The New Urban Quarter is located in Dusseldorf, Germany. This particular section of the overall project was the idea to take a major national roadway and put it underground. Previously the city had been accommodating for vehicular traffic as a main means of transportation, today however; they have began giving the public space back to pedestrians.
The decision to do such an expensive and timely project was no sudden one, much of the cities history is responsible for this drastic change. Like most European cities, Essen was ult for pedestrians but made major changes with the invention of the motor car. Today most cities are struggling to find the balance between the two, but Essen has decided to build for pedestrians. This however was very difficult due to the cities layout and strong green axis points.
As a result, the areas urban fabric is booming. The cityscape has been entirely rejuvenated, this was a factor of taking away the road way, thus no longer blocking the building facades and preventing pedestrians from enjoying the space between them. With the new streetscape they also decided to make building additions to the existing. This produced a medley of modern and classical architecture. Untimely, by giving the public space back to the people, Dusseldorf has seen huge success.
From my understanding, this project was extremely expensive, but times are changing. I really admire the cities dedication to building for people, and I think sooner rather than later, other cities will need to start making drastic changes such as this.
