West 8 Participates in “Spatial Vision Karlsruhe 2015”
How should Karlsruhe evolve spatially in the future? What are the potentials for the planning and design of a vibrant and liveable city? Three interdisciplinary planning teams (including West 8) have been involved in a series of planning workshops. The final workshop, which took place on 4th June 2014 proposed a joint recommendation: “Spatial Vision Karlsruhe 2015” (Räumliches Leitbild Karlsruhe 2015).
The City Planning Department invited citizens of Karlsruhe to participate in the planning workshops via an extensive program of events. The aim of these planning workshops was to determine the spatial development options for Karlsruhe, to support future decision-making for the city’s ongoing development.
The recommendation will act as the foundation for an upcoming exhibition on the city’s 300 year anniversary in 2015 and a guideline for the spatial development of the city going forward.
The common thread in Team West 8 + verkehrplus proposal was the creation of specific addresses within Karlsruhe as a way to structure the city and its future development, whilst still emphasizing the unique characteristic peculiarities of Karlsruhe. The proposal focuses on three main points:
- Landscape space: qualifying the interfaces between urban and landscape areas to create distinctive spatial atmospheres within a landscape setting to attract new businesses and stimulate economic development within Karlsruhe.
- Urban structure: developing the core of the city to become the true centre of Karlsruhe, and creating an innovation landscape.
- Climate adaptation: taking sustainable measures with respect to construction, ecology, and transportation and strengthening the central city against climate change.
On the basis of the analysis a series of successful transitions were suggested by the team for the design and adjustment to the city’s urban interfaces, along with furthering a broader appreciation of the quality and accessibility of the environment, particularly in the city’s in-between and underutilized spaces.
