Public participation in the "Green Center" future project: numerous participants contributed their ideas

The future-oriented "Green Center" project aims to create a green corridor right through the city centre to improve the quality of life and the microclimate. The ribbon of open space connects the pedestrian zone, bordered by Berliner Strasse to the north, the market square to the east, Geleitsstrasse to the south and Kaiserstrasse to the west. The focus is on the area from Platz der Deutschen Einheit to Marktplatz, including the S-Bahn forecourt.

The opinions of the citizens are very important to the city of Offenbach. For this reason, an on-site participation event was held at the end of last year. During two city walks and various dialog stations, citizens had the opportunity to contribute their perspectives. Around 40 participants engaged in lively discussions, exchanged ideas and contributed a wide range of information, ideas and impressions for the ongoing process.

The two city walks with different routes offered a low-threshold introduction to the topic and made it possible to view the central locations in the city center together on site. This allowed impressions to be gathered directly and challenges and potentials to be identified directly in the space.

Following the city walks, the stations in the town hall foyer offered the opportunity to explore individual topics in greater depth, formulate concrete ideas and set priorities for future development. In this way, a multi-layered picture emerged of what is important to people and what changes they would particularly like to see.

The on-site participation was flanked by an online participation in which numerous contributions were submitted.

Overall, participants perceived the city center as functional, but not sufficiently liveable. There was a particular focus on the sequence of squares: Platz der Deutschen Einheit - Stadthof - Hugenottenplatz - Marktplatz S-Bahn station forecourt. Similar central themes emerged for the city centre as a whole and for the sequence of squares. Many people feel that the city center is too hot, too stony and not shaded enough. Accordingly, there is a great desire for more visible and tangible greenery as well as shade and water. In future, the spaces under consideration should develop from mere transit zones into places with a high quality of stay: With a variety of seating options, non-consumption offers and space for encounters. In addition, many participants would like to see a more well-kept appearance and the opportunity to share responsibility for public spaces through sponsorships and community involvement. The desire for design diversity and identity, for example through color, art, culture or better lighting, was also expressed.

The results of the participation have now been fully evaluated and supplemented with the feedback from the online participation and the participation of the children's and youth parliament. They will be incorporated into the development of an integrated concept for the Green Center, which will then be presented to the city councillors in a next step.