Patrick-Henry-Village

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Location of the Patrick-Henry-Village in Heidelberg
View of PHV from the north-west. In the background the Odenwald (2010)

The Patrick-Henry-Village (short: PHV; also called Patrick-Henry-Siedlung, written with or without a hyphen) was a 97.2 hectare American housing estate in the Heidelberg district of Kirchheim . PHV was built between 1952 and 1955 for US military personnel and their families who were stationed at bases in Heidelberg and the surrounding area. It was named after the American politician Patrick Henry (1736–1799).

Geographical location

The Patrick-Henry-Village belongs to the city of Heidelberg , but is located a little outside between the communities of Eppelheim and Schwetzingen . It is delimited in the south by the B 535 federal highway and in the east by the A5 motorway. This completed construction method gave rise to the idea of ​​developing the PHV into a prestigious future city in the conversion process after the Americans had left.

history

For the residents of the Patrick-Henry-Village there were all the facilities that exist in a US city: schools, kindergartens, a fire station , leisure facilities (bowling, playgrounds, etc.) as well as a commissary and a PX store . In addition to the fast food chains Burger King and Subway, which are also known in Germany , the PHV also had branches of other fast food chains (for example Baskin-Robbins , TGI Friday’s ). In contrast to the shop opening hours in the rest of Germany, shopping could be done around the clock in the housing estate.

Expansion plans in 2002

The Americans were still pursuing expansion plans in 2002. In particular, they planned a large shopping mall south of the Patrick-Henry-Village. Further considerations envisaged an adjoining designation of areas used by the military that would have extended to the building boundaries of Plankstadt in the west, to those of Eppelheim and the Heidelberg district of Pfaffengrund in the north, and to the military airfield in the east . For financial reasons and probably also because of the protest of some Heidelberg farmers, this project was not pursued any further.

Lockdown and withdrawal of the US Army

In 2003, as a result of the attacks on New York City on September 11, 2001, the Patrick-Henry-Village and all other US Army facilities in Heidelberg were equipped with a fence. Access, previously free to everyone in the living areas, has since only been possible via guarded entrances with a US Army ID. The annual American folk festival was also no longer held on the premises of the PHV and moved to the Patton Barracks .

The Patrick-Henry-Village was officially closed on September 6, 2013 after the military personnel had mostly been relocated to Wiesbaden, the new headquarters of the American armed forces in Europe . The site was handed over to the Federal Real Estate Agency on June 2, 2014 .

Use as accommodation for refugees

In the winter of 2014, the Patrick Henry Village was set up as a winter emergency shelter for refugees in the wake of the “ refugee crisis ”. The plan was to create space for up to 2,000 people there - but up to 6,000 people have now been accommodated there. Originally, the needs-based initial reception center in Heidelberg was to be used until the spring of 2015; the state government and regional council made an early effort to extend the operation, which was officially extended to April 2018 in March 2017.

The accommodation was set up as an indirect successor to the emergency accommodation in the Heidelberg Patton Barracks . This became necessary because the situation did not defuse in the winter months either. The Karlsruhe Regional Council is responsible for the operation , which in turn commissioned the service provider European Home Care (EHC) for the operational business. The Heidelberg municipal council approved the establishment of the emergency accommodation in PHV in November 2014. It was made ready for occupancy in mid-December 2014, before the first refugees could move in shortly before Christmas. A number of construction measures had to be implemented before the winter emergency shelter was ready for occupancy. For example, an old district heating pipe was reactivated, new water pipes were laid, smoke detectors installed and the electrical engineering in the buildings was renewed. In addition, temporary shower and sanitary containers were initially set up outside. Only about two months later, in February 2015, were these finally replaced by a functioning water supply in the buildings.

Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science, Theresia Bauer , called for further buildings in the PHV to be renovated for such use in order to be able to accommodate even more refugees. Heidelberg's Lord Mayor Eckart Würzner contradicted her request and demanded that the decentralized accommodation in Heidelberg be maintained and that the refugees be distributed more fairly in Baden-Württemberg. Nevertheless, the Baden-Württemberg state government decided to develop the Patrick-Henry-Village into a central hub, i.e. H. Three quarters of all refugees in the southwest should be smuggled through the village. The steps necessary for the asylum procedure such as registration, health check, registration and the submission of asylum applications should be bundled there. In addition, asylum seekers who were distributed to the districts after the application was submitted will be summoned again to Patrick-Henry-Village to hold the asylum hearing there.

