The new town of Wulfen
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- 1 2020
- 2 2018 New Town of Wulfen
- 3 1973
- 4 Urban Development in France and Germany (1974)
- 5 Wulfen New Town : Faltprospekt der EW 1975
- 6 Report on the Social Aspects of the Regional Development (urban areas) 1967
- 7 Flexible Housing : Metastadt
- 8 The Urban Matrix
- 9 Wulfen : Space flexibility experiments in West German New Town / Joseph G. Hajdu
- 10 Residential and Shopping Centre Wulfen
- 11 History of Mining in Dorsten
- 12 Shrinking City
- 13 Film: "WULFEN, A NEW TOWN IN GERMANY"
- 14 Siehe auch
2020
A classic New Town on the northern brink of the Ruhr area: Neue Stadt Wulfen was planned as a home for 50.000 people, miners and their families. Starting point was the opening of new mines in the region from the 50s onwards, once the mines on the Ruhr were exhausted and closed. Neue Stadt Wulfen features some classic 70s developments including separation of road infrastructure for cars, bikes and pedestrians, but also a handful of highly innovative buildings such as Habiflex with movable walls for flexible use of the living space. Today, only ¼ of the planned number of inhabitants lives in Wulfen New Town – a relaxed, but also slightly eerie place. Imagine: no car park shortage! Cordula Schulze 2020
Quelle: https://www.schulze-foto.de/2020/10/29/neue-stadt-wulfen-gruene-zechensiedlung-der-moderne/
2018 New Town of Wulfen
The New Town of Wulfen was planned and built in the 1960s as a model city for 50,000 inhabitants in the rural North of the Ruhr area. A city with high-quality living space and an ultra-modern infrastructure was to be built for miners and their families.
During more than twenty years, all kinds of facilities were built: schools, churches, commercial real estate, administrative and cultural buildings. The residential buildings in particular make Wulfen an architecturally outstanding place. A wide range of different designs was realised here, from prefabricated bungalow houses to modular multi-storey residential buildings. Some of the functional and constructive experiments failed, such as the "Metastadt", which was demolished in 1987, only 12 years after its construction. But there are also successful stories, such as those of „Finnstadt“, an ensemble of five-storey houses, which are still popular residential areas due to their individual floor plans and large terraces.
The target number of inhabitants was never reached. Nowadays around 10,000 people are living in Wulfen.
Quelle: https://bigbeautifulbuildings.de/en/objects/neue-stadt-wulfen?changelang=1 (StadtBauKultur NRW 2018)
Habiflex
The Habiflex is an experimental residential building in the New Town of Wulfen in the Dorsten district of Barkenberg. The design by Richard Gottlob and Horst Klement was awarded in 1971 in the nationwide housing competition "Flexible Wohngrundrisse“ (flexible housing floor plans). The realisation was supported with federal funds.
Completed in 1975, the building consists of 40 condominiums grouped around an open courtyard. The test construction allowed the users to change the floor plans of the apartments by means of sliding walls. One innovation was the so-called Gelsenkirchener Balkon, an balcony which could be transformed into a conservatory by folding out the outer walls. It was precisely these flexible building elements, however, that led to structural design and building physics deficiencies. The building fabric was also neglected by the owners at an early stage. This resulted in increasing vacancies.
After a bulky waste fire, the fire safety of the building was tested for the first time in 2007. Since then, the house has been considered uninhabitable and is gradually decaying. The demolition seems to be unavoidable.
Quelle: https://bigbeautifulbuildings.de/en/objects/habiflex
Finnstadt
The so-called „Rote Finnstadt“ is one of the successful examples of modern housing construction in the New Town of Wulfen. In addition to Habiflex and Metastadt, it is one of the demonstrative experimental and comparative buildings, which were built as models for new forms of housing with the support of the federal and state governments.
