Hafenquartier Speicherstraße - A lively quarter for Dortmund
At Dortmund's port between barges, cranes and containers, the "Hafenquartier Speicherstraße" is intended to make the peripheral areas with their historical features accessible to the public and bring them closer to the adjacent residential area of Nordstadt. The area of around 13.5 hectares has enormous potential with its historical and port-typical features. It surrounds the southern Speicherstraße at the city harbour, which offers a special view of the logistical activities, and the northern Speicherstraße at Schmiedinghafen.
New places for culture, recreation and outdoor education
In the first step, the southern area - funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in North Rhine-Westphalia - was upgraded in terms of design and ecology. The redesigned public space on Speicherstrasse in the city harbor was opened at the end of August 2022. This marks the completion of the first project in the future digital quarter at the Stadt- und Schmiedinghafen. The redesign of the southern Speicherstraße, including a central square, was carried out under the leadership of the Office for Urban Renewal in cooperation with the City of Dortmund's Civil Engineering and Green Space Departments. The square is now called "Jeanne-Baret-Platz" and is available for cultural activities. The parallel promenade at the city harbor and the jetty were also redesigned. Bench elements with a total length of around 260 meters, play containers, sun decks made of Eisenbach flat wagons and platform containers as well as bicycle parking racks and light poles invite you to enjoy the atmosphere in the harbour.
Wildflower meadows have also been created in several places and a total of 93 trees have been planted. Another special feature is a so-called "green classroom", which enables lessons to be held in the open air. This upgrading of streetscapes and open spaces creates incentives for investment in the surrounding properties. Numerous new buildings and conversions are being constructed. With this milestone, the implementation of the project is now literally paving the way for subsequent developments and helping to bring Nordstadt and its residents to the waterfront and make the special qualities of the harbour location a tangible experience.
New jobs in the start-up and knowledge quarter
In future, the traditional harbour is to be expanded to include urban uses by attracting office, commercial and catering businesses. At least 4,000 new jobs could be created in this way. In the long term, the aim is to develop an urban start-up and knowledge district with a digital focus, where a colorful mix of artists and creative and social institutions will settle. Both start-ups and established companies will find opportunities for exchange and collaboration here.
