Farewell to EWMG Managing Director Dr. Bonin

EWMG says “thank you”. Dr. Gregor Bonin’s term of office as co-Managing Director of EWMG ends with his departure as head of the city’s Department of Planning, Building, Mobility and Environment. He will retire on November 8. Claudia Schwan-Schmitz, who most recently worked as Technical Councillor for the district town of Bergheim, was elected by the Council as his successor in the administration.

“Together, we have initiated and supported many projects that are already changing the face of the city of Mönchengladbach for the better in the long term,” summarizes Dr. Ulrich Schückhaus, Chairman of the EWMG Management Board. “Dr. Bonin has always been committed to diverse and, above all, high-quality development in residential and commercial construction. Together, we have worked constructively and in partnership to find the best solutions for Mönchengladbach. I would like to thank Gregor Bonin for his professional and personal cooperation.”

Born in Münster, he studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University, specializing in urban planning, was Technical Alderman in Mönchengladbach for eight years and has also served as City Director and representative of the Lord Mayor since April 2018. Prior to this, Dr. Gregor Bonin had been an alderman for planning, construction and real estate in Düsseldorf since 2006 and was largely responsible for the Kö-Bogen, the development of the Medienhafen and the Vodafone Campus. On November 9, 2015, he took up his position at Mönchengladbach City Council and took over one of the largest departments in the city administration with the Planning and Construction and Mobility and Environment divisions.

Under his leadership, a number of major projects were implemented or initiated, including the Seestadt mg+ on the site of the former goods station in Mönchengladbach, the development of the REME site, the Maria-Hilf-Terrassen and the planning of a town hall of the future mg+ – still an important basis for the alternative considerations for the New Town Hall. During his time in office, the city initiated the transformation of Hindenburgstrasse from a shopping street to a lively and sustainable urban quarter. The conversion of the municipal library and the redesign of Geropark and Hans-Jonas-Park were important measures that were implemented during his time as Technical Alderman. In Rheydt, these include the redesign of the Theaterpark and the ongoing construction of a new station building at Hbf. Rheydt by EWMG. The urban center strategy, which was also developed during Bonin’s term of office, not only includes a wide range of measures and integrated action and development concepts (IHEK) for the two large city centers. The development of the district centers was and is also specifically addressed, for example as part of the master plan for urban districts, the Rheindahlen urban redevelopment area and the Wickrath IHEK.

In particular, the “mg+ Growing City” urban development strategy adopted by the council and launched in 2016, which has since become part of the city’s overall strategy, bears his signature. It pursued the goal of achieving long-term qualitative growth for Mönchengladbach, combined with a realignment of urban development. The urban development strategy had its origins in the MG3.0 urban development master plan. Bonin was also a founding member of the association of the same name. Shaping the structural change driven by the premature end of opencast lignite mining was a focus of his work. Bonin’s department with the project development for the knowledge campus on the site of the former police headquarters and the T7 textile factory. Work on the mobility transition and climate impact adaptation were further focal points in his department. Since 2018, Mönchengladbach has been aligning its climate protection activities with the certification process for the European Energy Award.

In 2019, Dr. Gregor Bonin was awarded the “Niederrhein-Leuchte” by the Niederrheinischer Presseverein. He received this award in recognition of his open and fair dealings with the media. “He sees urban planning as a driving force for the development of the entire city. He wants to get people interested and encourage them to actively participate – away from pure consumption. In this way, he creates understanding and trust,” said Lord Mayor Felix Heinrichs at Dr. Gregor Bonin’s farewell ceremony.