Management
Development Management and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
Management of a development such as this, where a whole new city district is to be realized, has to be integrated to be successful. Most responsibilities connected with development of the district are therefore coordinated by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
HafenCity Hamburg GmbH’s offices are on Osakaallee opposite Überseequartier - at the heart of the brand new district (© ELBE&FLUT)
Major urban development projects call for strong interaction and coalescence between conception and realization. In particular, the considerable intricacy involved in securing and closely coordinating public investment (around EUR 2.4 billion, of which approx. 1.5 billion is revenue from the sale of land) with acquisition of private investment (around EUR 8 billion) results in very complex responsibilities and demands strong management.
In 1997 a port and location development company (GHS) was set up to manage the development of HafenCity – since 2004 it has been known as HafenCity Hamburg GmbH. It is responsible for administration of the “special city and port fund” under public law: sales of land and areas of HafenCity almost completely owned by the City of Hamburg finance the lion’s share of public investment, notably roads, bridges, squares, parks, quays and promenades. In addition to this financing responsibility, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH also clears and prepares sites, plans and builds public spaces as well as infrastructure, acquires and contracts real estate developers and larger users, and is responsible for public relations and communication.
HafenCity Hamburg GmbH is a 100 percent subsidiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Hamburg is a municipality and one of the 16 federal states of Germany. The company is developing HafenCity at Hamburg’s behest. Public supervision, cooperation, and the division of responsibilities are demanding: the supervisory board of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH – chaired by the first mayor – consists of members of the city senate. Sales and options (with an obligation to plan) on land purchases have to be approved by the Land Commission; zoning plans are subject to consultation and approval from the Commission of Urban Development (made up largely of parliamentary and local government representatives) and are processed by the HafenCity working party in the Ministry of Urban Development and Environment which also issues permits. Juries for urban planning and open space competitions and for competitions for buildings comprise representatives of the Ministry of Urban Development and Environment (chief planning officer), the district council, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH and several politicians (from Mitte district or the city parliament) as well as private developers and independent architects.
By concentrating non-official functions in a dedicated development company of its own, Hamburg can ensure the efficiency and quality of the urban development project, yet through intensive division of labor and control also retain a high degree of public accountability.