This type of house was developed in 1969 in a housing construction report. Originally, the Finnstadt was designed by the Finnish architects Toivo Korhonen and Lauri Sorainen as an assembly structure. However, it was then built using conventional construction methods.
These are five-storey, cross-shaped terrace houses that could be joined together in a net-like structure as desired. In the first step, four houses were built on Surick street, which are called the Rote Finnstadt because of their red plaster facades. They were followed by two other houses with black slate cladding, the „Schwarze Finnstadt“ on Dimker Allee. They offer a wide variety of different types of apartments with areas between 61 and 125 square metres, some of them as maisonettes. The individual character and the large, private terraces of the condominiums should offer an alternative to the classic single-family house. This intention was also supported by a special financing model.
Quelle: https://bigbeautifulbuildings.de/en/objects/finnstadt
1973
The new town of Wulfen owes its existence primarily to the current population explosion and the rapid industrial growth in the northern - hitherto underdeveloped - area of the Ruhr District. Wulfen is situated north of the river Lippe on the southern outskirts of the Münsterland near the towns of Dorsten, Marl and Haltern and close to the Hohe Mark Nature Preserve.
The completion of a coal-mining plant - the first [!?] to be built north of the Lippe river - was the specific reason for the foundation of Wulfen, which is intended to effect a vital improvement in the residential and industrial structure of the Lippe area. It is hoped that it will check the current exodus of skilled workers in this part of the Ruhr District and that it will prevent the land from being divided into countless uneconomically small built-up areas.
In 1967, the first flats were occupied at Barkenberg. Today, Barkenberg has 4,500 inhabitants with schools, kindergartens and retail shops.
The plan of Wulfen was the subject of an international competition won by Professor Eggeling of Berlin. The work subsequently done by many experts of various disciplines has been based an his idea of a bustling and lively town of 50,000 inhabitants which is in complete harmony with its scenic environment.
Wulfen´s location near the Hohe Mark Nature Preserve provides an ideal setting, undisturbed by highway traffic or industrial pollution, and with high recreational value.
Within the town air pollution has been avoided by utilizing electrical heat. Smokeless energy supply enhaces the "longevity" of the buildings, as well as raising the quality of life in this town. Wulfen´s skyline is not only without chimneys, but also without TV antennas by utilizing one collective antenna and providing a cable from it to each dwelling.
Motor lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians are completly seperated from each other. This leaves vast peaceful urban areas free from the hazards of heavy road traffic, while providing short and safe walkways to the most important municipal institutions, such as kindergartens, schools, retail shops, and the adjacent recreation areas.
The natural setting was preserved within the town through preservation of scenic landmarks, including controls fining builders for cutting down mature trees. Park strips alterning with built-up sites, tall buildings with flat ones, densely built-up areas with less densely built areas, multi-storeyed houses with bungalows, provide variety in the built environment.
Sociologically the architects also planned for variety by mingling sizes of units within one and the same building. For example, the ground floor is generally reserved for large flats with a garden for families with children.
Der Autor Paul Otto Schulz war ein Mitarbeiter der Hamburger PR-Agentur Lutz Böhme, die für die Entwicklungsgesellschaft Wulfen tätig wurde. Erschienen ist der Aufsatz im Juli 1973 in der Zeitschrift EKISTICS (Verlagsort Athen!), Heft 212, Seite 64 bis 66. (Vorhanden in der Stadt- und Schulbibliothek, Wu-Fa 73ZM.)
Urban Development in France and Germany (1974)
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN GERMANY Author: U Pfeiffer
(excerpt) p.85: "I will
give
you
a
short description
of the
development
process
and
organisation
of the
new town Wulfen
at
the
northern
rim of the
Ruhrgebiet.
This
new town
had
to
fulfill
the
following
tasks:
a to house overspill population from the Ruhrgebiet
b
to
make
possible
a
concentrated
development
in
place of
decentralised
development
for several
surrounding
small
villages
c to improve the economic structure of the area.
