Shortly after the start of public participation, the great interest of the residents is clearly noticeable. On this Friday afternoon, a good dozen citizens are crowded in front of the colorfully pasted information boards, it is about possibilities for a redesign of the wood yard. In conversation with those responsible from the building department of the city of Munich, it quickly becomes clear that the future of their square is extremely important to the residents.
Heinz Grünberger is coordinating the project together with his team from the building department and a Munich office for urban development. The aim for this day is primarily to talk to interested citizens, to present the plans that have been drawn up and to answer open questions. The wishes and opinions of local residents should also be taken into account in the planning. In addition to general information about the redesign of the square, the information boards present three specific design variants that the municipal building department has developed. Residents have the opportunity to comment on each variant presented with a specially labeled green, yellow or red sticky note. An offer that many use. But even so, there is a lively, communicative exchange between the residents and those responsible about the future of the square.
Three variants are proposed: project manager Andrea Delgado-Freiberg (left) discusses with landlord Tom Random.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
A local resident sees the problem primarily in foreign traffic and points to a number of parked cars with non-local license plates. “These are also people who only come here for breakfast.” A citizen complains that with a reduction in parking spaces and an expansion of the square, new problems could arise. With a larger outdoor area, it could be significantly louder in the evening.
So far, the usability of the area with an old tree population and the listed urinal has been severely restricted by the adjacent parking spaces. The redesign is intended to improve the quality of stay. On the basis of a recommendation from the citizens’ assembly and an application from the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district committee, the building department therefore developed the three variants that will be presented this afternoon.
The inventory-oriented solution protects the parking situation
The first variant presented offers an inventory-oriented solution. A total of 25 parking spaces would be eliminated on the square and in the adjacent Holzstrasse. Four new trees would be planted, 42 additional bicycle parking spaces would be created, and the curve area of the road would be reduced to allow for a better crossing for pedestrians. A minimal solution, which, however, meets with isolated approval. “The best solution for residents who absolutely need a car” is written, for example, on a green sticky note under this information board. In the second variant, there are no more parking spaces in the adjacent Pestalozzistraße in addition to the parking spaces on Holzstraße. However, the number of new trees and bicycle parking spaces to be planted would then remain the same – a moderate interim solution.
In the third variant, a total of 50 parking spaces will be eliminated in Pestalozzistrasse, Holzstrasse and at Holzplatz. 44 new bicycle parking spaces could then be created and a total of seven new trees could be planted. A variant that received the most approval until the end of public participation, as the many green sticky notes show and as project manager Heinz Grünberger confirms.
Transformation as an ongoing theme
The district committee had already decided in 2017 that the wood yard should be permanently redesigned. The city of Munich was commissioned to examine possible planning variants. Building on this, the citizens’ assembly of the district had already insisted in 2019 that as many parking spaces as possible should be deleted and that the street in the area of the square should be closed to motorized traffic.
According to the building department, the result of the public participation will first be evaluated internally and then discussed with the district committee. If the local politicians agree, the third variant will be implemented. However, since the costs for the redesign would then be more than one million euros, the city council may have to approve this variant next year. So it can be another three to four years before the groundbreaking ceremony at the wood yard.