Hindenburgstraße

Karres en Brands has developed a new concept for the main shopping street Hindenburgstraße, in Mönchengladbach, Germany. As part of the urban strategy, Mönchengladbach wants to revitalize the street which as, in many other cities is faced with shop closing and decreasing commercial activity. Internet, changing daily shopping patterns and new store concepts have a big effect on the liveliness of the shopping street and urges for a new vision for city centres.

The Hindenburgstraße extends from the station to the historical city centre and market square. But the real DNA of Mönchengladbach, the historical character and stunning topography, are currently hidden from the main artery of the city. By looking beyond the street and reconnecting it to its adjacent neighbourhoods, we discovered new potential for development and revitalization.

The new organisation is formed by the introduction of three districts, each with their own distinct qualities, programming and design: The City Heart, the City Balcony and the City quarter. The districts will be distinguished by a different mix of living, working, leisure/gastronomy and shopping, strengthening the existing uses and identities. This is furthermore supported by interventions in the public spaces, such as tree planting, water management facilities and street furniture, making each area even more specific. Instead of emphasize the linear character of the Hindenburgstraße, each district will colour the Hindenburgstraße and give it its own identity.

The city Heart is the historical centre. The concept is enhancing the existing cultural and gastronomic program by offering a new quality of public space. An open and empty market square becomes a green oasis in the city centre by intensive tree planting. The city Quarter builds on the city strategy of transforming the neighbourhood into a mixed use residential, working and retail quarter. By enforcing the spatial connections, we believe the potential can even be bigger than thought till now. The City balcony is the most challenging and new concept of the three quarters. We propose a- symmetrical street: the sunny north side is more a traditional shopping street but the south side of the street opens itself to the DNA of the city. A mix of interventions like terracing the street to enhance the topography, diminish the paved surface and replaced it by green and even demolish built structure to make the connection to the cultural park make the street into a place to be, shopping or not.

By bringing back the historical and inherent qualities to the main street, the city centre ones again become relevant to the citizens of Mönchengladbach, not as a monofunctional shopping street but as a naturally part of the city centre.