Praunheim town center
Project description
Reason for planning
The center of Praunheim suffers from major traffic congestion, a lack of quality public leisure space and poor links to the recreational world of the Nidda Park. Other planning shortcomings, such as a shortfall in local amenities, have not taken full effect yet. However, it is becoming apparent that these issues will have to be addressed in the near future.
In light of this, the Local Consultative Council 7 had floated the idea of hosting a planning workshop in a bid to improve the quality of Praunheim’s town center. This resulted in ongoing plans to augment the architectural structures in the vicinity of Graebestrasse and alter the buildings’ uses; they would then act as a source of inspiration for the policymakers to address more general issues.
The measures taken included tearing down the parish church of the Protestant “Auferstehungsgemeinde” located in the erstwhile village of Praunheim and erecting new parish premises in its place, as well as leasing out and redeveloping the adjacent land to the south owned by the parish.
On the back of the move by Praunheimer Werkstätten to a new location, a new use for the listed 1960s workshop building as well as a viable usage concept for the future had to be found.
Development district
The planning workshop focused on a site that essentially comprises the old village center and comes almost entirely under the scope of the E 33 preservation statute. The area in question also includes some of the architecture preserved in the erstwhile village center along with a number of listed buildings.
The development district is bordered by Sandplackenstrasse, Haingrabenstrasse, Ohlengarten, In der Römerstadt (as far as Fritz Lennig Anlage) and the greenbelt extending along the Nidda as far as Sandplackenstrasse.
Planning objectives
As part of the planning workshop, public working sessions were held with citizens and stakeholders from the district. At the meetings, solutions were developed for the various planning issues at hand and debated in light of alternative options and the possible suitable courses of action.
The solutions proposed in the context of the planning workshop provide policymakers with ideas and suggestions for potential action. Following completion of the workshop, they will moreover function as the backbone for a masterplan that highlights potential medium to long-term development opportunities for Praunheim town center.
Planning progress
During the preparation phase the City Planning Department will join forces with representatives from Local Consultative Council 7 as well as several associations to establish the planning scope and decide on first preliminary courses of action.
The planning workshop comprised a kick-off event, a working session and a closing event, to each of which members of the public with an interest in planning issues were invited. The Frankfurt firm “BS+ städtebau und architektur” was commissioned with the moderation of the planning workshop and the planning development.
The kick-off event was held on Saturday, January 26, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parish hall of the Evangelische Auferstehungsgemeinde Praunheim, Graebestrasse 2b, 60488 Frankfurt. In an initial event on Saturday, January 26, 2013, employees of the City Planning Department and “BS+ städtebau und architektur ” urban planning office teamed up with some 80-100 Praunheim citizens to inspect the planning area by way of several walks on the following topics: Praunheim Town Center / Home and Identity, Green Spaces / Improving the Accessibility of the Nidda, Subsequent Use of Praunheimer Werkstätten / Art in Praunheim, Public Space / Quality Leisure Space, Places for Youngsters in Praunheim and Retail / Hospitality.
After the walks the citizens presented their impressions in a plenary session. The suggestions have been evaluated and a public workshop took place on March 2, 2013 in Alt-Praunheim.
In a closing event on June 27, 2013 the masterplan was presented to the citizens along with various working options.
The City Planning Department has issued a publication on the Praunheim Town Center planning workshops and the resulting suggestions and solutions.
The Municipal Authorities examined the results of the planning workshop as regards their feasibility and set priorities in the range of tasks to be addressed.