Ottensen is becoming a model district with few cars – this is how it continues!

Ottensen is becoming a model district with few cars – this is how it continues!

A lot has happened in Ottensen, a district of Hamburg, in the last few months. At the beginning of 2025, open space planning came into focus with the aim of increasing the quality of stay and redesigning public space. The focus was on topics such as greenery, the selection of sustainable materials and the provision of urban furniture such as benches and bicycle racks. According to the district policy hamburg.de, this was supported by an ideas workshop on March 27, 2025, in which 20 citizens were able to participate in the planning. In addition, almost 1,000 people took part in an online survey that promoted opinion formation.

Numerous events took place over the course of the year, including the presentation “From Idea to Neighborhood” on September 27th with over 300 participants. The next steps were presented here, which helped the preparations for the upcoming road reconstruction gain momentum. An information column was also installed on Ottenser Hauptstrasse, which provides information about the project and the participation process. There is a partial concept, especially for local businesses, that is intended to support commercial traffic.

Traffic flow regulations

A central element of the planning were the access regulations, which were decided on August 14, 2025. Delivery traffic in the core areas of the district is now permitted Monday to Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Residents are allowed to enter the areas every day between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and again between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. But it's not just these new rules that pose a challenge, the implementation of the West Loop is also difficult. Internal hurdles must be clarified and intensive coordination with various management is necessary.

A school project to creatively use the parking spaces along the West Loop was initiated by the project advisory board. It is ideal for further promoting the quality of stay. The plans call for construction to begin in April 2026 in the south of Bahrenfelder Straße. The residents have to prepare for some of the stress caused by the construction work, especially since existing construction sites also influence the current situation.

Car-poor neighborhood and sustainable mobility

2026 will be the year of visible changes in the car-poor neighborhood. The approach of promoting greater integration of work, living and leisure in redesigned residential areas has proven to be key to reducing traffic burdens. This is supported by the positive experiences from the lockdown phase, in which walking and cycling became more prominent, while individual car use fell sharply. According to the findings of the initiative for **sustainable mobility** zukunft-nachhafte-mobilitaet.de there are significant efficiency gains by switching from private cars to multimodal mobility offers.

The “Car-Reduced Neighborhoods” project in Munich also promotes sustainable mobility and tests innovative solutions to improve the quality of stay and reduce traffic. The focus is on creating green spaces and increasing social interaction among residents. These concepts could serve as a model for Hamburg districts where similar goals are pursued; after all, Munich is also aiming for climate neutrality by 2035. unser.muenchen.de provides comprehensive insights and results from mobility research.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the planning measures in Ottensen not only contribute to improving the quality of life of the residents, but also represent a significant step towards more environmentally friendly mobility and are therefore forward-looking.