Marbeck, Nordrhine-Westphalia, Germany

Marbeck is part of the municipality of Borken and is located about 60 km from Münster. The village is embedded in a rural landscape and offers a noticeably high quality of life for its residents.

Marbeck is characterized by diverse activities aimed at integrated future development. The strong commitment of the residents, who are organized in numerous associations and actively participate in shaping the future of their hometown in a particularly engaged way, is especially noteworthy. Through positive cooperation with the municipality of Borken, local businesses, and especially with agriculture and forestry, an exemplary culture of cooperation has developed over many years, forming the foundation for the sustainable development of the village. Many associations, such as the fire brigade, shooting clubs, sports club, music club, local heritage club, several choirs, and the rural youth organization, are actively involved in the social life of the community and form a strong base for positive development. Particularly noteworthy is the initiative “Wir in Marbeck,“ which has been committed for over ten years to shaping the village as a living space with future prospects and a high quality of life for all generations.

The “Village Internal Development Concept,“ developed in 2020 through both analog and digital workshops and discussions involving representatives from politics and administration, experts, and the local population, serves as the strategic foundation. This strategic process has given the village‘s development an additional boost, as the community has been strengthened and new ideas have been developed. Based on this concept, many initiatives have been launched, some of which have already been implemented or are planned for the coming years. In addition to some key projects such as the generational sports park project, the future market, or the new residential area with innovative heat generation from wastewater, there are numerous individual measures that significantly contribute to the high quality of life and future viability of the village.

Marbeck stands for outstanding civic engagement, innovative and strategic planning, as well as an exemplary cooperation culture, and serves as a model for sustainable village development.

Marbeck and the larger town of Borken have faced the challenge of creating housing for the younger generation for years. Although the focus in Marbeck has been on interior development, such as closing building gaps or converting farms into multi-generational houses in a resource-efficient manner, the creation of a village interior development plan made it clear that there is a need for building land. After many years of avoiding such rezoning, the town of Borken undertook this in Marbeck under the premise that resource-efficient and socially sustainable forms of housing for young and old must be realized in the new development area. Ideas for this were developed in participatory processes in collaboration with a planning office. In addition to some single-family and semi-detached houses, several multi-party houses, including assisted living units, were and are being realized.

Particular emphasis is placed on ecological sustainability: green roofs, photovoltaic systems, heat pump systems, “green gardens“ instead of gravel surfaces, a tree-lined avenue along the street, etc., are expressions of this. Particularly innovative is the heating concept, which is based on the use of Marbeck‘s wastewater and is energy- and cost-saving as well as climate-friendly. Additional small design measures, such as the planting of trees, hedges, and shrubs, ultimately create a pleasant feel-good atmosphere.

Considerations on how to motivate more citizens to participate and collaborate in the village, as well as the idea that residents should be more informed about local services, clubs, and businesses, and finally the desire to bring people together and encourage them to develop new visions and ideas for the future of Marbeck, led to a project that combined all these aspirations under one roof: the Future Market, which was held for the first time in 2023 and is to be repeated every three years in the future.

The approximately 50 participating companies, clubs, and organizations presented a wide range of content – from leisure activities to medical and other services, church-related topics, innovations from local businesses and agricultural enterprises. Traditions were showcased, children and teenagers organized a flea market, hunting camps, and much more. Many who thought they knew everything about their village were still amazed at the abundance of offerings.

The centerpiece was the so-called “Future Stand“, where all visitors were invited to contribute ideas and suggestions for the further development of the village. The proposals were publicly viewable and could be supplemented, and ideas could be further developed. Some of the ideas that emerged, such as the installation of a generation swing or creatively designed village signs, have already been implemented, with many more to follow. The Future Market was organized by the citizens themselves and financed through the sale of food and drinks.

Evaluated: 2024