TOPOGRAPHY OF INTERCONNECTIONS

REINFORCING THE EDGE

Opportunities for value added Stadtlandschaft
by Sven Stremke

ANALYIS

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Current situation at the southern tip of Magdeburg can be described as a conglomerate of two villages, namely Salbke and Westerhüsen merged by a large industrial area. The industrial site has a strong negative visual effect on the Stadtlandschaft and blocks historical connections between the villages and the Elbe.

VALUES OF USE

Various Landmarks are left behind from the industrial age, such as the grain tower and an old pier to load/unload ships. Complete cover of natural vegetation can be found in the southern part.

ACCESSIBILITY

A system of bike paths is running along the Elbe River in Germany. The system is interrupted between Salbke and Westerhüsen. A poor detour was installed along Schönebecker Strasse with high traffic and a low quality side walk.

GOAL

The goal of this pro-posal is to reintroduce open landscape to the Stadtlandschaft and thereby strengthen the village-like character of Salbke and Wester-hüsen. It formulates an opportunity to raise the quality of living for the inhabitants and add value to the Stadtland-schaft of Magdeburg.

CONCEPT

The idea is to strengthen the existing villages and to reinforce their edges. The new Floodplain Park along the Elbe River creates a buffer between high density urban areas and nature. At the same time the park enables a continuation of the Elbe bike path. Reintroduced perpendicular pathways will reconnect both former fishing villages with the river.

Locating New Housing areas to Reinforce the Edges of both villages. This way the city of Magdeburg can finance the decontamination of the site and reduce development pressure at the green-fields West of Salbke.

Continuation of existing Perpendicular Streets in Salbke to connect the village with the river and provide access to the new housing areas.

Part of the Financial Concept is to place a new drive-in cinema where the large size storage hall is currently located. By doing this, the investor can use the existing paving and facilitate the grain tower to put up a screen. The central area of the new park calls for a multifunctional use such as car parking, festivals and outdoor markets

STRATEGIES

The design of the Floodplain Park is based on the natural shape of the river Elbe. Organic shaped pathways and tree islands create a low maintenance park. Natural meadows, typically found along the river floodplain are assigned to the open areas. A "wilderness" belt without any maintenance is located between Schönebecker Strasse and the Floodplain Park.