Last updated: October 2021
A new lake with green banks was built in the district of Altenhof in Essen in order to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood, create new recreational facilities and prolong the existing transport and green infrastructural developments in Essen. The water is supplied to the lake by means of groundwater from a separate well, as well as rainwater from the surfaces of neighboring roofs (Ref. 1).
Niederfeldsee
Grün und Gruga (Stadt Essen), retrieved 08/31/2018 from Hermann Steins
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Railroad bank and track greens
- Blue infrastructure
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
- Lakes/ponds
Key challenges
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Conversion of former industrial areas
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of semi-natural blue areas
Project objectives
1. To improve quality of life in the neighborhood (Ref. 1)
2. To continue sustainable urban regeneration along the former railway line Rheinische Bahn (Ref. 1)
3. To increase the number of green spaces in the city (Ref. 1)
4. To create assets to clean water for recreational purposes (swimming) (Ref. 1)
5. To improve social conditions in the neighborhood (Ref. 1)
6. To improve mobility inside the neighborhood (Ref. 1)
Implementation activities
1. 60 000 m³ of earth extracted (Ref. 1)
2. 2,2 ha of new water surfaces created (Ref. 1)
3. Leveling of the lake's bottom and creation of water circulation (to abate pollution caused by water stagnation) (Ref. 1)
4. Lake shores reinforced (Ref. 1)
5. Water supply system created (Ref. 1)
6. A bridge built across the lake (Ref. 1)
7. "The lake is around 2.2 hectares in size and is divided into two parts in the middle by the bridge over the bike path on the course of the former railway line. Overall, it has the shape of a large L or a foot. In the southern area of the existing residential development, it has the character of a port with fortified banks, with bollards reminiscent of a quay, and a promenade. In the northern part, its banks are flat, green and curved. The water measures up to 5 meters at the deepest point, which is both extracted from the groundwater and comes from the rain gutters of some neighboring houses. The fact that the rainwater does not get into the sewage system, but only gets into the Sälzerbach via the buffering lake in the event of a flood, is known as decoupling. This relieves the sewage system, particularly in the event of heavy rainfall. What sounds like boring technical German, on a small scale, contributes to flood protection in the Ruhr area" (Ref. 7).
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Regional government
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Other
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
A number of companies are also involved in the construction process. Landscape architects and building engineers Helmut Fox / Dietmar Hoffjann were responsible for the landscaping of the area, whereas the engineering office Asmus & Prabucki were focused on earth construction and sealing. The design of the bridge was completed by Ahlbrecht architectural office (Ref. 1). Heinrich Wirth Bau GmbH and Eurovia Teerbau GmbH are responsible for the earthworks and waterproofing, and the Stahlbauer company Bohlen AG - for landscaping construction, the company Sieg GmbH Garten- Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau constructed the bridge (Ref. 1). Citizens were involved in the project via prospective workshops organized during the planning process (Ref. 3).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(1. In 1998, an action plan "Neighborhoods with a special need for renewal" for Essen-Altendorf was included to the development program of the city of Essen. The program assumed the regeneration of dysfunctional neighborhoods by various needs, including the improvement of green infrastructure (Ref. 5).
2. More than 500 green development measures have been implemented through the program "ESSEN. New Ways to the Water" launched in Essen in 2007 (Ref. 3). It includes water development, rainwater decoupling, rebuilding and conversion of green areas or extension and renewal of walking and cycling paths (Ref. 3).
)
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- EU funds
- Public national budget
- Public regional budget
- Public local authority budget
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Reduced risk of damages by drought
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Other
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. (2017). Niederfeldsee. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
2. (2017). Niederfeldsee. Die Bauarbeiten im Einzelnen. Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
3. Themenfeld 03: Städtische Grünflächen, die nachhaltige Landnutzung umfassen. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
4. Themenfeld 08: Wasserwirtschaft. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
5. (2017). Stadtteilprojekt Altendorf - Soziale Stadt von 1998 bis 2014. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
6. Ruhrgebiet industriekultur (2020). The Niederfeldsee in Essen. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
7. Neuewegezumwasser (n.d.). Water and green: Niederfeldsee. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
2. (2017). Niederfeldsee. Die Bauarbeiten im Einzelnen. Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
3. Themenfeld 03: Städtische Grünflächen, die nachhaltige Landnutzung umfassen. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
4. Themenfeld 08: Wasserwirtschaft. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
5. (2017). Stadtteilprojekt Altendorf - Soziale Stadt von 1998 bis 2014. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
6. Ruhrgebiet industriekultur (2020). The Niederfeldsee in Essen. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
7. Neuewegezumwasser (n.d.). Water and green: Niederfeldsee. Available at: Source link (Accessed: November 7, 2020).
Niederfeldsee
Grün und Gruga (Stadt Essen), retrieved 08/31/2018 from Hermann Steins