Editing Dresden (section)

===Local affairs===
[[File:Waldschlösschenbrücke Dresden 2024 Luftbild Toni Klemm 2500px.jpg|thumb|The [[Waldschlösschen Bridge]] is a subject of controversy in Dresden and other parts of Germany.]]
Local affairs in Dresden often centre around the [[urban planning|urban development]] of the city and its spaces. Architecture and the design of [[public space|public places]] is a controversial subject. Discussions about the [[Waldschlößchenbrücke]], a bridge under construction across the Elbe, received international attention because of its position across the [[Dresden Elbe Valley]] [[World Heritage Site]]. The city held a public referendum in 2005 on whether to build the bridge, prior to UNESCO expressing doubts about the compatibility between bridge and heritage. Its construction caused loss of World Heritage site status in 2009.<ref>[[UNESCO]]: [https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/265 World Heritage Committee threatens to remove Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany) from World Heritage List] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730232811/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/265 |date=30 July 2020 }}</ref>

In 2006, the city of Dresden sold its publicly [[subsidized housing]] organization, WOBA Dresden GmbH, to the US-based private [[investment company]] [[Fortress Investment Group]]. The city received {{Nowrap|987.1 million}} euro and paid off its remaining loans, making it the first large city in Germany to become debt-free. Opponents of the sale were concerned about Dresden's loss of control over the [[subsidized housing|subsidized housing market]].<ref>Dresden: {{cite web|url=http://www.dresden.de/index.html?node=33040|title=Saleof the WOBA Dresden GmbH|access-date=26 February 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312023055/http://www.dresden.de/index.html?node=33040|archive-date=12 March 2016}}</ref>

Dresden has been the center of groups and activities of far-right movements. Politicians and politics of [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) have a strong backing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2014-12/pegida-dresden-politische-tradition|title=Pegida suits Saxony (Pegida passt nach Sachsen)|newspaper=Die Zeit |date=16 December 2014 |access-date=2 November 2019|archive-date=21 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921204231/https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2014-12/pegida-dresden-politische-tradition|url-status=live |last1=Lühmann |first1=Michael }}</ref> Starting in October 2014, [[Pegida|PEGIDA]], a [[nationalistic]] political movement based in Dresden has been organizing weekly demonstrations against what it perceives as the [[Islamization]] of Europe at the height of the [[European migrant crisis]]. As the number of demonstrators increased to 15,000 in December 2014, so has the international media coverage of it.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirschbaum|first1=Erik|title=Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West quickly gathering support in Germany|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/patriotic-europeans-against-the-islamisation-of-the-west-quickly-gathering-support-in-germany-20141216-128105.html|access-date=16 December 2014|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=16 December 2014|archive-date=16 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216050101/http://www.smh.com.au/world/patriotic-europeans-against-the-islamisation-of-the-west-quickly-gathering-support-in-germany-20141216-128105.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, since 2015, the number of demonstrators has decreased significantly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/pegida-in-dresden-demonstrieren-tausende-gegen-auslaenderfeindliche-bewegung-a-1292451.html |title=Kundgebung von Pegida – Tausende Gegendemonstranten |website=Spiegel Online |language=de |date=20 October 2019 |access-date=12 May 2020 |archive-date=30 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730040733/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/pegida-in-dresden-demonstrieren-tausende-gegen-auslaenderfeindliche-bewegung-a-1292451.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, the Dresden City Council passed a policy statement against "anti-democratic, anti-pluralist, misanthropic and right-wing-extremist developments".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spd-fraktion-dresden.de/2019/10/22/nazinotstand-grundsatzerklaerung-zum-gegenwirken-antidemokratischer-antipluralistischer-menschenfeindlicher-und-rechtsextremistischer-entwicklungen-in-der-dresdner-stadtgesellschaft-staerkung-d/ |title=Nazinotstand? – Grundsatzerklärung zum Gegenwirken antidemokratischer, antipluralistischer, menschenfeindlicher und rechtsextremistischer Entwicklungen in der Dresdner Stadtgesellschaft – Stärkung der Zivilgesellschaft |website=spd-fraktion-dresden.de |date=22 October 2019 |language=de |access-date=23 May 2020 |archive-date=30 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730032931/http://spd-fraktion-dresden.de/2019/10/22/nazinotstand-grundsatzerklaerung-zum-gegenwirken-antidemokratischer-antipluralistischer-menschenfeindlicher-und-rechtsextremistischer-entwicklungen-in-der-dresdner-stadtgesellschaft-staerkung-d/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The motion was originally put forward by the satirical political party [[Die Partei]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/dresden/dresden-radebeul/dresden-ruft-nazinotstand-aus-100.html |title=Debatte über "Nazinotstand": Dresden verabschiedet Grundsatzerklärung gegen Rechts |website=mdr.de |language=de |date=31 October 2019 |access-date=23 May 2020 |archive-date=12 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512081830/https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/dresden/dresden-radebeul/dresden-ruft-nazinotstand-aus-100.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bündnis 90/Die Grünen]], [[The Left (Germany)|Die Linke]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] and Die Partei voted in favour of the statement. The [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]] and [[Alternative for Germany|AfD]] voted against it. Among other things, the statement calls on strengthening democracy, protecting human rights and raising spending on (political) education.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/nazinotstand-dresden-fasst-beschluss-gegen-rechtsextremismus,RgaXyqG |title=Dresden ruft "Nazinotstand" aus |access-date=2 November 2019 |language=de |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102102428/https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/nazinotstand-dresden-fasst-beschluss-gegen-rechtsextremismus,RgaXyqG |url-status=live }}</ref>