In the meantime, the PHV has been converted into a so-called "registration center" by the state of Baden-Württemberg in a kind of pilot project . In the course of this, the recognition and registration processes were also optimized so that the necessary steps can be completed within around 24 to 48 hours. This also received a lot of attention from other federal states. Currently (as of October 2017) a debate about the future of the PHV has flared up again. While the Court of Auditors apparently wants to keep the arrival center, Heidelberg's Mayor Eckart Würzner is demanding a clear schedule for the end of the facility and expects the state to vacate the area by May 1, 2018.

future plans

Due to the isolated location of the PHV already mentioned in the previous chapter, there are no obvious possible uses, which is why the International Building Exhibition Heidelberg (IBA) has commissioned five international urban planning offices to develop sustainable and innovative usage concepts. The aim of the IBA is to use this process to “develop a transformation strategy in the sense of the 'knowledge city of tomorrow'” , which enables an innovative solution that is excellent in terms of urban planning and building culture. For this purpose, a total of four potential future scenarios were developed, each of which is briefly presented below.

Scenario 1: Science & Economy + Housing

Scenario 1 deals with the Patrick Henry Village as a location for science and business - as well as living space, which incidentally plays an important role in all four presented scenarios. The key questions of the scenario are: "How does the PHV become an attractive location for companies?" And: "How can science and industry position themselves together in the PHV?"

The visions are based on the idea that the island location enables innovative and more radical architecture and planning than would be the case with an integrated district. If the planners have their way, the PHV should be just as attractive in the future as Heidelberg's old town - just for completely different reasons. The motto is: “Here we want world class!” And this is to be achieved by creating a kind of “ branding ” through experimental town planning to distinguish it from other scientific and business locations. The scenario is nicknamed "Free Henry" and also includes the fact that the existing buildings are to be converted for new and innovative purposes. However, the current building stock is not suitable for a business or science campus, which is why these should only be retained to a certain extent. Again, a high variety of uses should be achieved through a significantly higher building density.

Scenario 2: networking + living

The second developed scenario is based on the concept of networking and living and deals with key questions that arise from cities that are becoming increasingly digital. For example: "What effects does digital planning or digital management of energy, infrastructure and mobility have on the city and its residents?" Or "What do public spaces and traffic look like in the" digital city "?"

The idea of ​​networking the city and its residents includes the basic idea that the area should be opened up to a community that is dedicated to the digital sharing of goods and services. In the opinion of the planners, this idea acts as a strong unique selling point and as an incentive for locals and (knowledge) nomads to live in the PHV. As drivers of innovation, creative people should have a decisive influence on the district.

The PHV as an “American enclave in the heart of Europe” seems to the planners “as the ideal experimental space to test such a social and architectural utopia.” The approach should be supplemented by the fact that the residents network via a digital portal and have access to various mobility solutions - such as an e-minibus, bike sharing, car sharing, etc. As a result, the roads could be dismantled and converted into shared spaces and bus stops into small-scale sub-centers. The rest of the architecture can, however, be retained, although a realignment would also be necessary here, for example by converting certain buildings.

Scenario 3: learning spaces + living

In scenario 3, Patrick Henry Village is developed as a residential district with study rooms. The basic idea behind this is that knowledge - even in a university city - does not only appear through academic institutions. The central questions are therefore "Where does learning take place in an urban context?" , "How do learning locations have to be designed in order to meet modern pedagogy?" , "How can the participation of the various future actors be included in the planning and development of the PHV ? " And " how can open spaces be created in buildings and in open spaces that promote learning and educational processes on the PHV? "

In addition, it is important to reflect on the history of the place and to develop it further towards a prototypical “design of a quarter for the knowledge city of tomorrow, which uses the synergies of education, culture, science and economy as engines of the quarter development” . The so-called “memory spaces” should be integrated and create awareness for the district. In addition, further prototype solutions are to be tested - such as the concepts of energy self-sufficiency, self-sufficiency or mobility and supply solutions such as car sharing , delivery by drones, etc. The PHV should therefore become a kind of "city laboratory" for innovative spatial concepts, functional mixtures , technologies, visions and organizational forms are developed and used. In the opinion of the planners, this experimental space is characterized by its multi-talent, polyvalence and openness, which is why the PHV could become the “model quarter of the knowledge city of tomorrow”.

Scenario 4: material cycles + living

In addition to living, the fourth scenario is primarily concerned with material cycles. The principle is that a city cannot be imagined without a landscape and the key question is therefore: "Nutrition, water cycles, air purification, recycling of materials - what can the Patrick-Henry-Village as a new district achieve in these areas in the future?" And "How can the currently linear urban metabolism of the city be converted into a circulatory system that interacts better with the surrounding natural material cycles?"

