The next V-Global field trip tooks place in the urban center of Northern Germany, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. On the 15th of June, participants had the opportunity to collect geodata based on the overarching topic of the project global change. Four routes are representative for the different faces of the city.
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is located 145 km upstream of the North Sea at the River Elbe and two of its tributaries the River Alster and the River Bille. Following Berlin, Hamburg is the most populated city with approximately 1.8 million inhabitants. At the river basin of the Elbe, the city is densely populated. 20% of Hamburg’s population live in the marsh area at mean sea level, which is why they are highly affected by sea-level rise. Therefore, flood resilience and implemented protection measures are of utmost importance (Kruse, 2017).
Hamburg’s economy depends on its maritime location as it is also Europe’s third largest containers port and ranks 18 on a global scale. This is why the city of Hamburg is often called gateway to the world.
Source: Picture taken by Jonas Tebbe for Unsplash (www.unsplash.com) under the Unsplash License https://unsplash.com/license
The harbor and city are well connected through the German railway network and a public transportation system of buses, underground trains and fairies. Mobility is crucial for the development of the city. In 2017, a “Sustainable Urban Mobility” fund was launched by the German government to promote measures to improve air quality. This fund serves to support municipalities in the longer-term design of sustainable and locally emission-free mobility. Parts of the project are the digitization of municipal transport systems and electrification of transport, in particular of public transportations such as buses in local public transport and urban commercial transport as well as cabs, rental cars and car-sharing vehicles. In addition, the upgrade of diesel buses in public transport will be promoted.
Overall, parks, nature reserves, environmental and urban sustainability projects make Hamburg one of the greenest cities in Germany. According to the annual global livability report, which includes health, culture and environment, education, infrastructure, and stability, Hamburg is Germany’s most livable city.
The routes to explore different faces of the city with regards to global change will therefore focus on in how far sustainable green urban development projects are in place and have been implemented in the city.
Source: Picture taken by Julia Solonina for Unsplash (www.unsplash.com) under the Unsplash License https://unsplash.com/license
- HafenCity – Europe’s largest inner-city urban development project as a model for the new sustainable European city on the waterfront.
- Wilhelmsburg – formerly known as run down district of the city has been sustainably developing especially through urban building projects connected to renewable energy.
- Steilshoop / City Nord – implementation of innovation urban development in order to either increase the attractiveness of large-scale housing estates or create an economic service center.
- Schanze – Visible gentrification processes in the most vibrant district of Hamburg.
Based on these routes, V-Global team is creating virtual field trip with participatory tools. We used Padlet to structure our work.
Sources
Behörde für Verkehr und Mobilitätswende. (no year). Hamburg – City of Mobility. Accessed from: https://www.hamburg.de/bvm/greencityplanhamburg/ [15.10.22].
Behörde für Verkehr und Mobilitätswende. (no year). Aktuelles zur Magistralenentwicklung Ein Masterplan für Hamburgs Magistralen. Accessed from: https://www.hamburg.de/stadtplanung/ [15.10.22].
Kruse, N. (2017). Klimawandel und sturmfluten: ein vergleich der mentalen modelle und risikobewertungen zwischen experten und bürgern der stadt Hamburg. Geographische Gesellschaft.
Port of Hamburg. (2022). Port of Hamburg – Gateway to the world. Accessed from: https://www.hafen-hamburg.de/en/portofhamburg/port-of-hamburg/ [15.10.22].