Green meadow (urban planning)
The green lawn designated jargon of urban planning planning and development on land that previously the settlement area belonged to the city or the community. These areas can be planned housing estates , commercial areas , special areas or, less often, weekend house areas, public green areas and public utility facilities .
On the green field , an interdisciplinary phrase is also used to denote an imaginary situation in which a concept can be implemented in its purest form, without having to take account of grown, mostly organizational , conditions.
origin
Planning on the “green field” is a consequence of the Athens Charter (1933, 1943), which established a separation of uses and functions in urban development . The rapid increase in individual motorisation and the increase in the population due to refugees in German cities after the Second World War encouraged the search for new spatial concepts for urban growth .
Until the 1990s, the articulated city was considered an ideal, in which the central supply and service facilities in the city center and the industrial areas on the outskirts were separated from the residential areas by a green belt on the leeward side . This resulted in the first moderate expansion of settlements on the "green field", but the basic structures of the historically grown European city were largely preserved.
City expansions
In the 1960s and 1970s, however, under the spurts of growth of the economic miracle society, increased modernization began, which led to the typical developments on the "green field" with satellite towns such as the Märkisches Viertel in Berlin, Chorweiler in Cologne, Neuperlach in Munich, Langwasser in Nuremberg , Nordweststadt in Frankfurt, Neue Vahr in Bremen, the Großfeldsiedlung in Vienna or Wulfen on the northern edge of the Ruhr area .
With the establishment of new urban settlements ( suburbanization ), area renovation prevailed in the inner cities , which led to the loss of their identity for many cities. In the 1980s, the criticism of this urban development policy became so loud that, initially with the support of the international ( UNESCO ) declared priority for monument protection, new concepts for the redevelopment of inner cities were sought.
A policy of sustainable urban renewal has now become the new model. In this way, some cities were able to maintain their face and these cities are today often gems of their federal states (see historical city center ).
Current trends
The development shown meant that within the city center it was hardly possible to have large-scale business premises that would at the same time have taken into account the rapidly tightening conditions of the retail trade (see large-scale retail trade ). In the 1970s, therefore, a “greenfield” retail trend began, which continued unabated until the late 1990s and led to the loss of essential central functions in the city center.
The development of the accession area in Germany occupies a special position . The available areas in the city centers were often encumbered with unclear property rights, lack of development, lack of building rights (at least according to a so-called “qualified development plan” according to the BauGB ) and other time-consuming development difficulties. Therefore, in the first half of the 1990s, numerous new shopping centers were built on the "green field" at the gates of the East German cities. This was made easier by the fact that shortly after reunification there was no qualified regional planning in accordance with the new legislation . As a result, numerous small surrounding communities were able to issue extensive development plans without the actually required coordination and consultation.
At the latest since the end of the 1990s, however, the trend towards green fields has weakened or started to reverse in some places. The migratory flows between the city and the surrounding communities as well as the declining number of new residential buildings on the "greenfield" show that living in the city has become more attractive. In addition to the households' desire for urbanity , the not inconsiderable expenditure of time and money for mobility between the “green meadow” and the city is likely to be decisive. This trend can also be observed in the retail sector, where the city centers are now maintaining their position and - at least in prime locations - are recording increasing sales.
Environmental aspects
The development of an open space necessarily leads to land consumption or surface sealing . Municipalities expand their built-up area at the cost of urban sprawl - outwards - or redensification - inwards - which in turn is associated with habitat fragmentation with known adverse effects on ecology. Green spaces near the city are important factors not only for local recreation , but often also have a positive effect on the urban climate .
Planning law
Planning on the "green field" is partially promoted by the current immission control and planning law . In Section 50 of the Federal Immission Control Act ( BImSchG ), the principle of separation is standardized, which obliges the planning cities and municipalities to spatially separate mutually exclusive uses (classic example: residential - commercial).
The state environmental authorities responsible for enforcing this state planning maxim have received guidelines according to which the immission distances to be observed between residential and commercial areas are to be measured. In practice, these decrees are of little importance today, as the settlement of high- emitting companies has become rare.
The admissibility of the individual building project depends on the availability of a development plan . If this is not the case, the admissibility of the project is usually to be assessed in accordance with BauGB § 35 (and therefore very restrictive), since building in so-called outdoor areas is generally not permitted.