Dortmund’s Urban Development Strategies

for the Future

Ullrich Sierau

Head of Department for Town Planning, City of Dortmund, Germany

Dortmund• Situated in Central Europe • Part of metropolitan area Ruhr and heart

of Westphalia• Today: about 590.000 inhabitants

(relatively stabile)• Structural change:

– coal-mining, steel-factories, breweries lost 80.000 jobs within 25 years (since 1980)

– Rate of unemployment around 18 % – Fallow industrial sites (brown fields)– Some distressed urban areas– Around 20.000 new jobs: IT, MEMS,

logistics, biotechnology

Founded in the early Middle Ages (first mentioned 882 AD) Dortmund became an important Hanse town.

Development of employees‘ structure (%)

0,4

48,251,4

0,5

42,9

56,6

0,6

37,7

61,7

0,6

30,6

68,8

0,6

25,3

74,2

0,5

22,4

77,1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1980 1985 1990 1995 2001 2002

agriculture/forestryproduction businessservice industries

Development of the population in Dortmund

590213

588994589240

590831

589661

585000

586000

587000

588000

589000

590000

591000

592000

593000

594000

595000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Prognosis for the population development

858687888990919293949596979899

100101

2002 2005 2010 2015 2020

DortmundOberhausenMülheim an der RuhrBochumHerneDuisburgEssenGelsenkirchenNRW gesamt

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Comprehensive Strategy

• Dortmund has recognized the necessity of sustainable and integrated concepts for the urban development.

• This is important to manage the profound structural change in the economy and to create the future of the municipality and region.

• Many different plans and concepts have all been developed together with the inhabitants and experts working in these fields.

• The comprehensive strategy covers all parts of urban development and contains new ideas for a better future

The City of Dortmund

Important parts of the strategy

• dortmund-project• New land-use-plan• concept to develop the system of

(sub)centres• Integrated concepts for the development

of all municipal districts• Master plans• Integrated City-concept• Special regional and municipal concepts

for the allocation of retail • Integrated concepts for distressed urban

areas• Concepts for landscape and environment• Emscher landscape-park• Strategic alliances with private

enterprise, unions, citizens

dortmund-project: Development of a new economic structure

• Using the existing strength and potentials of the location

– Huge areas for (new) companies– about 6.200 Information and

communication technology students– A lot of IT-Companies – Leading MEMS-location in Germany– Concentration of logistic competence

and many logistics-companies• Building a new economic structure

for the future– Information and communication

technology (IT)– Micro-electronic-mechanical systems

(MEMS)– Logistics– Service industries– biotechnology

Developing the municipal land-use plan

• Development of the areas for the future of the city (next 20 years)

• Basic facts– Fewer industrial sites (grey)– More residential areas (red)– A lot more landscape and more

area for the nature (green)• Connecting with the development of

master plans and integrated urban district development concepts

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System of centres

• Historic grown structure of settlements

• Polycentric model• Functional strengthening of local

centres• Development planning in the

suburbs• Securing of local supply in the

areas: – Housing– Education– Leisure– Shopping– Traffic etc.

Developing master plans

• Master plans help develop the new Dortmund

• Master plan as a tool for information, communication, discussion, coordination, integration, reflection, innovation

• Themes: housing, mobility, environment, retail and brown-fields

• Process involving all the relevant players• Draw up vision statements for the future

development of the city• Define goals and tools for goal

accomplishment• Pooling and coordinating activities of

public and private players in order to accomplish goals

Integrated concepts for the development of all municipal districts

• Urban district based, integrated master plans

• Analyse spatial development areas (potentials)

• Define development goals• Integrate them into the new draft

of the municipal land-use plan• Broad discussion in all of

Dortmund‘s urban districts • Progressive development of

concepts for all 12 Dortmund urban districts

Integrated concepts for distressed urban areas

• Integrated concepts to stabilize and improve distressed urban areas have been developed and already realized in part

• The total strategy for the districts contain several projects in the sectors urban development, housing, ecology, economy, social affairs, culture …

• Extensive cooperation and networking on the spot

• Included partners get responsibility • Important contribution to social

cohesion of the municipality

Former “no-go-areas“have been developed step by step to a first address for housing.

Landscape and environment development

• Getting back nature• Town Planning system in

Germany: Concepts for landscape and environment development as a formal instrument

• Additional instruments and plans in Dortmund: “master plan environment”, landscape model and much more to protect and develop nature and landscape

Nature reserves (protected by law) in Dortmund (landscape and nature)

„Emscher landscape-park“ in Dortmund

• Continuation the initiative of the International Building Exhibition (IBA: 1989 – 1999)

• Large regional scale project to create and develop new ecological areas and leisure-zones in an old industrial area, including housing and production areas

• Some projects have been already realized and some more are intended:

- “Green circle” all around Dortmund- Environmental reconstruction of Emscher

river- Phoenix-lake- More forest in the landscape of the North-

East of Dortmund- Leisure time axis at Dortmund-Ems-Channel- … and much more!

