Hamburg, one of the least densified cities in the world, is discovering its waterfronts. The pontential in the area between the estuary and the inlets seems inexhaustible, for Hamburg´s most desirable districts south of the Elbe between the suburbs, the Stadtpark, and the City-Süd can easily be doubled.
Wilhelmsburg covers an area that makes it in the largest urban district as well as Europe´s largest river island, to which Napoleon crossed in 1814 via a 4-kilometer-long wood bridge. Once the link to the new bridge is completed, the island will be located in the heart of the city. Hamburg´s waterfront, 40 percent of which is still occupied by docklands today including areas as close to downtown as Ottensen, offers the best conditions for kilometers of attractive and distinctive waterfront locations.
Only 2.7 percent of the city´s residents currently inhabit what amounts to 4.6 percent of the metropolitan area. Even without hosting the Olympics in 2012, Hamburg aims to capitalize on the spirit of renewal for its former hinterland and increase its appeal by taking the leap arcoss the Elbe, an ambition that is further aided by the International Garden Exhibition and an International Bulding Exhibition scheduled for 2013.
According to Adolf Max Vogt, the chief advantage of waterfront cities is that water provides space and breathing room for critical introspection and analysis. Bridging the Elbe by developing inner city qualities that will erase the division of the city into two parts on either side of the harbour – the status quo for over a century – changes the Hanseatic image of the city in a dramatic fashion. While the view of Hamburg´s skyline remains undiminished, the opportunity for development on this scale in the heart of the city is without compare. The proposed 700-meter-long, multi-story bridge complex LIVING BRIDGE across the Norderelbe combines the necessary traffic function with a green park zone and affordable living space on lots that have been literally plucked out of the air.
Wilhelmsburg covers an area that makes it in the largest urban district as well as Europe´s largest river island, to which Napoleon crossed in 1814 via a 4-kilometer-long wood bridge. Once the link to the new bridge is completed, the island will be located in the heart of the city. Hamburg´s waterfront, 40 percent of which is still occupied by docklands today including areas as close to downtown as Ottensen, offers the best conditions for kilometers of attractive and distinctive waterfront locations.
Only 2.7 percent of the city´s residents currently inhabit what amounts to 4.6 percent of the metropolitan area. Even without hosting the Olympics in 2012, Hamburg aims to capitalize on the spirit of renewal for its former hinterland and increase its appeal by taking the leap arcoss the Elbe, an ambition that is further aided by the International Garden Exhibition and an International Bulding Exhibition scheduled for 2013.
According to Adolf Max Vogt, the chief advantage of waterfront cities is that water provides space and breathing room for critical introspection and analysis. Bridging the Elbe by developing inner city qualities that will erase the division of the city into two parts on either side of the harbour – the status quo for over a century – changes the Hanseatic image of the city in a dramatic fashion. While the view of Hamburg´s skyline remains undiminished, the opportunity for development on this scale in the heart of the city is without compare. The proposed 700-meter-long, multi-story bridge complex LIVING BRIDGE across the Norderelbe combines the necessary traffic function with a green park zone and affordable living space on lots that have been literally plucked out of the air.
