Workshop of ideas concerning the Oder promenade

The composition of the northern promenade was combined with a public ideas competition. In the ideas and planning workshop "Northern Oder promenade" Frankfurt citizens – particularly adolescents – met with city planners to discuss the designing of the Oder bank. When you hike there you can be part of something new in progress which is not quite done yet.

The planners had to consider that after the great flood of 1997, new flood control measures (2) had been built. The retaining wall with its height of 24,22 metres height above sea level secures the northern housing areas. It challenges the designers a lot. Furthermore, the access to the Oder was to be improved. Former harbour buildings like the harbour master’s house and several storages had to be integrated. The view far over the surrounding landscape was to be kept.

About 40 adolescent and adult Frankfurters (among them two 80-year old citizens) used the opportunity to contribute to the planning process. The creative people were spending two days discussing about the breached areas surrounding the locomotive shelter and the other empty buildings. Especially the adolescents showed great commitment. They were willing to take a constructive part in developing this town area. They have confidentially communicated their interests as mature Farankfurt citizens without ignoring other people’s interests i.e. children and older people. Four models were worked out. All of them regarded the interests of the local residents by integrating noise control measures across from the residential area Klingestraße. A number of good ideas was formulated and presented graphically. They played an important role in the new design of that area. The focus of the approaches was laid on the categories "sports and recreation". The main wishes were the following: a lot of greenery, a beach volleyball field and a site for camp fires at the Oder bank.

This collection of ideas and the four models served as a good fundament for the further planning. After discussions with the responsible officials and after they had thoroughly scrutinised all plans, the arrangement could start.

Along the flood control wall you can still see tracks, a front-end loader, and a crane which document the history of that bank (3). The city villas in the draft (4) show that everyday life will move into the area of the Schul- and Ziegelstraße. The old harbour master’s house would probably be a good place for a café or a restaurant. Around the old magazines the metal flood control wall was filled with earth. Thus it serves its function but looks a bit better at the same time. Table tennis, beach volleyball, a place for romantic evenings around a fire (5) – here you can really recreate. Behind that you can see the winter harbour and the Polish Oder grassland. The Oder-Neiße-biking trail that goes along here leads further north through a magnificent landscape conservation area all the way to Lebus.