[AHLEN]
URBAN REVITALIZATION OF A POST INDUSTRIAL TOWN IN THE RUHRGEBIET
Location: Ahlen, Germany
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Project Objective: To revitalize a dilapidated area in Ahlen, find a new location for City Hall and a new bus station.
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The project site was severed by the tracks which ran from north to south. The southern part of the tracks is moribund, with multiple dilapidated edifices. The underpass under the raised train tracks was rarely traversed by residents. In addition, the setbacks varied creating an inconsistent urban wall. There were also several underused spaces and large surface parking lots in both the northern and southern parts. Our response was articulated in several steps, first of which
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was placing City Hall in the southern area at the end of a movement axis that consisted of a succession of public spaces. The second step was placing the new bus station in the southern part of the train tracks also next to the new City Hall building. In order to create a consistent urban wall which is more conducive of walking, we proposed spatial reconfiguration of streets and that rundown buildings are replaced by new ones which adhere to new regulations of shallower setbacks. Underused spaces and large surface parking areas are planned for new development with buildings that frame the adjacent streets. In terms of pedestrian movement, the
underpass is well lit and decorated with urban murals.
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