2021 Pecha Kucha from BAK Germany: District park „Linden-Süd“ in Hanover Landscape design created in a bottom-up process
District Park “Linden-Süd” in Hanover, Germany - Everyday Landscape created in a bottom-up process
by the example of the district park “Linden-Süd” in Hanover
How do you manage to start a revitalization project of an urban public space in your district? And how do you manage to stay involved during the whole planning process?
These questions move more and more into focus in society in Germany. One example of a consistently successful bottom-up process for an everyday landscape project is the district Park “Linden-Süd” in Hanover.
Hanover is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony with around 530.000 citizens in the North of Germany. With 2.6 hectares, the district park featured here is the largest public green space in the very densely built-up and multicultural district called “Linden-Süd”. This park is also located next to one of Hanover’s rivers, the Ihme, which implies that the redesign had to meet more than recreation requirements.
As the park was mainly visited by permanent users (alcohol dependent and drug substituted) the private district management office of the district “Linden-Süd” started a bottom-up process to call attention to the potential of the park. From 2009-2011 they involved the university of landscape architecture of Hanover as well as the citizens of the whole district. By the end of 2011 the city council of Hanover provided the money to start the development, not without setting the rule to continue involving the citizens in the planning process as closely as possible.
From 2013 up to 2019 the parks and open spaces department in the administration of Hanover was in charge of the project and managed the design as well as the process of involving the citizens in all stages of the planning process: analysis, design, construction.
Since the end of the project the public green space of Hanover in general is enriched by its first public pool for skaters, inline skaters and scooter riders of all ages and its first public basketball court which actually attracts girls as well as boys to play. But the greatest achievement in the revitalization of this district park is a now very lively
use by so many different people with such heterogeneous backgrounds as well as a wide network to keep up the maintenance of the park.
