Open space design as a basis for urban restructuring
(Thuringia)
This project has been put into the archive. The project details will not be updated anymore.
Source: Stadt Leinefelde-Worbis
Leinefelde (pop. 15.000) is situated at the north-western periphery of Thuringia and was developed from a village to an industrial town in the GDR period. One of Europe’s largest cotton mills was established here in 1961. In this context, the „Südstadt“ district was created as a large housing estate in prefab industrial architecture. A 1994 urban development outline plan already operated under the assumption that only 50% of the stock in Südstadt formerly comprising over 5.000 apartments will be let in the long term. At the time, this resulted in the leading decision to provide the residential quarters and infrastructural amenities in the centre of the estate with high-quality conversions and stop investing in the housing stock on the estate’s fringes as potential demolition areas. The urban restructuring process is now in full swing and the potentials for a high-quality open space development are beginning to show.
Source: GRAS, Dresden
The urban restructuring development concept envisages an urban axis for the Südstadt district that would create a spatial and functional connection between the Südstadt and the old town. In this context, the modernization and conversion of the adjacent residential quarters and infrastructures were initially given priority. As a counterpart to the urban axis, a “green axis” is being developed: an uninterrupted green space with footpaths and bicycle lanes which creates an attractive connection extending from the town centre via the residential quarters in Südstadt to the adjacent natural landscape beyond. At the moment, the council’s upgrading investments are being focused on the “green axis” area. The planning instrument used for investment control and cooperation is a regularly updated outline plan. An international landscaping ideas and realization competition called “Grüne Achse Südstadt Leinefelde“ was held to find design concepts for the central green space. The free spaces are consistently differentiated into public, semi-public and private sections. All individual measures are „tied together“ by a high-quality public space design. The financing was achieved by pooling urban development funds from the programme areas Urban Restructuring in East Germany, Social City, Urban Planning Follow-Up Development of Large New Housing Areas and the Thuringia State Programme for the Improvement of Housing Environments in Residential Districts (Stadtumbau Ost, Soziale Stadt, Städtebauliche Weiterentwicklung großer Neubaugebiete, Thüringer Landesprogramm zur Wohnumfeldverbesserung in Wohngebieten).
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1994 | „Pilot Project Bonifatius Square“ |
| 1996 | Urban development outline plan |
| 2000 | Estate conversion “Lessinghof” with establishment of tenant gardens (“green rooms”) |
| 2001 | Square design at the “Obereichsfeldhalle“ building |
| 2001 | Creation of a Japanese garden on demolition sites |
| 2001 | Open space design at the youth centre |
| 2003 | International competition “Green Axis” (Grüne Achse) |
| 2004 | Realization of measures resulting from the competition mentioned above |
Source: GRAS, Dresden
Source: GRAS, Dresden
Source: Stadt Leinefelde-Worbis
A cross-district free space concept becomes the central foundation of urban restructuring. Agreeing on the basic structure and volume scenery for the planned urban development early on with all parties created planning and investment certainty and hence a willingness to act. The imaginative and diverse open space designs in combination with high-quality architecture have meanwhile become a nationally noted image factor for the Südstadt district.
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 37327 - town: Leinefelde - street: Goethestraße.
Record inserted on 06.10.2005 by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR).
Last update: 23.06.2008