Citizen involvement

• Participation in planning processes is necessary

• The principles:– Complete transparency– Development of diverse participation

possibilities for citizens and social groups

– Integration of the political community and administration

– Decision-making and implementation go together

Integrated City-concept

• Development of a vital and attractive living space

• Strengthening the Regional Centre

• City-Concept as the leading guideline for the future development

• Numerous projects in public and private sector

• City and regional concept for retail

Retail concepts

• Special concepts for the allocation of retail in combination with a development concept for the different (sub-)centres of the municipality

– Local concept to secure and strength the different (sub-)centres of the municipality

– Regional concept to find consensus in all questions of retail locations

– Concept to secure and develop the existing neighbourhood centres

– Concept to reduce the large scale retail outside the existing (sub-)centres

• Town planning, retail-federation and trade union work together

• Very good experiences: best practice nation wide

System of different (sub-)centres in Dortmund

1. Level: City (CBD)

2. Level: District centres

3. Level: Suburb centres

4. Level: Neighbourhood centres

New Construction of the Central Station

• Strengthening of Dortmund as a main regional center

• Optimisation of regional transportation infrastructure

• Link between city and northern city centre (Nordstadt)

• Attractive usage mix: retail, entertainment, transportation

• Landmarks for City and region• Investment volume 500 million €

Dortmunder U

• Former brewery area „DortmunderUnion“

• Development of a new quarter in the city of Dortmund

• Preservation of the high-rise building with the “U” symbol

• Attractive usage mix:– Forum for art, culture and gastronomy

(16.000 m2) – Offices, services and dwellings (30.000 m2)– Health care/ medical practices (11.000 m2)– City-expanding retail trade (8.000 m2) and

specialist retail markets (8.600 m2)– Hotel (280 rooms)– Green spaces and plazas

• Start of construction in 2003

Concept “City – Krone”

• Identification of city access points at radial feeder roads meeting the “Wallring”(circle around inner city)

• Architectural highlights in the form of city-shaping, multi-floor buildings

• Approaches already exist• Maintaining building heights at 5 -

7 floors in the city centre

RWE - Tower

• Lense-shaped, transparent office building with 22 floors

• ca. 89 metres high• ca. 20.000 m2 office space for

letting • Architectural integration• Development of a pedestrian-

orientated shaft between main station and new concert house

• Start of the construction in 2003 and completion in 2005

Locations for the new industries

• Seven locations for the development of the future– “City”– “Technology-park”– “Phoenix”– “Stadtkrone-East”– “Old Airport”– “Westfalenhütte”– “Harbour/ e-port”

• Former coal, iron and steel industries-areas or old military areas (barracks)

• Gradual development

Technology centre/ -park

• Inauguration in the mid of the 1980 • pillar of structural change • birthplace and location for the new

industries in Dortmund (IT, MEMS)• Synergy effects because of

closeness to University, other high schools and scientific institutes

• Altogether around 225 companies with more than 8.700 employees

Future Location „Phoenix“

• This is one of only three Future locations in NRW

• Phoenix: Two fallow industrial sites (brown fields) with more than 200 ha

• Location for living and working, recreation, leisure time and culture

Phoenix-West

• Rehabilitation of fallow land (110 ha) and development of a multifunctional new location

• Settlement of business from the sectors of– Micro-electronic-mechanical

systems (MEMS)– Information and communication

technology (IT)– Leisure and cultural industry

• Return of landscapeThe new

“MST.factory” is an important

first step for the future

Phoenix-Ost

• Area of the traditional „Hermannshütte“ with 96 ha

• Reactivation of the industrial site and development for – A new lake (27 ha)– Office and service businesses– Leisure-oriented uses– Hotel and gastronomy businesses – Attractive dwellings at the water all

around the new lake– Nature and environment

• Technical feasibility of the lake has been ensured

Luftbild 07/ 2003

Results and current development (1)

• The structural change continues and the economy tends to be positive:– Gross domestic product is growing

fast in Dortmund– Number of jobs and employees

increasing (about 230.000)– Service industries offers numerous

jobs (ca. 80 %)– Modern leading industries are on the

advance (IT, MEMS, Logistics, Service industries, biotechnology)

– Best economic perspectives in the Metropolitan Area

• Population is stabile (590.000); Largest city in the Metropolitan Area, 6th largest in Germany

An old coal-mine in the north of Dortmund is falling down … and a lot of people take part.

Results and current development (2)

• Real estate sector: – Positive trends, numerous activities

and projects– New buildings for retail, housing and

offices– rising prices (housing)

• Retail: – growing rental at the No.1-addresses– 7th largest rental in retail in Germany

(topping Berlin i.e.)• Quality of life:

– 92 % of all inhabitants are pleased with their life in the municipality

– especially concerning public transport, culture and health infrastructure and green space

Conclusions (1)

• Sustainability is the important aim for development

• The equality and balance between the 4 sectors economic, environmental and social sustainability and participation has to be attended in all planning strategies.

• General concepts and plans establish a reliable framework for sustainability as well as for public and private investment.

• Public investment in public space and infrastructure is followed by private investment in retail, office buildings, housing and large scale projects.

Conclusions (2)• Numerous activities and projects in

the construction sector and the positive price trend in the real estate sector illustrate the positive development of the municipality

• Realization of the concepts, plans and projects empowers the trust in the sustainable strategy for the future

• Dortmund is on its way to a better future. The attractiveness of the municipality and the quality of life is growing and encourages more action to achieve a formidable urban future.

• FIFA World Cup 2006 will give Dortmund a place on the global map

Thank you!