Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg „Urban district moves to the water“
The urban district of Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg faces the challenge of tackling the structural change from a former port and industrial location into a service, residential and leisure location. Closed and under-used areas on the waterfront provide particular potential here. In the meantime, waterfront and partly inaccessible development potentials could be opened up to tourist, leisure and commercial uses.
Context
Source: Stadt Hamburg
The urban district of Wilhelmsburg (49,000 inhabitants) between the Hamburg inner city and the southern district of Harburg is a shrinking urban district in the growing city of Hamburg (as of 2009: 1.8 million inhabitants). The continuing structural change of the manufacturing industry and the housing development and housing policy have led to an accumulation of social problems. In addition, large parts of Wilhelmsburg have poor transport connections to the centre of Hamburg because of their location on a large island in the River Elbe. Nevertheless, the urban district has a lot of development potentials, which are also relevant for the entire city of Hamburg. They include unused, old industrial port areas, a diverse supply of apartments and large green spaces in the east of Wilhelmsburg with two nature reserves. In particular, the port areas and close-by commercial districts with their waterfront locations and canals offer particular development opportunities.
Project description
Source: Stadt Hamburg
The particular challenge lies in realising an overall, urban development policy concept for an extremely heterogeneous urban district with old industrial areas and rather rural districts. The approx. 600-hectare project area is characterised by partly inaccessible wastelands close to the water and by residential areas without access to the water despite their proximity to it. Because of its island location, the district is also isolated from the centre of Hamburg and the district of Harburg. For this so far neglected area, future options had to be developed and realised in stages.
As a result of the City of Hamburg’s plans for the International Garden Show 2013 and the International Building Exhibition 2013, the urban district of Wilhelmsburg has become a main focus of the Hamburg urban development policy: The so-called "Sprung über die Elbe (leap over of the River Elbe)” from the inner city via HafenCity, Grasbrook, Veddel and Wilhelmsburg to Harburg forms the core of the urban planning objectives of the concept "Metropole Hamburg - Wachsende Stadt (The metropolis of Hamburg - a growing city)" adopted in 2002. In the geographical centre of the city, there was a chance to concentrate the desired economic, social and ecological growth of the city in qualitative terms and to gradually upgrade the urban district of Wilhelmsburg.
The development potential of the Reiherstieg and Spreehafen waterways and of the Wilhelmsburg canals was used in three areas: by using existing potential ("water"), by overcoming barriers ("paths") and applying new settlement strategies on wasteland. There is wasteland with a great potential for new places of work and leisure on the waterways. It offers the chance for settling forward-looking service and commercial companies in conjunction with green and leisure offers for the urban district. Open spaces and perceptibility and development of the river banks are linked with the inner-city environment.
The measures focus on the waterfront development of the Elbe island. For example, two quays have been built for tourist and leisure boating use, locks created for use by leisure shipping, footbridges for pedestrians have been created and paths built along the canals and waterways. Four wasteland areas located on the waterways could be reactivated and prepared for a new use. New uses were realised, leisure and culture-related temporary uses (rock festivals, open-air cinema) remain open as future commercial options. Realising the measures was confronted with a difficult diversity of interests regarding Port Development Act, Free Port Status and Federal Building Code as well as with divergent claims to the development areas.
Within the framework of the Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt) research field "Stadtumbau West (Urban Restructuring in West Germany)", different impulse projects were realised in order to manage the structural change in the urban district. With the act abolishing the free port of Hamburg, which will come into force on 1 January 2013, the City will be given back a part of the planning competence and thus new options for advancing the Elbe islands.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
2002 | Concept "Metropole Hamburg - Wachsende Stadt (The metropolis of Hamburg - a growing city)" including key project "Sprung über die Elbe (leap over of the River Elbe)" adopted by the Hamburg Senate |
2003 | Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt) research field “Stadtumbau West (Urban Restructuring in West Germany)” started in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, general concept "Sprung über die Elbe" |
2004 | Status analysis and action plan for the Reiherstieg site |
2005 | Measures implemented |
2006 | Internationale Bauausstellung GmbH (International Building Exhibition) founded |
2007 | Spreehafen (River Spree port) opened |
2008 | Intermediate presentation of International Building Exhibition |
2011 | General concept „Sprung über die Elbe“ revised |
Aims
Source: Büro d*Ing Planung, Hamburg
- To promote urban development in the inner city
- To improve the quality of the location, the living environment and the image of the urban district
- To develop potential leisure-related, tourist and commercial uses on the waterfront
- To produce a connection between the urban district and the Hamburg inner city
- To create incentives for future uses by private investors
Types of measures
Source: Büro d*Ing Planung, Hamburg
- Creating special plans at various benchmark levels (general concept, action plan, individual measures)
- Implementing investment-related measures
- Launching development measures (path connections, boating)
- Reactivating lock buildings
- Involving citizens and doing public relations work
- Involving the expert world via workshops, discussions and other events
Innovations
Source: Büro d*Ing Planung, Hamburg
The consistent integration of the urban restructuring process within a previously neglected urban district into the overall urban development strategies has to be mentioned. The related individual urban development measures gained in importance beyond the urban district and produced a lot of synergies. The public and technical attention attracted by the urban district promoted creative commitment. In addition, it is expected that planned large-scale events such as the IBA and the International Garden Show will lead to a greater willingness among private stakeholders to make investments. In this context, the clear definition and use of an informal general urban development concept has proved of value. Private stakeholders could be successfully activated contributing to a positive image. Agreement structures across several units of responsibility were set up in the city council.
Sources
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Final report on the Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg pilot project funded under the Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt) research field “Stadtumbau West (Urban Restructuring in West Germany)” between 2003 – 2007 (unpublished, in German)
Sprung über die Elbe in the Internet: http://umwelthauptstadt.hamburg.de/stadtentwicklung-wohnen/2781956/sprung-ueber-die-elbe.html (in German)
Further information
- Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (ed.): Stadtumbau West. Stadtumbau in 16 Pilotstädten – Bilanz im ExWoSt-Forschungsfeld Stadtumbau West (Urban Restructuring in West Germany. Urban restructuring within 16 pilot cities - final results within the Experimental Housing and Urban Development research field “Urban Restructuring in West Germany”). Issue 2008. Berlin/Oldenburg 2008.
- http://www.stadtumbauwest.de (in German)
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 21107 - town: Hamburg - street: Weimarer Straße.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/g3QtRz6VYgk
Last update: 24.01.2018