All gray with work?

The Ostpark Bochum

A remar­kable urban trans­for­ma­tion is taking place in the Alten­bo­chum and Laer districts of Bochum: Ostpark Bochum is a pionee­ring resi­den­tial quarter with around 1,300 new resi­den­tial units being built on 43 hectares. What is special about this is that the two areas – the Feld­mark district in Alten­bo­chum and the Havken­scheider Höhe district in Laer – are being connected by a sophisti­cated system of urban gree­nery, water features and sustainable drai­nage concepts.

The back­bone of this connec­tion is formed by water­courses and water areas with adja­cent recrea­tional areas. These green corri­dors not only create attrac­tive leisure faci­li­ties for resi­dents, but also fulfill important ecolo­gical and climatic func­tions. Both districts benefit from the gene­rous propor­tion of open spaces: Of the total area of 43 hectares, only 14 hectares are purely net buil­ding area, while an impres­sive 29 hectares are earmarked for open spaces and green infra­struc­ture.

A central part of this is a converted grass pitch in Laer.

The sponge city prin­ciple

A central compo­nent of the project is the sponge city prin­ciple. Like a sponge, “the city” absorbs rain­water, stores it and releases it again when required. Speci­fi­cally, this is achieved through a sophisti­cated system of green spaces for reten­tion, drai­nage systems and reten­tion basins.

The new land­scaped lake in Havken­scheider Park, on the former LFC Laer pitch, has imme­dia­tely become a popular desti­na­tion. The lake with an adjoi­ning park between the two resi­den­tial areas being built not only offers a high recrea­tional value, it is also a central element of the inno­va­tive rain­water manage­ment in Ostpark Bochum.

Instead of quickly drai­ning rain­water into the sewer system, it is coll­ected on site, slowly seeps away or evapo­rates. This has several advan­tages: The system helps to prevent floo­ding during heavy rain­fall, the stored water can supply the vege­ta­tion during dry spells and the evapo­ra­tion ensures a plea­sant micro­cli­mate.

The trans­for­ma­tion of the barn

A parti­cu­larly impres­sive part of this green trans­for­ma­tion has already been imple­mented in the Havken­scheider Höhe district in Laer. For decades, this area was home to a tradi­tional 7,000 m² clay pitch, which was mainly used for club soccer and was only available to a limited number of users. The neigh­boring club BFC Laer was given an arti­fi­cial turf pitch a few years ago, so that the area of the unpo­pular and outdated clay pitch was now “over”.

The plan­ners reco­gnized the poten­tial of the area for a multi­func­tional water land­scape. After remo­ving the old pond layer and re-profiling the subsoil, an orga­ni­cally shaped water area was created that blends harmo­niously into the surroun­ding land­scape and forms the scenic high­light of the district.

The water is fed by an inge­nious system that coll­ects and puri­fies rain­water from the entire district. Diffe­rent water depths create diffe­rent ecolo­gical niches for amphi­bians, water birds and aquatic plants.

Space for all

The trans­for­ma­tion of the Tennen­platz in Laer as part of Ostpark Bochum is exem­plary of the inno­va­tive linking of the two new resi­den­tial districts through green infra­struc­ture, incor­po­ra­ting exis­ting areas that are no longer in use.

The conver­sion brings many ecolo­gical bene­fits. A much broader section of the popu­la­tion bene­fits soci­ally: while the grass pitch was reserved for soccer, the water land­scape is now open to ever­yone. Fami­lies relax on the banks, children play and joggers appre­ciate the highly attrac­tive route.

The 29 hectares of open space make Ostpark Bochum a show­case project for sustainable urban plan­ning in Germany: sustainable, climate-resi­lient and soci­ally inclu­sive.