Darmstadt is developing a new housing district on the grounds of the Cambrai Fritsch Barracks and the Jefferson Housing Estate – the total area is some 34 hectares. The structural concept developed by an interdisciplinary AS+P team of urban, open space and transportation planners defines the framework conditions to realize a vibrant neighborhood where everything is close at hand for the approx. 3,000 inhabitants. In particular, the district will be characterized by a broad range of housing choices, good selection of stores and social infrastructure, high-grade active outdoor spaces and the fact that it will be low on cars. The mobility concept focuses on a varied services in the form of public transportation, cycle paths and footpaths, not to mention car-sharing. Private parking spaces are combined in the form of district carparks; this way, parking on the street, which is public space, will be reduced in favor of improving leisure time qualities.
The landscapes steps function as a central, spacious green area that structures the new housing estate and connects it to surrounding paths and roads. Alongside services such as neighborhood gardens playgrounds and sports areas, retention areas have been included into the plan. Additional footpaths cross the quarter from east to west and, at the neighborhood plazas, turn into play and leisure-time areas at peoples’ doorsteps. Striking old trees and protected shrubs are integrated into the new green structures, and important routes are flanked by the new rows of trees. When it came to new trees and shrubs, the choice was resilient species that are adapted to future climate conditions and are fit for their respective locations.