Wulfen New Town is built on the territory of two villages, Wulfen and Lembeck which decided together with the state to build the new town. Jointly with some other shareholders, they formed a development company. It would have been equally possible to make a contract with an existing housing company. A supervisory board with delegates from the shareholders and the respective state and federal ministries controls the company. The company is responsible for planning, subdivision of land, provision of access and the steering of the entire development process. But the plans the company prepares legally are only drafts Local authorities in the existing villages have to approve them. To finance its activities, the company has several sources of finance. 20% to 40% of the planning costs in North Rhine Westphalia are paid by the state. The Federal Government gave 8 million DM to the project. The costs of the subdivision and management costs of the company will be met by profits on sale of land. These profits will increase in the future when development agents have the right of compulsory purchase at low predevelopment prices. The costs of the major access roads and similar investments are financed by the state or the Federal Government. Expenditures for internal roads will be allocated to adjoining owners. Schools and kindergartens are financed by the state and county. Houses are built by private companies.
EXPERIENCES IN FINANCING A NEW TOWN: THE NEW TOWN OF WULFEN
Geschaftsfuhrer Dipl Ing Georg Wittwer Entwicklungsgesellschaft Wulfen MBH
for the Federal Ministry of Housing and Town Planning, Bonn
p.99-108
Location of Development Project
1 The New Town of Wulfen (target population 50 000 to 60 000 inhabitants) is a part of the northern development zone of the Ruhrdistrict. Wulfen, together with the neighbouring towns of Marl (20 000 inhabitants) [correct: 75 000 !], Dorsten (40 000 inhabitants) and Haltern, forms a developable, polycentric regional town. Access to this regional town is provided by the Wesel-Datteln Canal, the river Lippe, a railway serving industrial development in an east-west direction, and two railway tracks and three motorways from north to south. This development zone is surrounded in the north by the landscape park ‘Hohe Mark’, a large recreation area of the Ruhrdistrict.
Goals of Development
2 The development is being carried out in three independent communities. For the communities mainly concerned — Wulfen and Lembeck — a collective land-use plan Flachennutzungsplan has been drawn up. Before the start of the development both communities had about 3 500 inhabitants, each of basically rural structure (especially Wulfen) with a large commuter population. From the view point of regional and state planning the new town has to fulfill the following tasks:
i to provide for the population migrating from the Ruhrdistrict, mainly
young people
ii to prevent destructive land use from a concentrated urban structure
on the rim of a congested area
iii to improve the economic structure by the introduction of industrial
and commercial enterprises.
iv to complete the regional infrastructure for the designated development
area
v to provide an example of modern urban development.
The immediate reason for building a new town was the construction in 1958 of a new mine in Wulfen with good coal resources.
State of Development
3 Planning begun: 1961
Construction begun: Access 1964
Buildings 1966
State of development 1971:
Wulfen 8500 inhabitants
Lembeck 4500 inhabitants
4 By 1971 about 1200 apartments, one shopping centre and one elementary school had been completed. Two church centres and two additional elementary schools are under construction, besides about 800 housing units. The development programme provides for the construction of about 600 to 800 apartments with all supplementary public facilities and private services. By 1975 the pro- gramme proposes to provide, besides other facilities, 3000 new apartments, the first section of a town centre, a joint school centre, sports grounds and swimming pools, and the development of new industrial and commercial sites.
5 By 1971 Wulfen had about 1 800 jobs, and there were about 1 100 commuters away from Wulfen, and about 1 000 commuters into the town. By 1975 about 2 000 new jobs will be provided.
Organisational Pre-requisites
6 The two communities, Wulfen and Lembeck,
are
autonomous
in
that
they
have planning and
financial
autonomy,
with
their
own
legislation.
But they
jointly share an
administration.
