Urban development planning and urban design

Urban development planning determines the basic features of the city as a whole by defining the city center, districts, residential areas, office districts, industrial areas and also the large green spaces and landscaped areas, as well as determining the basic transport network and the locations for infrastructure facilities.

Urban planning concretizes these fundamental specifications of urban development planning with a large number of formal and informal plans and also often through direct construction measures. In addition, private building activities are often regulated in detail by means of framework plans, development plans and contractual regulations. Offenbach's urban planning is integrated into a planning hierarchy of the federal government and the state of Hesse, which is subdivided into different types and levels of planning:

Formal planning

Formal planning is enshrined in law - e.g. in the Federal Building Code (BauGB) - and is precisely regulated with regard to the procedures for drawing up plans, including the opportunities for citizens to participate in the planning process. Formal planning includes

State and regional planning - These formulate the objectives of spatial planning to which municipal planning must conform. The City of Offenbach am Main participates in these planning processes by submitting applications and comments as well as through its votes in the South Hesse Regional Assembly.

Municipal land use planning (preparatory land-use planning) - This is drawn up by the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main conurbation planning association, of which the City of Offenbach am Main is a member. Offenbach also participates in changes to the land use plan by submitting applications and comments and through its political representation in the association's chamber. The land use plan outlines the intended urban development of the cities and municipalities in the conurbation and thus forms the framework for the next planning stage based on it, the

Municipal development planning (binding urban land-use planning) - The City of Offenbach am Main draws up development plans on its own initiative and adopts them as statutes in the city council. They cover parts of the urban area ranging from the size of a building block to the size of an urban quarter. Within their areas of application, they regulate the legally binding use of buildings and open spaces, the shape and location of buildings as well as the location of streets and other public areas.