Bürgerpark Grüne Mitte Weinstadt by A24 LANDSCHAFT Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH
Germany / Built in 2023 /
www.a24-landschaft.de
A participatory agricultural park as a new center
The city of Weinstadt, which consists of five individual communities, has found a central and vibrant open space with the Bürgerpark Grüne Mitte after years of urban fragmentation. The 10 ha hybrid park combines existing agricultural land with contemporary open spaces for leisure activities and a wide range of sports, play and recreation areas. This combination of agricultural use and park creates a distinct, multi-layered experience for the community. Bürgerpark Weinstadt was designed together with its future users; being a pilot project for a democratic, inclusive and forward-looking design approach. The principles for the spatial design of the park are based on the historical and continuing agricultural use of the site and the needs of the local community, which combine agriculture, recreation and gardening. This has created a hyper-local atmosphere and improved usability for residents and visitors.
A good participatory culture was already present in Weinstadt. However, with a new park project of this kind, it was clear from the beginning: this participation must always be immediately tangible. The population needed to get an idea of what their future central open space could look like. One of the first activities involved working with young people and a local carpentry business to build park benches. These were placed in the orchards and fields, transforming them directly into a park. This also led to a change in how the city residents perceived their environment: suddenly, the park was imaginable and visible to everyone, and the redesign became tangible.
During the collaborative design process a platform for exchange with the community was created, several intensive workshops with the city administration, the planners and citizens were held during the design process. Everyone involved had the opportunity to help shape the structural results. This created a strong sense of belonging. This participatory design process encouraged the community to take ownership of their park, which in turn led to the park becoming partly self-maintaining, reducing maintenance costs for the city. A coherent palette of furniture makes the park a unified place with a strong local identity. The agricultural fields, the beautiful fruit trees, the vegetable patches and the restored stream are reminiscent of rural landscapes.
The productive participation structure had a direct influence on the park’s design and layout. A local farmer was involved to maintain the numerous meadows of the park, which also includes the creation and care of an edible garden. Community gardens are located in various parts of the park. A fire pit and a barbecue area are very popular among young people. Additionally, nearby daycare centers and schools regularly use the park.
By combining agriculture, private gardens, residential areas, recreational areas and public green spaces, Bürgerpark Weinstadt is an innovative example of multi-layered, multifunctional land use and offers a new urban park of local significance. The park is a contemporary example of an innovative and atmospheric open space that combines rural and urban qualities in a unique way to create a place that contributes to greater well-being and quality of life. It provides a solid framework that can be adapted to future uses and promotes social cohesion for all age groups by improving its user experience and maximizing the usability of open spaces.
• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
A24 LANDSCHAFT Landschafsarchitektur GmbH (design)
von K Landschaftsarchitektur (construction management)
• All architecture offices involved in the design:
citizen forum
A24 LANDSCHAFT Landschafsarchitektur GmbH (LP 1 – 3)
FRÖLICHSCHREIBER Architekten (LP 4 – 5)
altelier_wolfshof_architekten (LP 6 – 8)
Ingenieurbüro Gerald Wondratschek (structural design)
• Other credits you need or wish to write:
Photographers: Jochen Beglau, Hanns Joosten, Christoph Püschner