A Development Company
Wulfen
Ltd. (Entwicklungsgesellschaft Wulfen mbH) has been founded as entrepreneur for
the urban development. Shareholders are:
The Vereinigte Elektrizitats-und Bergwerks AG (VEBA)
The Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (Bank)
The Siedlungsverband Ruhrkohlenbezirk (Regional Public Corporation)
The Landkreis Recklinghausen (County Authority)
The Amt Hervest-Dorsten (Association for Administration)
The Gemeinden of Wulfen and Lembeck (Communities)
7 The company is provided with a supervisory board on which, besides the shareholders, delegates from the Federal Ministry of City Planning and Housing, and from the responsible Ministry of the Land Northrhine-Westphalia (Ministry of the Interior) are represented. The State Secretary of the Interior presides over the supervisory board.
8 The Wulfen Development Company is responsible for planning, sub-division of land, provision of access, and the steering of the entire development. Within this framework it also prepares the programmes for public facilities.
9 The company has no executive powers. All plans prepared by it have only the legal character of draft plans. Sub-division will be carried out solely on a private law basis. Necessary appropriation procedures can only be pursued by the communities. Co-operation between development company and community is regulated by contracts.
Activity of the Development Company
10 The company deals only with those functions that cannot be carried out elsewhere. That especially applies to land acquisition, organisation, cost control, and co-ordination of planning and realisation. Therefore the company has a small staff of highly qualified persons, to oversee the development process.
11. For detailed planning and for special tasks, the company uses the co-operation of independent consulting and engineering firms and institutes, which can be commissioned for co-operation full-time or intermittently through consultant contracts.
LEGAL BASIS
Current Law
12 The basis for all measures of urban construction has been hitherto the Bundesbaugesetz (Federal Bullding Act) of 1960. This provides the legislation for land use and zoning plans, sub-division and access. It does not contain special regulations for the development of new towns. It regulates the general urban development of communities. In addition to the Bundesbaugesetz of 1961 a land-use ordinance has been issued which, having been revised, provides nation-wide uniform regulations for the use of real estate and building sites. Besides these nation-wide regulations each federal state has a so-called Landesbauordnung (State Building Act). The financing of urban construction measures depends on the competence of individual federal states (Lander). Considerable differences in this respect exist from state to state.
The Stadtebauforderungsgesetz (Federal Act for promoting urban construction and renewal)
13. As an addition to the existing legislation in 1971 the Stadtebauforderungsgesetz was issued giving special regulations covering urban renewal and urban development. Experience of the use of this law is not available.
14 The New Town of Wulfen is financed under the earlier regulations as a concern of the federal states.
15 The Land Northrhine-Westphalia is the only state which has sponsored the building of new towns since the war. Since, unlike Great Britain, no special regulations for development measures have been issued, financing of these developments has followed the rules generally valid for all communities. Thus the financing of the New Town of Wulfen up to now has been based upon the following rules:
COSTS
Cost of Planning
16 The Land Northrhine-Westphalia subsidises the costs of urban planning to an amount varying between 20% and 40%, depending on the importance of the project, and the existing annual budget of the state. The remaining costs are to be covered by the sale of building sites.
Costs of Sub-division
17 At the beginning of sub-division the Federal Republic allocated a single credit of about 8 million DM to the project. This will be used for the budgeting of housing. The Land Northrhine- Westphalia also gives subsidies for acquisition of non-profitable sites. The major costs of sub-division will be met by the prices charged for the plots sold. For profitable sites, ie sites which will be used for building purposes, the state has given cost subsidies for a period of five years.
Costs of Major Roads and Infrastructure
18 The high non-profitable expenditures for infrastructure services, such as roads, water supply and sewage, and canal construction will be covered by contributions by the state. The share of this contribution in recent years has been between 70% and 100%. The remaining fraction of costs will be met from the sale of land.
