Leipzig is currently building the city’s first superblock, which aims to reduce traffic and improve quality of life. Cars are being diverted onto the main roads to transform side streets into a green-blue network of pedestrian-friendly public spaces. All about the Leipzig Superblocks here.
Thanks to the Leipzig Superblock, it was possible to stroll along Ludwigstraße. Image source: Christoph Müller
A proposal for the post-corona city
The Velo-City Conference 2023 took place in Leipzig in May 2023. Superblocks Leipzig e.V. and the city of Leipzig opened their first pilot project in the east of the city. Inspired by the Superblocks in Barcelona, the aim is to calm traffic in residential areas. To this end, through traffic is prevented from passing through and diverted back onto the main road. In this way, the city of Leipzig hopes to achieve improved traffic safety and an optimized quality of life.
The first section of the pilot project consists of a traffic-calmed area in combination with a diagonal barrier. This barrier cuts through the junction area and makes it impossible to drive straight across the junction. At the corner of Hildegardstraße and Ludwigstraße, through traffic must now remain on the main road. In Hildegardstraße, a new, traffic-calmed area is being created from Eisenbahnstraße to Hildegardstraße. The Superblocks Leipzig e.V. association is designing the newly created space with seating and plants.
The pilot project in the Leipzig district on Eisenbahnstraße is intended to provide initial experience and insights. The city is also working on an overall concept for the district. Findings from the traffic trial and other ideas are to be presented in the summer. Under the name “Post-Corona City”, the project is receiving support from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community as part of the National Urban Development Policy. The city of Leipzig is also supporting the Superblock.
Superblocks Leipzig e.V. is committed to the street as a meeting place. Image source: Christoph Müller
Green, safe paths in cooperation with neighbors
“The city is very happy to support the association in implementing innovative ideas for urban space design. We’ve had our sights set on the Super Blocks for a long time; it’s a tried-and-tested concept with a positive track record. We are very excited to see how our first step is received by the residents and what we can learn from the traffic trial,” said Thomas Dienberg, Mayor of Construction.
Ariane Jedlitschka, project manager at Superblock Leipzig e.V., added that the association wants to open up the street space in the east of Leipzig for people. The traffic-calmed area is intended to create a green-blue network as a neighborhood meeting place. Future superblocks will further promote interaction between neighbors and create green, safe paths in the district.
From 9 to 12 May 2023, neighbors were able to contribute their wishes and ideas for the design of the project. A mobile wish office was set up on the corner of Hildegardstraße and Ludwigstraße, which was well received by residents. The initiative is currently collecting partners and donations to bring more furniture, colors and plants into the public space.
At the participatory forum in Leipzig, residents discussed what the street space could look like on a human scale. Image source: Christoph Müller
Right of way for children is one of the most important issues in the east of Leipzig that the superblocks could solve. Image source: Christoph Müller
Leipzig: Street space for everyone
In the future, the Superblock in the east of Leipzig is to be a whole network of pedestrian-friendly public spaces. The organizers envision bicycle and play streets, new green spaces and water elements. In doing so, they want to address the specific challenges of densely populated, socially mixed urban neighborhoods. As part of “urban development on a human scale”, the aim is to create a new way of living together, especially after the pandemic.
The idea of superblocks originally comes from Barcelona. It consists of using street space less for car traffic and more for the mobility of all and for people to spend time in. Healthcare and climate impact adaptation are further ideas behind the superblocks. In the context of resilient urban redevelopment, it is important to work closely with neighbors and anchor participation from the outset. Superblocks Leipzig e.V. therefore relies on co-productive cooperation between civil society, politics, administration and science.
In Barcelona, the Superblocks have been an important part of the city’s mobility strategy since 2013. Nine blocks of flats each become a superblock. Traffic is only allowed to flow around the superblock. Inside, there is traffic-calmed space and room for residents. The Kiezblocks in Berlin and the Superblocks in Leipzig are examples of international responses to this concept.
Read more: Find out more about the superblocks in Barcelona here.