Düsseldorf „PLATZDA!“
The campaign PLATZDA! aims to secure the shelter and design quality of the Düsseldorf City Squares and to realise concepts for the construction of new squares. A significant component of PLATZDA! is the inclusion of the public in the planning process from the very start.
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Context
Source: Mechthild Renner, BBSR im BBR
People should be able to feel safe in the squares in their city, use them and spend time in them. Squares should invite the people to communicate. Often, people hardly know the public spaces in their neighbourhoods and only perceive squares - if at all - as wide paths.
In view of this, a hearing was held in 2001 by the Düsseldorf Committee for Planning and Urban Development to improve the quality of squares. This was the trigger for the development of an overall strategy for Düsseldorf's squares. This is how the initiative PLATZDA! was created.
Project description
Source: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
PLATZDA! is a campaign to design the city squares in Düsseldorf and sees the squares as a network. The people should be able to experience, use and plan the city's public spaces, and not get the impression of empty, spaces. PLATZDA! connects stakeholders and groups together projects, plays in squares and devises concepts for the further development of the square culture in Düsseldorf. The impetus for the initiative came from the city. The city planning office, as coordinator, steers the processes.
Overall, 45 inner-city squares have been included in a priority list. 10 squares have been presented to the public within the framework of an opening event. At two locations - in the embassy on Worringer Platz and in the Finanzkaufhaus on Berliner Allee - an ideas exchange has been set up in order to generate discussions about the squares. Here people can express their opinions about the squares. Lots of ideas and suggestions have been received, which are given, for example, as written explanations, sketches and designs. In addition, the city planning office receives other ideas from involved citizens either by e-mail or through "City Cards", which are distributed in many bars in the city.
Apart from the overall concept of the design and redevelopment of squares, making the squares alive with people and culture is equally important. To this end, the city arranged summer performances with music, literature, film and dance. They are seen as a series of events in order to promote local commitment. All the social and cultural groups can become involved through networks and cooperations. Residents and other local stakeholders also independently organised a summer square programme. The 1st summer exhibition in 2003 acted as a trigger. Numerous cultural events were organised in the public space, which used the city as a stage. Initially, these first summer performances were still largely initiated and organised by the city. But by 2004, the public were encouraged to join in. Since then, multiple factors, such as schools, cultural institutions, museums, artists, clubs and the general population invite you to campaigns on the Düsseldorf squares. They are showing their idea of square culture and creating a varied and colourful programme.
Based on the stakeholder networks of the first few years, many project supporters have been acquired. Various companies and institutions provide content and financial support for programme items. These add to the partial funding from the city. In addition, the project has twice been supported by the North-Rhine Westphalian state programme "Ab in die Mitte" (Off to the Middle).
Graf-Adolf-Strasse is part of the network of Düsseldorf Squares and at the same time, as Immobilien- und Standortgemeinschaft (ISG), is a new model for revitalising the urban neighbourhood supported by the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia. ISG was founded in summer 2005 as a society in order to place the strengthened involvement of property owners and their cooperation with the city on an organisationally reliable basis. The board of the society includes representatives of owners and commercial tenants. A comprehensive and long-term programme of measures agreed between the city and the private partners should lead to the location being upgraded. More than 80 % of the land owners have already stated their willingness to join the society and to participate in the costs for the programme of measures incurred by private individuals. For the period from 2004 to 2006, the project was included as a model project in the North-Rhine Westphalian programme "Immobilien- und Standortgemeinschaften (ISG)". Apart from support from the federal state (60 %), the Forum Stadt-Marketing Düsseldorf e.V., the members of ISG and the city participate in the financing.
The development of the profile of Graf-Adolf Strasse aims to upgrade the public space, to enhance safety and cleanliness, to use empty shops for short periods and to enliven the city area with events.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
2001 | Political order: To develop a strategy to upgrade city squares |
08/2003 | 1. Summer performances, duration: 2 weeks |
07/2004 | 2. Summer performances, duration: 1 month (more than 90 campaigns) |
06 to 09/2005 | 3. Summer performances, duration: 4 months (more than 100 campaigns), connection to the opening of the Worringer Platz |
07 to 09/2006 | 4. summer performances; duration: 3 months (more than 70 campaigns) |
10/2004 | Support promised to ISG Graf-Adolf-Strasse as a model project |
06/2005 | ISG was founded as a society |
Aims
Source: Robert Schmell, BBSR im BBR
- To understand the Düsseldorf City Squares as a network
- To secure the quality of the inner-city squares
- To enhance the awareness for the public space
- To include people in the planning processes early
- To group together stakeholders and projects; PLATZDA! relies on cooperation partners
Types of measures
Source: Mechthild Renner, BBSR im BBR
- Ideas exchange
- Overall concept for managing city squares and city spaces
- Planning, redesigning and redeveloping squares
- City mobilisation concept, light master plan
- Use of squares for testing future uses
- Programme of measures for Graf-Adolf-Strasse, implementation of individual measures
Innovations
Source: Mechthild Renner, BBSR im BBR
The project links the upgrading of public space with marketing and events in an exemplary way. In particular, the use of squares as an experiment for future useage shows the innovative approach taken by the project. Squares and public urban space are understood as an interlinked network, as only in this way can the quality be secured over the long-term.
With the campaign PLATZDA!, awareness for the public space was intensified at all levels of the city. Apart from upgrading the inner-city through construction and redevelopment projects, the network of stakeholders who assume responsibility for the public space has constantly expanded. The idea of the summer performances has now been confirmed and sustained projects have been started. Groups have been formed in various neighbourhoods, which now organise joint events outside the campaign. Moreover, the experience and feedback of the people help to spread the users' expectations of the squares, which flow into the planning processes.
Sources
- Lebenswerte Innenstädte - Initiativen, die bewegen! Gute Beispiele für Projekte und Initiativen der Innenstadtentwicklung, (Lively inner cities - Initiatives that motivate, good examples of inner-city development projects and initiatives), published by BMVBS/BBR, Bonn 2007 (downloadable from: http://www.bbsr.bund.de/BBSR/DE/Veroeffentlichungen/BMVBS/Sonderveroeffentlichungen/2007/LebenswerteInnenstaedte.html)
Further information
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 40213 - town: Düsseldorf - street: Graf-Adolf-Platz.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ifAueFWZGSP2
Last update: 31.01.2018