Internal Access Roads and Services
19 Under the regulations of the Bundesbaugesetz (Federal Building Act), all . expenditures on internal roads in a building area will be allocated to adjoining Owners under a fixed ratio formula. The community (for the New Town of Wulfen, it will be the Development Company) is now obliged to pay at least 10% of these costs by itself. This 10% cost proportion was formerly covered by contributions from the state. Sewage systems do not count as infrastructure services in this respect. Cost for this service will be met by the owner of house and plot on the basis of cost of provision and current charges for use.
Costs of Housing
20 In this context only publicly-subsidised housing construction will be of interest. This makes up 85% of the housing at Wulfen. Nation-wide uniform regulations relating to rents, areas of floorspace, and individual qualifications exist for the financing of housing construction. Construction of housing in the New Town of Wulfen follows these regulations. The houses are built by entrepreneur firms or the private owner. The Federal Republic has specially promoted construction of housing at Wulfen in support of demonstration projects.
Costs of Public Facilities and Buildings
21. Construction and installation of community facilities are the tasks of public bodies, especially community and development associations, including churches. The Land Northrhine-Westphalia gives contributions towards the construction of those facilities, such as schools, which are dependent on the fiscal capacity of the community. For the construction of schools in the New Town of Wulfen the contribution of the state totals 80% of building costs. The construction of Kindergartens is regulated by the state.
22 Building costs will be met, one-third by the state, one-third by the Landkreis (county) and community, and one-third by the proprietor, ie community association or church. For sports facilities, as long as they are not built in connection with the prescribed sports grounds of schools, the community has to pay a fraction of 30% by itself. 70% of the total costs will be paid jointly by the state and the Federal Republic; the state contributing the larger share. 60% of the costs for installations for medical care will be paid by the state. The development authority and the community are responsible for the remainder of the financing.
23 For other social facilities, such as Old People’s Homes, day-time facilities for the old, and for young children, the Landkreis (county) participates in financing them by providing contributions and credits up to 25% of the costs. The body responsible provides another 25% and the state the remaining 50%. All other facilities, which are erected by the community for purposes of its own administration, or for its municipal services, refuse disposal, etc, have to be financed completely by the community itself.
Relation of the Price of Building Plots to Costs
24 In connection with the planning, sub-division, access and building of the new town there are in addition to the above described costs also expenses for personal and material services, as for example the costs of the development company. In addition to this high costs are incurred in financing the necessary credits for the total project. This means that expenditures for administration and financing must be added to the costs arising from land purchase. A fixed formula is used to distribute the total cost over the newly sub-divided total site. Non-profitable sites, for instance for services, are surcharged at a low rate, profitable sites, such as building plots, are more heavily charged. The real estate price developed in this way will be further valued according to the floor area ratio permissible on each plot. An additional variation of prices can be made depending on the different location values and the permitted kind of use. Thus the financing of the entire project pays reasonable regard to the prospects of future development value.
EXPERIENCE UNDER EXISTING REGULATIONS
Legal Regulations
25 As an entrepreneur the limited company has shown good results during the construction of the New Town of Wulfen. A limited company can act much more flexibly than a municipal administrator.
The lack of legal power of the company necessitates a municipal parliament favourably disposed towards the new development. But the necessary appreciation of the value of large-scale development and the problems that have to be overcome is slow to appear.
The planning of the community was decided in the primary phase by a municipal parliament, which on the one hand represented a population of 3 500 existing residents and on the other hand had to decide about projects for 50 000 to 60 000 new inhabitants.
The regulations about expropriation of land are imperfect.
Financing Procedure
26 During the early stages of the development the cost of building plots will
reflect the heavy burden of planning, sub-division and administrative charges.
The fiscal competence of the community is especially problematic during the
opening phase, when provision of infrastructure designated for future development exceeds the current fiscal capacity.
Financial support does not sufficiently consider the special economic situation
of anew town. Itis orientated on the needs of a normal community and is too
rigid for promoting a planned development.
Improvement of Financing
27 An improved method of financing could be achieved by adopting the following methods:
i Total financing of a basic unit of about 20 000 to 30 000 inhabitants by Federal Republic and state (Land). The budget of the community should be supervised to ensure a steadily increasing participation by the community in line with its growing tax revenues. The responsibility of the community could be increased in step with its increasing parti- cipation in the financing.
ii Low state contributions in the early phases of the project create a highcredit burden which inflates the plot price. The contributer (Federal Republic and state) would achieve better results if higher contributions were made during these early phases (ten to fifteen years). These could be used to provide a cash flow for housing during the development period for instance.
Process of Development and Financing
28 Because of changes in the economic conditions, trends, and structural problems of the entire region, the development of the New Town of Wulfen has been slower than intended. But previous experiments at Wulfen and the newtowns in Great Britain have produced evidence that the process of development can be influenced by appropriate financing. Method, scale and timing of public financing are important factors. Almost without exception, private investments follow the public lead.
29 From the experience obtained at Wulfen the following basic rules can be deduced:
Period of Planning
i To produce a satisfactory over-all plan, a preparatory period of three years will be necessary.
ii This period should be followed by another phase of about two years, during which time the major parts of general sewage and main service facilities will be prepared and construction started.
iii During this five-year period of planning the major parts of sub-division development have to be completed.
iv This phase of the planning process requires large subsidies from the financial backers for planning, sub-division, access and administration. The supply of credits during this period is only useful when interest-free and repayment-free years, and long-term loans are guaranteed.
v An additional preparatory period of about five years will be necessary for settlement of about 5 000 inhabitants, for construction of the first public facilities and for the settlement of first individual enterprises. vi This development period is also a non-profitable part of the project, because it needs subsidies from the public: for non-profitable land for housing and industrial enterprises; for construction of schools and facilities for leisure-time and recreation; for low rent housing and facilities for supply and maintenance; for public relation measures, to stimulate an influx of inhabitants, industry and private investors.
30 The next development period of five to ten years will be accompanied by accelerated growth of the new town, up to a scale of about 20 000 inhabitants. In British new towns this size of scale is the threshold for private investment, especially for industrial establishments. In this phase the New Town of Wulfen can anticipate a growing involvement of private investors. The public investors will concentrate on the completion of the major services, the construction of public facilities, and a 10% investment subsidy for settlement of industry.
CONCLUSIONS
31 Large and purposeful public investments have to be provided during the planning and starting period (that means for a term of ten to fifteen years), in order to stimulate private investors. These public investments should be given, if possible, as grants and long-term credits.
32 The contributions invested during the starting phase may later on be applied as stimulants to further investment, as soon as the proportion of private investments rises.
33 It is of great importance that during the early phases of development public facilities for education, for leisure, recreation and social care should be developed to a high standard in step with the building of houses.
34 During the starting phase there will be opportunities for the location of smaller or medium-sized industrial establishments serving about 5 000 inhabitants but the development of larger enterprises should not take effect until the population has reached 1 500 inhabitants.
35 The Stadtebauforderungsgestz (Federal Act for promoting urban construction and renewal), valid since 1971, provides improved measures in the field of financing, development and, to a limited extent, for the institutional control of these activities.
Wulfen New Town : Faltprospekt der EW 1975
Außer der als Bild wiedergegebenen Wabe enthält der Prospekt noch folgende englischsprachige Informationen :
Wulfen New Town : An example of new forms of living, sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of North-Rhine-Westphalia, planned and realised by the Entwicklungsgesellschaft Wulfen mbH (Wulfen Development Association). Planning Group: Fritz Eggeling+ / Grosche, Börner, Stumpfl.
What has made this town in the few years of its existance so well-known?
- that numerous native and foreign town planners, landscape architects, housing managers, sociologists and medical authorities have visited it,
- although it is by no means complete,
- and although certain facilities are still lacking?
Judge for yourself.
