25 Years of Urban Development
Frankfurt is the world’s smallest metropolis – says the popular epithet for the city on the River Main.
Situated right at the heart of Germany, and indeed of Europe, it is the country’s largest transportation hub, offering a vast network of air, railroad and interstate links. As a consequence Frankfurt today has a far greater profile than we would expect of a city of this size. Added to which factors such as immense economic power and population growth have placed Frankfurt on a par with its metropolitan peers. All of this has combined to trigger enormous transformations in Frankfurt’s urban planning and development policies, which are currently being put into practice.
The film outlines the social and geopolitical conditions prevailing around the turn of the millennium.
Centering on a number of prestige projects to present and illustrate recent urban planning strategies, it demonstrates how the City and the City Planning Department have responded to these processes of change. The emphasis here is clearly on developing brownfield downtown sites.
An example: The changes being witnessed in the urban space on the Main (“Stadtraum Main”) has been a strong focus of attention. What were once transshipment and production sites that had fallen into disuse have since been transformed into attractive, open and green residential, business and leisure environments right on the river.
The strategies used to revitalize disadvantaged city districts is demonstrated by the example of the “Social City Underliederbach Ost” project. While the process of urban restructuring, which is often dubbed “urban repair”, is highlighted by the revitalization of the Dom/Römer complex to form the “city’s new historical heart”.
Last but not least, the clip on “Sustainable Urban Mobility” outlines how the area of transport planning is being revolutionized. Results include the expansion of public transportation networks, the renaissance of the streetcar, and the expansion of cycle paths.
For the contents and structure of the 36-minute film please see the table in the PDF below.
The film is in German.
