Squaring the Circle
Frankfurt am Main, 2018
Ongoing project
Urban design
Our attitude towards mobility has changed beyond recognition over the past 150 years. In the days when Schweizer Straße and Schweizer Platz in Frankfurt were originally planned, coaches-and-horses and trams dominated the street scene. In the meantime things have changed radically. Nowadays cars take up more and more space, which means everyone suffers. To address the issue of a city that caters well for both cyclists and pedestrians, this design proposes turning the five streets bordering onto the busy Schweizer Platz hub into cul-de-sacs. This proposal involves closing the surrounding streets to individual traffic, yet allowing trams to cross the middle of Schweizer Platz. This would mean that the current well functioning shared space and municipal routes crossing Schweizer Platz would remain as they are.
Both these measures result in an enormous space gain for the traffic-calmed area. The design creates a centrally located ‘circular square’ for Sachsenhausen, with space both for a weekly market and events, as well as an overall improvement in the quality of life of the neighbourhood.
Offices involved:
