New neighborhood for Ratingen West – winner of urban planning workshop process announced
Landmarken AG is developing a new mixed-use district with a focus on residential living on the approximately 31,000 square meter Siebeck site in Ratingen. The ambitious project kicked off with an urban planning and open space design workshop involving four participating architectural firms, which provided the basis for the development plan. The winning design was submitted by the Cityförster office in Hanover together with the Cologne-based landscape architects from urbanegestalt.
"This is the first concrete building block of our groundbreaking framework plan for the future of the Ratingen-West district between the Westtangente and the railway line," says Petra Cremer, Technical Deputy Mayor of the City of Ratingen. The entire framework plan covers an area of around 40 hectares in the west of the city. The location of the district will be greatly improved by the reactivation of passenger transport on the Westbahn and the fourth construction phase of the U81. Accordingly, the structure of the district is also to be upgraded through early and long-term urban planning.
The city and Landmarken are counting on broad citizen participation and open dialogue with all stakeholders. The workshop process for the Siebeck site was also carried out in a cooperative manner. The planning office ISR was responsible for the operational management. The jury, headed by Prof. Dr. Rolf-Egon Westerheide, included other experts as well as representatives of the city of Ratingen and Landmarken AG.
The aim of the workshop process was to find good solutions for the innovative and sustainable development of the former Siebeck production site. The approximately three-hectare site is to be prepared for the structural change that will shape the entire neighborhood. The plan is to create a mix of residential and commercial properties, and a daycare center is also to be built. At the same time, the aim is to develop sustainable mobility, energy, and open space concepts that take climate protection into account. "Between the center of Ratingen and the western residential areas, we are creating the first urban and livable neighborhood of the future," says Petra Cremer. A total of around 49,000 square meters of gross floor space plus a multi-story parking garage could be built.
Four planning offices were selected for the workshop process. After a preliminary preparation process, these teams presented their urban development concepts to the recommendation committee. In its overall assessment, the committee emphasized the high quality of all the submitted work. The jury expressly praised the "logical, clear, and robust urban planning approach" of the winning design with five buildings. Another positive aspect highlighted was that the area will be largely car-free thanks to a nearby neighborhood parking garage. "With a very good mix of uses and clear, functional open space structures, the concept takes climate protection requirements into account and enables different groups of residents to find a new home," says jury chairman Prof. Rolf Westerheide.
Landmarken board member Jens Kreiterling praised the good cooperation during the process: "A task as complex as integrating a mixed-use neighborhood with a high proportion of residential space into a predominantly commercial context can only be solved by working together. We are grateful that we were able to achieve such a good, robust urban planning result with the Ratingen politicians and administration as well as the participating offices." The design will now be transferred to a framework plan and submitted to the council for approval as the basis for the upcoming development plan procedure.