"Habiflex" offers, in its "Gelsenkirchen balcony" and its lightweight space-divider, (fixed only at the two ends and with a number of flexible joints along its lenght), a versatile instrument, applicable to most situations where an adaptable room shape is desired.
Report on the Social Aspects of the Regional Development (urban areas) 1967
"Among the intentions for this third [development] zone is the creation, on an axis parallel to that of the developement of the coal-fields, of new towns [Plural!], the first of which, WULFEW [sic!], is now in process of development. This centre, established on the territory of three muncipalities with 8,000 population, is intended to contain a population of 50,000 (30,000 in the next ten years). Its growth is in the hands of a development company founded in 1960 jointly by the Land and the Association [for the planning of the Ruhr coal basin, SVR]. Directed by an architect, a team is at work, comprising engineers, lawyers, sociologists etc. The plan adopted is centred on a thalweg and provides for 'the construction of an important main centre and secondary centres'." S.132
Wörtliche Wiedergabe einschließlich Formatierung und Tippfehler aus :
Report on the Social Aspects of the Regional Development (urban areas) / Social Committee, XXXIIIrd Session der Europäischen Gemeinschaft, 1967. CE/Soc (67) 1. Darin zweiseitiger Abschnitt über den Gebietsentwicklungsplan 1966 des SVR. Vorhanden in der Bibliothek des RVR Essen, VIIIa 12 025
Flexible Housing : Metastadt
Description
As with the Square L-Type system by the architects van den Broek and Bakema, the Metastadt building system was supposed to provide a concept for a flexible model of urbanism. A pilot scheme supported by the Federal Government, the system behind the Metastadt development is that of a space plan that is supposed to be capable of unlimited horizontal and vertical growth. The main structural module is 4.2 by 4.2 metres and 3.6 metres high, with an interior module of 0.6 metres. Main column support is every 16.8 metres, and cantilever spans can measure up to 8.4 metres. Within this frame, enclosure can be created as needed.
The various elements of the system such as the loadbearing structure, non-loadbearing panels and services were kept independent. The space frame structure itself is bolted to allow easy assembly and disassembly - everything remains changeable and adaptable. The infill system is separate from structural system: the office spaces have demountable walls whilst partition walls in apartments are made of plasterboard. The facade panels are based on a small set of interchangeable parts with a vertical and horizontal module of 0.3 metres held in position by 'push buttons'. One further aspect that contributes to the system's flexibility is the servicing system, which is accommodated in raised floors with a clearance of 0.45 metres.
Even the name, Metastadt, hints at the idealism and uncompromising nature of the scheme. In the end, due to technical faults that resulted from cost cutting measures, the building was demolished in the early 1980s.
The Urban Matrix
Karsten Ley: The Urban Matrix - Towards a Theory on the Parameters of Urban Form and their Interrelation. Dissertation Aachen 2009. Fußnote auf S.47
In this context we should remember successful as well as abortive developments of New Towns in
Europe, such as for example:
Neue Stadt Wulfen, a new urban development close by the extant city of Dorsten in North Rhine-
Westphalia planned for some 50.000 people on well 8 sqkm according to the winning competition
project by Fritz E GGELING in 1961. It was meant to accomodate additional population employed in the
Ruhr coal mining, while due to the decline of this industry the envisioned volume had to be
concurrently minimized and today comprises only 11.000 people. The street layout is composed for
traffic-calming purposes; the experimental architectural development of Metastadt from 1973, a
prefabricated ferroconcrete construction with 100 apartments, had to be demolished in 1987
because of severe structural admages; (Rühl 1962; Zahn 1965; Auras et al. 1980; Theißen 1989)
Quelle: http://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/50745/files/50745.pdf
Wulfen : Space flexibility experiments in West German New Town / Joseph G. Hajdu
Artikel in der Zeitschrift "Erdkunde" 1982/3. Downloadquelle siehe http://www.giub.uni-bonn.de/erdkunde/download_unprotected/1982_36/EK_1982_36-3-05.pdf [Der Artikel ist zur Zeit nicht mehr aufrufbar, Okt. 2010] Eine Papierkopie ist in der Bibliothek vorhanden.
