1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Frankfurt am Main
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Grünzug Platenstraße
Short description of the intervention
Platenstrasse in the Ginnheim district of Frankfurt was laid out as a four-lane feeder in the 1960s. It leads through the settlement of the same name, which was formerly the housing area of ​​the US armed forces. After their withdrawal in 1994, the settlement came into municipal ownership. Many large families, often with a migration background, moved in. Wild parking lots and storage spaces were created without any quality of stay. In 2000, discussion about the redesign of the Plattenstrasse started and in 2015 it was completely transformed into a green corridor. The street space was rearranged and the paved areas were reduced to the necessary extent. Sensitive planning and respect for the established structures helped to preserve the character of the district while significantly increasing the green area with recreational facilities. (1)
Address

Platenstraße
60431 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (8.663767 50.137584)
POINT (8.663649 50.137443)
POINT (8.661677 50.138364)
POINT (8.66054 50.138698)
POINT (8.658849 50.138968)
POINT (8.658936 50.139153)
POINT (8.660665 50.138834)
POINT (8.661729 50.138522)
POINT (8.663802 50.137572)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/gruenzug-platenstrasse/
Total area
5700.00m²
NBS area
3200.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Website of the intervention
https://frankfurt-greencity.de/frankfurt-green-city-status-und-trends/klima-fre…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2007
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2014
End date of the intervention
2015
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. Recovering and securing green areas against the background of growing residential needs and climate change (1);
2. Fair distribution of green areas among all the social groups (1);
3. The increase of green spaces in socially disadvantaged city quarters (1);
4. Fulfill the potential of the "empty" urban areas (1);
5. Rainwater infiltration (1);
6. Improvement of the quality of air in the city (1).
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social justice and equity
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Build resilience
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
Implementation activities
1. Creation of ca. 3200 m² of new green spaces (1)
2. Asphalted area reduced to the required minimum (1)
3. 13 benches installed (4)
4. 17 bike stands installed (4)
5. 41 trees planted (4)
6. Sports facilities introduced (4)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Transformation of previously derelict areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Green corridors and green belts
Green areas for water management
Sustainable urban drainage systems
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Low: Simple rain water collection intervention (rain garden, local seepage pit) or simple permeable areas
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Flower beds
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
41 trees were planted: 15 summer linden trees, 6 French maples, 20 juneberry trees
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
Chess field, boules pitch, public bookcase (1)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Playgrounds
Other
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Air quality regulation
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Social and community interactions
Other
Please specify "other cultural service"
Social equity (1)
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Marginalized groups
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Coalition with multiple of the above
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Non-Government actors involved in the process were: the public service company Mainova AG, housing construction company ABG FRANKFURT HOLDING, Local Counseling, Astrid Lindgren School, Integrative School, family, and children center Kita Morgenstern, Neighborhood Center Ginnheim and the advisory board 9 (Dornbusch, Eschersheim, Ginnheim) (1)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
Citizen monitoring and review
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
With the German Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (2008) goals and principles, as well as diverse
nation-wide action options for climate adaptation, are in force (3). Federal Government of Germany emphasizes the importance of the development of local climate change strategies on the municipal level (3). Frankfurt Green City (Grune Stadt Frankfurt) is a climate adaptation strategy targeted at mitigation of the threats caused by climate change on the city-level (3).
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The Frankfurt city development recommendations „Stadtentwicklungsinitiative 2030“ assumes the even construction of new residential and green areas (1).
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Spatial planning guidance
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
The Frankfurt city development recommendations „Stadtentwicklungsinitiative 2030“ (Urban Development Initiative 2030) assumes the even construction of new residential and green areas (1)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Urban redevelopment plan
Please specify other vegetation type
Meadows (1)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
575 000 Euros
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Total cost 575 000 € (4)
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
No
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Type of innovation
Social
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
Green spaces as a tool for improving social infrastructure of disadvantaged city quarters (1).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
A similar approach was accomplished by the Bureau West 8 at the project of Madrid Rio park in Madrid in 2011 (2).
Replicability/Transferability
The innovation is not referred to as being transferred to new initiative(s)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
- With the unsealing and re-greening of the area the local temperature is expected to decrease and the microclimate of the street to improve (1).
- The size of the green space increased with 3200 square meters including lawns, flower gardens, hedges and meadows. Regarding the vegetation, planted tree species have been selected based on their heat-tolerance (1, 4).
- The lawns were designed as slight hollows, allowing rainwater to seep away from the adjacent paved areas. This relieves the sewer network during heavy rain events (1).
- Many new tree species were planted in the green corridor such as linden, French maple and juneberry (1, 4)
Economic impacts
Stimulate development in deprived areas
Description of economic benefits
- Platenstraße that has been transformed into a green corridor is located in the Ginnheim, a socially disadvantaged district of Frankfurt am Main. From the creation of the Green Corridor, the area has been made more appealing offering recreational opportunities to locals as well. (1)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Description of social and cultural benefits
- In the Green Corridor, there are opportunities for neighbourly dialogue and socializing (1).
- The area offers children and young people a place for free-time activities in the park and the playground (1).
- There are various facilities available for recreation such as safe walking and cycling paths, outdoor chess boards and boules pitch (1, 4).
- The Green Corridor was designed with the direct involvement of local residents with the aim to develop a high level of identification of the residents with the green corridor (1).
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Water management (SDG 6)
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Environmental quality
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of October 2020
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Link to monitoring/evaluation reports
http://www.frankfurt-gestalten.de/vorlagen/94754
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Yes
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Monitoring of the citizen use of the Green Corridor facilities. In particular, the control of the use of sports fields between Wilhelm-Epstein-Straße and Franz-Werfel-Straße / Platenstraße was conducted. The method of monitoring - systematic observation (5).
Link to the output of assessments
https://www.stvv.frankfurt.de/PARLISLINK/DDW?W=DOK_NAME=%27OF_1019-9_2015%27
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Focus Group
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Please specify
The plans were explained and evaluated at several meetings with locals in the districts' working groups (1)
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Neues Grün direkt vor der Tür
Madrid Rio
GRÜNE STADT FRANKFURT
Ginnheim ist ein bisschen grüner
Nutzung der Sportplätze zwischen Wilhelm-Epstein-Straße und Franz-Werfel-Straße…
List of references
1. Frankfurt Green City. (2017). Neues Grün direkt vor der Tür. Accessed on October 5, 2020, https://frankfurt-greencity.de/frankfurt-green-city-status-und-trends/klima-freiflaechen/gruenzug-platenstrasse/
2. West 8. (2012). Madrid Rio. Accessed 02 July 2017, http://www.west8.nl/projects/madrid_rio.
3. Umwelt Bundesamt. (2013). GRÜNE STADT FRANKFURT. HANDBUCH ZUR GUTEN PRAXIS DER ANPASSUNG AN DEN KLIMAWANDEL, Accessed on October 5, 2020,
http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/364/publikationen/uba_handbuch_gute_praxis_web-bf_0.pdf
4. JUDITH Dietermann. (2015). Ginnheim ist ein bisschen grüner, Accessed on October 5, 2020, http://www.fnp.de/lokales/frankfurt/Ginnheim-ist-ein-bisschen-gruener;art675,1360378
5. Frankfurt am Main. (2015). Nutzung der Sportplätze zwischen Wilhelm-Epstein-Straße und Franz-Werfel-Straße/Platenstraße, Website not available.
Comments and notes
Public Images
Grunzug Frankfurt
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/gruenzug-platenstrasse/
Grunzug Frankfurt
Source: https://frankfurt-greencity.de/berichte/klima-freiflaechen/gruenzug-platenstrasse/