhD. This article was originally published in "International Urban Planning" Issue 5, 2017.

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