Residential and Shopping Centre Wulfen
Their architect Josef Paul Kleihues wrote 1983:
"Between the Ruhr district and the "Hohe Mark" is the New Town of Wulfen. Nestling between fields, woods and meadows. An "open" planned town under the high sky. A town without a centre. According to the programme, this town was than to have certain "qualities" - living and shopping and identity. I know the landscape, its people and theit habits well. Therefore, from the start I had a glass-covered arcade in mind - it rains often in Westphalia. For the same reason, the two-storey colonnades which give access to the apartments, protected from the wind and therefore a goog playground for children. Large terraces facing south-west, so that one may enjoy the few sunny days. And lastly a little folly to look over the landscape. But the "big people" must get first used to the large "toy", the little town within the town. As to the children, they copped and quickly and eagerly grasped the opportunity.
(c) Gandon editions Dublin
History of Mining in Dorsten
from Michael Kuschke : http://www.steinkohle-portal.de/en_content.php?id=1607
Shrinking City
The phenomenon of a "shrinking city" takes on a unique meaning in the Wulfen-Barkenberg district of Dorsten. Conceived as a pioneering example of urban planning, "Neue Stadt Wulfen", situated in the north of the Ruhr region, once heralded a bright new future. Today, however, the locality is still engaged in a massive struggle to overcome the challenges presented by visions gone wrong and the negative repercussions of industrial change.
Originally designed for 50,000 people, the area has had to contend with emigration, demographic change, social tensions, poverty, violence and the demolition of empty housing blocks. Now, the town of Dorsten is rebuilding the entire area.
This plan of action was the outcome of a remarkable course of events - with dramatic consequences. The first shafts of the Wulfen pit were sunk in 1958 as coal mining moved northwards. Housing for the anticipated workforce of 8,000 had to be provided within a short space of time. Not wanting to replicate earlier models of colliery settlements, the urban planners adopted a new, progressive approach. An urban development competition was announced in 1961. It called for bids outlining the construction of dwellings for up to 50,000 people plus and the infrastructure of an entire town including a town hall, hospital, department store and bus station. However, the mine was not successful and only 450 new jobs were created. The ambitious plans had to be scaled down. After just 12 years of use, the meta-town, an experimental complex of buildings made from prefabricated steel sections and comprising around 100 dwelling units and 600 square metres of commercial floor space, was razed in 1987 due to the discovery of structural defects.
Today Barkenberg is home to just under 10,000 people. As a response to the problem of so many vacant buildings, a programme known as "Stadtumbau West" has been put into action. Started in 2007 and continuing until 2011, it includes measures such as the demolition of part of the "Marschall" complex, the reduction of some higher buildings to four storeys, plus a raft of other modernisation schemes. However, urban planning measures and structural modifications are not enough: there is also an urgent need to find forward-looking solutions to challenging social, socio-political and health-related issues.
What role can the residents and their clubs, associations and institutions play in fashioning change? What is their outlook - and that of the children and young people in particular - beyond the image of the "shrinking city" and the common fate that this holds in store? Pursued in cooperation with as many local people as possible, the goal of this project is to develop new approaches and identify how the residents can play an active part. And to answer the question as to how their own involvement can make change socially inclusive and sustainable.
Film: "WULFEN, A NEW TOWN IN GERMANY"
Examines the development of Wulfen, a new town in West Germany. Looks at its development corporation, based on the English model but crucially different in that it has to work through the local authorities for planning permission.
BBC 1972. 16 mm, schwarzweiß, 25 Minuten.
(Vermutlich entstanden aus dem Material dieses 45minütigen Filmes : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNgr0bkx0XA)
