Leipzig-Neuschönefeld „District Park Rabet“

Context

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The 1970s district park „Rabet" is situated in the redevelopment area “Neuschönefeld”. The late 19th century residential quarters bordering on the park are characterized as much by their low occupancy rate as by their need of redevelopment.

The expansion and redesign of the district park is one of three key urban restructuring measures in the east of Leipzig. The park hence becomes a sequence of new urban spaces.

Project description

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The park and its environs were identified as a central measure site and conceived in outline in the “Conceptual District Plan Leipzig East – Feasility Study Rietzschke Band” (Konzeptionellen Stadtteilplan Leipziger Osten – Machbarkeitsstudie Rietzschke Band). The district park „Rabet“ is being redesigned and expanded in order to develop it into a special destination in the east of Leipzig.

The park expansion takes place on housing areas subject to a high degree of vacancy and dereliction which are re-dedicated as a public park area. The upgrading of the park is intended to contribute to the consolidation of neighbouring residential quarters and the improvement of the green space supply in the late 19th century districts. The redeveloped youth centre is intended to attract the public to the eastern parts of Leipzig.

The first construction stage included large sections of the old park area as well as a narrow block on the southern side. This is where the ruinous building stock was demolished and “Marthastrasse” was undedicated and pulled down. Private plots were purchased and are now owned by the council.

The expansion of the „Rabet” park towards Eisenbahnstrasse in the north served to include housing development areas as well as the free spaces of an existing school and a nursery school in the planning. In this area, numerous leisure amenities have been realized already. A tree canopy comprising three single trees, beneath which a market area with stopover amenities and parking spaces are to be realized, restores the spatial character of the urban layout and extends the park to the street in visual terms.

The council has also bought up private properties here, while further plots are owned by the city’s own housing society LWB and are to be swapped. The housing society will be offered building land from municipal holdings in other areas, based on a value assessment procedure.

The funding was provided jointly by the council's own budget, from the programmes “Social City” (Soziale Stadt) and “Urban Restructuring in the East” (Stadtumbau Ost), as well as form EU-funds within the EFRE programme.

Project chronology

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Jahr	Ereignis
2001	Planning workshop “Rabet”
From 2002	Expert opinion procedure „Rabet“
2002	Land purchase and swap, demolition of existing structures
2003	Location resolution for changing the legally binding land-use plan
2004	The first sod is turned for the 1st construction stage
2004	Completion of 1st construction stage
2005	Completion of 2nd construction stage

Aims

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• Creation of a generous, high-quality and car-free open space
• Inclusion of various play areas and trend sports
• Creation of a park for recreation and various activities
• Extending the park up to the adjoining urban spaces, the Eisenbahnstrasse in the north and the Rabet street in the south.
• Providing a consolidation impulse for neighbouring residential quarters

Types of measures

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• Planning workshop
• Expert opinion procedure on park design “Rabet”
• Change of existing, legally binding land-use plan
• Property purchases
• Property swaps
• Demolition of buildings
• Demolition of streets
• Involvement of children and adolescents for sports and play amenities
• Rededication of transport areas and integration of former housing areas in public green spaces

Innovations

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The public park „Rabet“ was sustainably upgraded and expanded by including further areas in Leipzig's late 19th century eastern parts. This results in a positive perception of the urban restructuring process. Instead of dereliction and wastelands, a park is being created and contributes to the elimination of the open space deficit experienced by the densely populated residential quarters.

Sources

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• Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen (Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Affairs) (client), Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (Federal Office for Construction and Spatial Planning) (ed.), the landscape architects „StadtBüro Hunger; Becker, Giseke, Mohren, Richard Landschaftsarchitekten“; the development association „DSK Deutsche Stadt- und Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH“ (contractor): Zwischennutzung und neue Freiflächen. Städtische Lebensräume der Zukunft (Interim Use and New Open Spaces. Urban Habitats of the Future). Berlin, 2004
• Grünflächenamt Stadt Leipzig (Leipzig Parks Department)

Further information

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• <http://leipzig.de/>

The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 04315 - town: Leipzig - street: Rabet 20.

Protagonists

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• Stadt Leipzig (Leipzig Council), the departments involved: Stadtplanungsamt, Grünflächenamt , Amt für Stadterneuerung und Wohnbauförderung, Liegenschaftsamt, Tiefbauamt, Amt für Verkehrsplanung (Urban Planning Department, Parks Department, Department of Urban Renewal and Housing Development, Real Estate Office, Transport Planning Department)
• Stadt Leipzig (Leipzig Council), Amt für Stadterneuerung und Wohnbauförderung (Department of Urban Renewal and Housing Development), Petra Hochtritt, tel: 0341/123 54 54, <phochtritt@leipzig.de>
• Stadt Leipzig Leipzig Council), Stadtplanungsamt (Town Planning Department), Susanne Keil, tel: 0341/123 48 44, <skeil@leipzig.de>
• Stadt Leipzig (Leipzig Council), Grünflächenamt (Urban Green Space Planning Office), Herr Seufert, tel: 0341/123 6177, <hseufert@leipzig.de>, Frau Christiansen, tel: 0341/123 6182, <schristiansen@leipzig.de>
• Rabet study group: resident associations, district management, council advisory board, youth club, Tante Hedwig, council departments