The relocation of the Hamburg-Altona terminus station to Diebsteich opens a unique opportunity to develop a new, high-quality neighborhood that is sensitively integrated into the existing fabric at the transition between Altona and Ottensen. The basis for this is a simple, robust, and adaptable framework that envisages the square, park, urban building blocks, and bus station as independent elements that can be developed in a coordinated manner. The urban grain and building heights are precisely aligned with the surrounding area, but at selected locations, they create subtle "viewpoints" instead of dominant high-rise buildings.
In the center, a new plaza will be created as a traffic-calmed city square and new center of Altona. It connects Ottenser Hauptstraße with Große Bergstraße and the surrounding open spaces from east to west, creates striking visual references, and offers space for markets, festivals, or spontaneous use. To the north, it is flanked by the new bus station, which will be built with minimal impact on already sealed areas along the S-Bahn line. Three access points provide pedestrian access to bus platforms and the S-Bahn station in less than 200 m.
All existing traffic axes will be reworked: Präsident-Krahn-Straße will become a park promenade, and the Max-Brauer-Allee crossing will be significantly upgraded for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Neue Große Bergstraße will take over deliveries, emergency services, and taxi traffic; a neighborhood garage with surrounding buildings will replace the motorized individual transport thoroughfare.
The mix of uses focuses on flexible floor plans, active ground floor zones along the shopping streets, and supplements public offerings (sports, museum tunnel) with urgently needed living space and additional office space.
The open space is divided into clearly defined types: the precisely proportioned town square, the linear track park with sports and recreation areas, as well as promenades and decorative squares. Sustainability is ensured by climate-adapted design, tree canopies, water-retaining paving, rainwater management, extensive meadow areas, and green-blue energy roofs. The result is an urban quarter with a high quality of life and social and ecological resilience.
