Hamm „Inner city“
Strengthening the inner city is a priority of the city of Hamm’s urban development planning activities. The city tries to give impetuses to increase the functional diversity of the inner city. Existing brownfield sites and vacant buildings serve as potentials for mixed urban structures.
Context
Source: Stadt Hamm, H. Blossey
The former mining city of Hamm (inhabitants 179,000) is affected by a change of economic and demographic structures. The present economy is dominated by metalworking, mechanical engineering, chemistry, electrical engineering and haulage/logistics. Administrations, the retail trade and services (higher regional court, hospitals) represent the largest employers in the inner city.
The about 86 hectares large inner city of the middle-order centre borders on the Datteln-Hamm canal in the north, on the central railway station in the west and on ring roads in the east and south. The heterogeneous building structure is characterised by promoterism, post-war and new buildings. Refurbishmen measures in the 1970s and 1980s have partly left gaps and paths within the urban space.
The Allee-Center shopping centre, built in 1992, dominates the present privileged part, which is why the total sales area in the inner city increased by over 20,000 square metres. As a consequence, the shop rents first dropped, then the sales area decreased by the same degree and at the expense of traditional shops. Two department stores in the inner city of Hamm had to be closed.
The inner city also has a residential function. Hamm generally has a large housing diversity especially of promoterism and post-war multi-storey housing (rented flats). Especially the southern inner city is inhabited by older and socially disadvantaged people. The eastern inner city is characterised by a high-priced rent level.
Project description
Source: Stadt Hamm, H. Blossey
The inner city development is of high public importance and is managed by the city council. The city uses various instruments to prepare and ensure the inner city development in terms of strategies and planning.
Hamm is considered in the regional retail concept for the eastern Ruhr Area. Furthermore, the planned spatial development programme of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is going to make retail trade establishments in not integrated situations more difficult. The preparatory land-use plan and partial expert’s reports (retail concept, housing action plan, transport master plan) are used as overall urban development concepts. The preparatory land-use plan was developed based on the principles of the "Bürgerkommune Hamm" (citizens’ municipality of Hamm) concept. During that process, the future urban development was discussed and innovative approaches were developed partly going beyond the legal procedure, e.g. the „Werk-Stadt Hamm“ (Hamm factory city) public participation procedure. Already in the run-up to the formulation of the new land-use plan, citizens in all urban districts were questioned concerning their idea of spatial development in their city. As a consequence, urban development plans for each urban district and thus also for the inner city were defined.
Further concepts relevant for the inner city were the „Hamm ans Wasser“ (Hamm waterfront) master plan, the Hamm city centre master plan and the urban renewal concept for the railway station neighbourhood. Those urban areas running alongside the canal were improved based on the „Hamm ans Wasser“ (Hamm waterfront) master plan. Positive results were also achieved with business establishments along the canal and close to the inner city. Furthermore, several private and public projects could be realised, e.g. the new „Cinemaxx“ cinema building and the local “Willy-Brandt-Platz” square including central bus station. The parcels sorting office situated close to the railway station was converted into the technical city hall providing 700 jobs.
In the context of the urban renewal project for the railway neighbourhood, gaps between buildings and vacant buildings are gradually reused for other purposes. The city actively runs a real estate policy concerning project development and the adaptive reuse of brownfield sites. Positive impetuses have already become apparent, by which the city centre’s attractiveness was enhanced e.g. the establishment of gastronomy and leisure industry and cultural offers.
Source: Stadt Hamm
The “Heinrich-von-Kleist-Forum”(training and arts centre) was created as an training project in the inner city on the site of a former department store (Horten). Supported by funds of the EU, the German Federal Government and the federal states (Urban Restructuring in West Germany programme), the city assumed the project developer role when building the “Heinrich-von-Kleist-Forum”. The building is used by the local private university of applied sciences together with the central library and the adult education centre. People hope for further settlements of hive-downs, institutes etc and for the new Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences to be established in the German armed forces hospital on the premises of the Paracelsus barracks on the eastern edge of the inner city.
