Between Luxemburger Straße and the banks of the Rhine, Cologne's largest urban development project, "Parkstadt Süd," will be built in the coming years, creating a new district for living and working.
Current situation: On Monday evening, a productive event entitled "Parkstadt Süd goes ahead" took place, at which citizens were informed about how they could contribute their ideas and thoughts to the city's planning. However, things did not go as expected. Instead of joy, there was frustration. None of the citizens' plans and ideas were incorporated into the further course of action. "The resolutions were never intended to be implemented in their entirety, but rather to offer citizens an opportunity to participate in the planning process," said Markus Greitmann, head of the building department.
Once the activists had calmed down, Mr. Greitmann shared further details about Parkstadt Süd. Approximately 7,000 people are expected to live in the new area. It is also known that the neighborhood will be low-traffic but not car-free. Older and physically disabled residents should be able to reach their homes easily. "In any case, the area will be affordable," Mr. Greitmann assures us. "To ensure this, cooperatives and building groups will also be involved to enable affordable rents."
The connection to the southern part of the city will be a really great addition to the transport network. A route will be kept free so that a light rail system and autonomous shuttle buses can run through the neighborhood in the future. In addition, 12,000 bicycle parking spaces will be available. To ensure that the neighborhood is not dominated by a large corporation, office space larger than 800 square meters cannot be rented. There are also plans to enhance the location with two comprehensive schools, a primary school, and a daycare center, which will be located in the eastern part of the area near the Rhine.
Autonomous Center: It has long been known that the Autonomous Center on Luxemburger Strasse is to make way for a green space as part of the Parkstadt Süd development. On Monday evening, Building Commissioner Greitmann expressed great interest in finding a new location for the AZ in the auditorium of the Alfred Müller Armack Vocational College. The plan had been to close the AZ at the beginning of 2019 when the lease expires. The building commissioner asked for a detailed description of the situation and assured those present that he would look for a suitable property. Until then, the AZ will remain in place. This commitment came as a complete surprise and ultimately led to the event ending with applause.
