HafenCity, a former industrial brownfield site turned inclusive ‘city-within-a-city’ is a model for sustainable development.

Like many European cities, Hamburg faces challenges tied to rapid urban growth, density and lack of affordable housing. Gentrification has led to increased rents, rising inequalities and the displacement of long-time residents. In an effort to combat the increasing demand for housing and offices while anticipating flood risks, the city decided to redevelop its former port into a new urban district: HafenCity.

In the early 2000s, the City of Hamburg launched one of the biggest inner-city regeneration projects yet. The objective was to extend Hamburg’s downtown area by 40%, create inner-city access to the shores of the Elbe and provide additional housing for the city’s growing population. The process followed the concept of urban regeneration, which connects the stimulation of economic activities and environmental improvements with wider social and cultural aspects.

While several urban regeneration projects have made ground in the EU over the last few years, HafenCity’s scale and ambition set it apart. HafenCity is built on a former industrial port area and effectively reuses existing infrastructure and land. Its historic warehouses have been preserved and converted into mixed-use spaces, such as offices, restaurants and apartments, extending the life of these structures. What’s more, the City of Hamburg negotiated complete site control from the start, which allowed it to counter conventional practices concerning building designs and technologies, land use synergies and environmental amenities and performance. 

To achieve such high environmental and social objectives, HafenCity relied on a specific public-private governance model, HafenCityHamburg GmbH. A GmbH, or ‘Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung’ is a limited liability company. The partnership combines the efficiency of the private sector (market discipline and mechanisms) with the benefits of public direction and legitimacy. This entailed a clear division of responsibilities between public owners and private managers to avoid short-term partisan politics. The city developed ambitious tendering processes that favoured quality over price. HafenCity Hamburg GmbH drives development concepts that support a socially balanced mix of apartments—one-third of which are reserved for low and medium-income households—good architecture, urban design and energy efficiency. 

In terms of mobility, the city prioritises smart solutions with walking, cycling and public transport, substantially reducing car ownership. To further reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the city relies on green heating power for high energy efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions and lower energy bills. All the buildings in HafenCity must be connected to two district heating networks, for example. Compared to a conventional fossil fuel heat supply, by 2028, a minimum of 75,000 tonnes of CO2 will be saved. For each subsequent year, an additional 12,000 tonnes will be saved.

If that wasn’t enough, the city also developed Germany’s first cradle-to-cradle design residential project, the Moringa project. It is the healthiest high-rise building to ever have been constructed in Germany, with half the materials used coming from secondary sources and boasting maximal green space. Hamburg embeds sustainable design throughout the city, requiring all renovation and new building projects to have eco-labels certifying environmental sustainability in construction. The DNG special aware label, launched in 2022, is focused on circular construction methods: the use of regenerative raw materials such as timber and clay, carbon-reduced steel, recycled building materials and modular or reduced-concrete construction methods. It also places an important focus on the documentation of the materials used and their separability during deconstruction to favour their recycling and reuse potential.

The project is set to be completed by 2030, at which time HafenCity will house 15,000 residents, 5,000 students and create up to 45,000 jobs. HafenCity is a model for other cities implementing circular and socially sustainable development concepts. The setup of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH as an autonomous subsidiary helped to avoid cumbersome and lengthy planning processes and red tape. The ambitious tendering process has allowed both the city and its stakeholders to achieve their objectives, creating a diversified urban and social fabric while upholding strong standards for reusing what existed by applying eco-design principles.

Photo by Moritz Kindler on Unsplash