The residential potentials of the inner city are planned to be better used by improving the housing supply quality.
The housing project on the former swimming pool/fire brigade site serves as a guiding project here. Another focus of the activities is to enhance public areas. The ring roads surrounding the inner city, for example, are improved and pedestrian zones (“Weststraße”, “Bahnhofstraße”) and central urban squares are newly laid out.
The inner city is well connected to local public transport and an a network of cycle paths. The central railway station is linked to various modes of transport (railway, central bus station, bicycle station). A dynamic parking guidance system was established.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
1992 | “Alleecenter” built, then “City-Galerie” and “Ritter-Passage” (shopping centres) |
1986/1994 | inner city master plans formulated |
1998 | Bicycle station close to central railway station |
1998 | „CinemaxX“, now „Cineplex“, (cinemas) built |
1999 | central railway station square/Willi-Brandt-Platz (square)/central bus station built (Renault Traffic Design Award 2000) |
2001 | Central railway station altered, „Europa-Nostra“ prize for the protection of historical monuments awarded |
2004 | Structural concept „WerkStadt Hamm“ in the context of new preparatory land-use plan launched |
2004 | “Helios-Theater” (old railway station/cultural facility) |
2004 | Parcels sorting office converted into technical city hall |
2005 | Urban development concept for the railway station neighbourhood |
2008 | Preparatory land-use plan formulated according to the principles of the "Bürgerkommune Hamm" (citizens’ municipality of Hamm) concept |
2009 | “Heinrich-von-Kleist-Forum”(training and arts centre) created on former department store (Horten) site |
2010 | “Platz der deutschen Einheit” square created |
2011 | Construction of office and business building started on former department store (“Kaufhalle") site; former swimming pool/fire brigade site redeveloped and marketed. |
Aims
Source: Stadt Hamm, Stadtplanungsamt
- To stabilise the inner city sustainably and permanently
- To strengthen the variety of uses of sites/buildings
- To create new qualities and chances through future-oriented subsequent uses
Types of measures
Source: Stadt Hamm
- Parcels sorting office converted into technical city hall
- Compact construction of residential buildings
- Dynamic parking guidance system
- Bicycle station
- Former department store sites (“Kaufhalle”, “Horten”) purchased by city council
- Local private university of applied sciences, central library and adult education centre moving into “Heinrich von Kleist-Forum” ”(training and arts centre) on former department store site (“Horten”)
- Public areas, e.g. ring roads and square in front of railway station, laid out
- Pedestrian zone (“Weststraße”, “Bahnhofstraße”) reshaped
- Main road “Neue Bahnhofstraße” altered
- Europe-wide calls for project applications
Innovations
Source: Stadt Hamm
The city government supports the variety of subsequent uses of brownfield sites and vacant buildings in order to strengthen the inner city of Hamm. This is why an active local property strategy was taken and the sites of two vacant former department stores were purchased by the city. All efforts to strengthen the educational and administrative function of the inner city could be fulfilled. A new building with a private university of applied sciences, a library and and an adult education centre was constructed on the site of a former department store, the city having assumed the role of the project developer here. By having established the adult education centre, the inner city also comes to life in the evening. The parcels sorting office situated close to the railway station was converted into the technical city hall thus having created 700 administrative jobs in the inner city. By establishing new uses, the inner city was thus brought to life. Resuming these stimulating activities, the city now tries to advance housing in the inner city.
The example of Hamm shows that combining an integrated inner city development with an active property and project development by a local authority is a promising approach for sustainable centres.
Sources
- Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung (BMVBS) Online-Publikation Nr. 19/2010: Reurbanisierung der Innenstadt (Reurbanisation of the Inner City), >>more information (in German with English abstract)
Further information
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 59065 - town: Hamm - street: Marktplatz.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/uou9rCWqgaP2
Last update: 14.03.2018