HafenCity Project

HafenCity - facts and figures

The most important facts and figures about what is currently Europe’s biggest inner-city development project, its varied quarters and land use concepts

Essential facts and figures about Europe’s biggest inner-city development project now, its varied neighborhoods and land use concepts
Status: March 2012

 Overview

1. Essential facts  & figures
2. Development Management and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
3. Development of HafenCity
4. Land use - current status
5. Sustainable HafenCity
6. Quarters

 

1. ESSENTIAL FACTS & FIGURES

HafenCity covers an area of 157 hectares, making it one of the most prominent inner-city waterfront development projects in the world. Based on a new concept for urban living, it will increase the size of Hamburg City by 40 percent (Hamburg has a population of approx. 1.78 million, the Hamburg Metropolitan Region 4.3 million). Between the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district and the River Elbe a new city with a cosmopolitan mix of homes, service businesses, culture, leisure, tourism and commerce is emerging. Structures typical of a port will be retained. The development is being managed by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, a 100-per cent subsidiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The time-frame for development of the entire area extends to circa 2025. HafenCity is already rated as the model project for international waterfront and “new downtown” development.

Key data

• Total area: 157 hectares (ha)
• Land area: 126 ha
• Expansion of Hamburg City by 40 %
• Gross floor area (GFA): new building circa 2.32 million m²
• 6,000 homes and more than 45,000 jobs will be created
• 10.5 km of new waterfront with promenades and squares
• Around 26 ha public parks, squares and promenades
• Currently 49 projects are completed; another 35 under construction or planned
• Over 1 million m² GFA already confirmed through sales of land or exclusive options with planning obligations
• Previous to sale approx. 99 % of sites suitable for construction are publicly owned (“Stadt und Hafen” special fund under public law represented by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH)
• Investment volume: private investment approx. € 8 billion; public investment: circa € 2.4 billion, primarily financed out of sales of land in HafenCity (circa € 1.5 billion)
• General basis for planning:
  ◦Masterplan 2000
  ◦Masterplan revision eastern HafenCity 2010

 2. DEVELOPEMENT MANAGEMENT AND HAFENCITY HAMBURG GMBH

Major urban development projects call for strong interaction and coalescence between conception and realization. In particular, because of the high level of development and the considerable intricacy involved in closely coordinating public investment (circa EUR 2,4 billion) with acquisition of private investment (around EUR 8 billion) the resulting responsibilities are very complex and demand 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 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 infrastructure and public spaces, 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.  It is developing HafenCity at Hamburg’s behest.  Public supervision, cooperation, and the division of responsibilities are demanding: the supervisory board of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH consists of members of the city senate. Hamburg is a municipality and one of the 16 federal states of Germany. 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), zoning plans are processed by the Ministry of Urban Development and Environment and permits issued by it. Competition juries for urban planning and open space competitions as well as competitions for buildings are constituted, in addition to representatives of private developers and independent architects, by 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).

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.

Back to list

Hamburg flagship project visits Prague

The "Maritime Hamburg makes Headway" show is part of the Hamburg in Prague/Contemporary Architecture in Hamburg exhibition project which was opened by Hamburg’s first mayor Christoph Ahlhaus on 5 October 2010. The exhibition, shown in the Kotelna Karlin Gallery, ran until 31 October 2010. During the anniversary festivities this year in June, examples of Prague architecture were shown in a series of architecture exhibitions in Hamburg, organized by Galerie Jaroslav Fragner. In addition to the HafenCity and IBA Hamburg exhibits, the Prague show also included other current Hamburg architectural projects.

The joint exhibition "Maritime Hamburg makes Headway" illustrates how Hamburg, with its two leading edge projects, is driving forward urban development in the city and setting new standards in competition with other large European cities: HafenCity and IBA Hamburg both exploit the development potential of inner-city land, shifting the city’s traditional living artery, the Elbe River with its port, back into its heart. Both projects are helping to transport the impressive upswing that Hamburg has enjoyed for several years. With about 1.77 million people calling the city core their home and another 4.28 million populating the surrounding Metropolitan Region, Germany’s second largest city has successfully broadened its scope from port and trading center to become a diversified location for service industries and technology (e.g. aerospace, wind power) of European proportions.

HafenCity will have the effect of expanding Hamburg’s city center by around 40 per cent by 2025 and moving it closer to the banks of the Elbe so that, along a distance of more than three kilometers, a new cityscape emerges. It is putting the urbanity back in the city. At the same time new and better sustainability standards are being achieved, whether in urban structure, energy supply or in buildings particularly well equipped for the future.

The Hamburg IBA is stabilizing and regenerating long neglected neighborhoods close to the inter city. It demonstrates prototypical solutions for the city of tomorrow, making possible Hamburg’s "leap across the Elbe", binding the south more closely to the city.

Both projects are developing possible approaches to sustainable development for major European cities – and have already attracted very positive international attention. HafenCity and the International Building Exhibition had already staged recent joint exhibitions in Marseilles (France) and Tampere (Finland). The occasions were the celebration of 50 years of twinning between Hamburg and the French port in 2008, and the 2009 architecture week in Tampere, Finland’s third largest city.