Papenburg „Turmkanal“
Revitalisation and urban renewal measures in an old dockland area provide new options for the inner-city development of the city of Papenburg. They are part of a key project linking port area and railway station area with the city centre by way of urban development.
Context
Source: Stadt Papenburg
The project area “Am Turmkanal” is situated close to the city centre of Papenburg. It was used as a port and shipyard by the mid-70s. After the shipyard had been removed towards the River Ems, the area had been unused since the beginning of the 1980s.
From 1978 to 1982, the city of Papenburg (35,000 inhabitants in 2010) made preparatory investigations on the urban development of the area and designated it as an urban redevelopment area in 1989. The area has a size of approx. 8.6 hectare and comprises the historical building stock of the dockland area. In the context of the redevelopment measures by the end of 2002, the former dockland buildings were converted and e.g. used as a city hall, theatre, hotel and for gastronomic purposes.
Despite these measures, other commercial uses and transport facilities represented barriers which is why functionally linking the old dockland area “Alte Werft” and the inner city initially could not be finished. This is why the city council in 2003 formulated a master plan defining the future inner-city development.
Project description
Source: Stadt Papenburg
The main objectives of the master plan include to link areas along the historical axis of the main canal by way of urban planning and to spatially link the cultural buildings of the old dockland area “Alte Werft” with retail trade and service businesses in the city centre. In this context, the neighbourhood development between “Alte Werft” and the northern part of the inner-city axis forms the key project. A new urban area for commercial, office, gastronomic and residential purposes is being created in this area.
In the context of the project “Touristik am Turmkanal” (tourism at the tower canal), hydraulic engineering measures were first of all taken to newly develop a canal. Between 2005 and 2007, the main canal was widened, a branch canal and a draw bridge were built. Furthermore, the “Ölmühlenplatz” a square, was redesigned as a central public area and a canalside promenade was created around the area. A light installation marks the historic tower crane as a land mark and as a symbol for the former industrial use of this place. Since 2007, the development measures, a large retail supermarket, a catering business and a hotel have been realised. Besides, branch canals developing the residential areas on the waterfront were created.
The new urban neighbourhood on the “Turmkanal” canal is developed by a private company on behalf of the local government. A local construction firm is the project developer and owner of the private building sites. The concept of the neighbourhood development is based on an urban master plan, the legal basis is provided by a project-related legally binding land-use plan. Various individual agreements between the city council and the project developer were laid down in a cooperation agreement.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
1985 | integrated into the urban development programme |
1989 | redevelopment area formally designated |
2002 | urban redevelopment measures finished |
2003 | urban master plan for the city centre developed |
2003 | cooperation agreement between city and project developer concluded |
2004 | urban master plan developed |
2005 | “Touristik am Turmkanal” (tourism at the tower canal) project supported |
2007 | project-based legally binding land-use plan No 12 "Am Turmkanal" defined |
2007 | hydraulic structures, square and promenade completed |
2008 | large retail supermarket, catering business and hotel completed |
2012 | multi-storey houses built |
Aims
- To overcome the “barrier effect" of an industrial brownfield and to develop a connection axis between city centre and cultural site “Alte Werft” (old docklands)
- To achieve new locational qualities by improving the main canal and creating the “Turmkanal” canal
- To improve the water accessibility by creating a canalside promenade and a public square
- To develop a differently used urban neighbourhood with dwellings, commercial businesses, service providers and a hotel
Types of measures
- Urban redevelopment measure
- Master plan
- Cooperation agreement between city and project developer
- Urban master plan
- Hydro-engineering and public development measures
- Project-related legally binding land-use plan
- Modernising and converting existing buildings
- Building new dwellings
Innovations
Source: Stadt Papenburg
The “Am Turmkanal” development provides a number of examples how brownfields in medium-sized cities close to the inner city were revitalised. Individual project elements complement each other and form a totality helping to develop waterfront locations for the public, to link urban areas and to improve the urban development quality.
The project shows approaches how smaller municipalities may give strong impetus to urban development. General interests may be ensured by the publicly controlled master planning and project coordination, development resources may be activated by the private project development organisation and, last but not least, synergy effects be produced for all parties involved.
What is important as well is the fact that, before checking the availability of brownfields, the shipyard had been shifted to so far unused areas. Local politicans presently think about expanding the dockland area by about the same area towards the white land used for agricultural purposes.
Sources
- Conversations with Dirk Landeck, director of urban planning department of the City of Papenburg, and a representative of JOHANN BUNTE Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co (buildung contractor). Limited partnership representing the project developer on 18 October 2010 in Papenburg
- “Integrated waterfront development” on the BBSR homepage http://www.bbsr.bund.de/BBSR/DE/Veroeffentlichungen/BMVBS/WP/2011/heft77_DL.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2
Further information
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/J2dLFURq3v82
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 26871 - town: Papenburg - street: Ölmühlenweg.
Last update: 14.06.2017