Densifying a neighborhood from 750 to at least 1,250 affordable apartments and at the same time saving almost 90 percent of CO₂ emissions compared to the status quo: The city wants to achieve these ambitious goals in a development run by its housing company Gewofag in Ramersdorf, which is located directly at the Karl-Preis subway station -Place is located. On Wednesday, the city council’s planning committee unanimously made the fundamental decision to create a “Ramersdorf climate district”.
This provides for a comprehensive energy-saving renovation of the existing buildings and demolition only on a small scale. In addition, the wooden buildings are to be expanded and connected to the district heating network as quickly as possible. There were different views among the parliamentary groups only on the question of how many parking spaces the district should offer in the future and how school supplies should be planned.
The project is about the “Ramersdorf Süd” settlement with a total of around 900 Gewofag apartments, which extends between Claudius-Keller-Straße, Rosenheimer Straße, Wilramstraße and Laibacher Straße. The area is 9.4 hectares, which is equivalent to about 13 football fields. The settlement was created between 1949 and 1965 as a so-called “American settlement” and since the 1960s it has belonged entirely to Gewofag. Some of the apartments, a good 150 in number, are located in three taller buildings on the eastern edge; they were excluded from the current considerations because there is already a renovation concept for them.
The rest of the settlement consists of row buildings with large above-ground parking areas. The buildings are structurally in good condition and technically identical, which enables serial renovation and additions. Over the past year and a half, an interdisciplinary team led by Gewofag has developed a 120-page concept for a “climate-neutral and climate-resilient neighborhood” and new affordable housing. From various scenarios, the version with an additional densification of around 500 apartments has proven to be the best for the time being.
A new neighborhood square is also planned, areas are to be unsealed and as many trees as possible are to be preserved. The apartments also have balconies. The redesign is planned in three phases, during which the tenants should be able to stay in their apartments. The first phase is scheduled to begin in 2024 with an energy renovation in the blocks along Claudius-Keller-Straße. From 2027, further renovations as well as extensions and extensions with a total of 200 new apartments are planned in a second phase. In the third phase from 2028, the renovation would be completed and new construction would take place again on a larger scale. Architectural offices should work out details in a competition.
“We are deciding on a very good district today,” said Green City Councilor Christian Smolka in the debate. He spoke of a “precedent object” that would have an impact beyond the city limits. Christian Köning (SPD) even spoke of a “jack of all trades” because it was possible to reconcile often conflicting goals such as housing construction and climate protection.
Above-ground parking spaces still characterize the Gewofag settlement in Ramersdorf, but that is about to change.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
Praise also came from the opposition. “We can learn a lot about climate neutrality from the draft resolution,” said Brigitte Wolf (Left Party), such as how important it is to renovate existing buildings, but also “that the first thing we have to tackle is the switch to district heating.” By switching from natural gas to district heating for heating, greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings will fall by 95 percent, according to the template. Dirk Höpner (Munich List), who is critical of Munich’s growth and therefore often new housing projects, called the concept “the best thing I have read in my years on the city council”.
In principle, the CSU and FDP also welcome the project. However, they criticize that the parking space key should fall from the current 0.7 to 0.3, meaning that mathematically there would only be a parking space for 30 percent of the apartments. To this end, car sharing and cycling offers should be expanded. Although the district is close to a subway station, he warns against this “crass reduction” in parking spaces, said Fabian Ewald (CSU), who are already in short supply there. Jörg Hoffmann (FDP) added that he thinks it is wrong that “those who will move there have to bow to the mobility dictate and can no longer have a car.”
Ewald also warned that a new school location must be named “before entering phase three”. The Green Smolka agreed in principle, but was optimistic that a solution was possible.