For this purpose, the area is divided into clusters, each of which fulfills its own tasks. Groups of buildings are created that can enter into productive exchange with one another. This is intended to increase the willingness to take risks when applying new technologies. This is based on the goal of a high level of participation by research institutions and innovative companies, which in turn should ensure a high degree of diversity through the possibility of parallelism of different approaches. In order to achieve this, however, the PHV needs not only a higher structural density but also a corresponding structural and functional diversity. In addition, recreational and employment opportunities are to be created to establish the neighborhood. The resulting open space is then filled with productive types of landscape - for example for food production, energy generation or water management. In summary, it can be said that nature's ecosystem services are combined with the latest technology in order to enable a resource-saving and pleasant way of life.

literature

  • Walter F. Elkins, Christian Führer, Michael J. Montgomery: Americans in Heidelberg 1945-2013 . Special publications of the Heidelberg City Archives, Volume 20. Verlag regionalkultur, Heidelberg, Ubstadt-Weiher 2014, ISBN 978-3-89735-806-5 .

Movie

  • Goodbye GI Documentary, Germany, 2014, 81:20 min., Script and direction: Uli Gaulke and Agnes Lisa Wegner, camera: Sebastian Bäumler, production: kurhaus production, SWR , first broadcast: August 12, 2014 in Das Erste , summary with preview from the Baden-Württemberg Film Funding, film side .

Web links

Commons : Patrick-Henry-Village  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.morgenweb.de/mannheimer-morgen_artikel,-heidelberg-einzug-noch-in-diesem-jahr-_arid,1584797.html
  2. ↑ https://www.rnz.de/nachrichten/metropolregion_artikel,-Metropolregion-Stadtentwicklung-und-Fluechtlinge-ein-Spagat-_arid,145461.html
  3. ↑ Steffen Blatt: The “German-American Volksfest” is coming again. In May the fair takes place in the Campbell Barracks - with a marquee, more rides and a slightly changed name. In: Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (RNZ), February 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ Closure USAREUR Heidelberg. In: dvidshub.net
  5. ↑ Steffen Blatt: Now the Americans have also evacuated Patrick Henry Village. The US Army returned the 97.2 hectare site on June 2. In: Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (RNZ), June 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ Holger Buchwald: Refugees in Patrick Henry Village #Chronology. In: RNZ , September 30, 2015.
  7. ^ Thomas Thieme: Refugees in the German labor market: Blitzkarriere in Deutschland . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart, Germany (Hrsg.): Stuttgarter-zeitung.de . ( stuttgarter-zeitung.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  8. ^ Anica Edinger: Heidelberg: Refugees will stay in Patrick Henry Village until April 2018 . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  9. ↑ Micha Hörnle: Patrick Henry Village emergency accommodation has started operations . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  10. ^ City of Heidelberg: heidelberg.de - January 29, 2015 Refugees in Heidelberg - Figures, data, facts. Retrieved October 27, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Timo Teufert: A lot is being rebuilt in the Patrick-Henry-Village for the refugees . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  12. ↑ Timo Teufert: Refugees in Patrick-Henry-Village: Everything has to be ready by Friday . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  13. ↑ Sebastian Riemer: Minister of Science Bauer: Heidelberg should take in more refugees. In: RNZ , September 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ dpa : The southwest hub for refugees starts on Monday in Heidelberg. In: RNZ , September 22, 2015.
      Holger Buchwald: Refugees in Patrick Henry Village. In: RNZ , September 30, 2015.
  15. ↑ Soren S. Sgries: plans for Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg: After 24 to 48 hours is the asylum decision . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  16. ↑ Sören S. Sgries and Bettina Grachtrup: Heidelberg model: Berlin coalition wants registration centers . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  17. ^ Holger Buchwald: Patrick Henry Village Heidelberg: Court of Auditors wants to receive arrival center in Heidelberg . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  18. ↑ Holger Buchwald: Arrival center PHV Heidelberg: Würzner demands a specific schedule from the state . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  19. ↑ https://www.morgenweb.de/mannheimer-morgen_artikel,-mannheim-wuerzner-verlangt-loesungsweg-_arid,1176425.html ANKUNFTSZENTRUM HEIDELBERG'S CITY CHIEF FAVORITE COLEMAN Würzner demands "solution"
  20. ^ Digital district in Heidelberg: A world first for Patrick-Henry-Village . ( rnz.de [accessed October 27, 2017]).
  21. ↑ Scenario 1 | Sciences + Economy - IBA Heidelberg. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Scenario 2 | Networks + Living - IBA Heidelberg. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Scenario 3 | Study rooms + living - IBA Heidelberg. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Scenario 4 | Material cycles + living - IBA Heidelberg. Retrieved June 14, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Harald Keller: TV review: “Goodbye GI” (Das Erste). The farewell blues can be heard softly. In: Frankfurter Rundschau , August 12, 2014 and press kit for Goodbye GI In: SWR , (PDF; 7 p., 157 kB).
      Gaby Booth: Goodbye GI - farewell to the "Amiviertel". In: RNZ , November 7, 2013.

Coordinates: 49 ° 23 '  N , 8 ° 38'  E