In a four-episode video podcast, Michael Heller, architect of the planning office Albert Speer und Partner (AS P) from Frankfurt/Main, explains,

• what had to be considered in the master plan Nordhoffachse (part 1 - exploration phase)
• what the design looks like (part 2 - design phase),
• what the result of the strategic planning is (part 3 - result phase) and
• what summarizes the master plan (Part 4 - Summary).

Before a new district can be developed, the basic structures must first be determined: Where could there be development? Where should there be green spaces? How will the planned area be developed? A master plan is being drawn up for this purpose. It is more or less a director's book and describes the development of the neighborhood from an urban planning, open space and traffic planning perspective. A master plan represents a declaration of intent formulated well in advance and makes initial statements on functions and quality targets. The concept must be flexible and capable of being updated. This means that adjustments to changing framework conditions and development needs are possible at any time during the further planning process.

Details, such as exactly where a path runs in a parking area or the design of a building, are not yet specified in a master plan. Furthermore, a master plan does not yet create building rights. Rather, this requires individual development plans to be drawn up in each case, for which the public must be involved and whose preparation and statutes must be approved by the Wolfsburg City Council.

Sustainable urban quarters are to be created along the Mittellandkanal and Heinrich-Nordhoff-Strasse, further overcoming the historical separation between the factory site and the city center. The key objective is the visionary further development and strengthening of Wolfsburg as a residential and business location and the realization of sustainable mobility concepts. In an unrivaled location with an ICE stop and future regional stop, supplemented by a quality bus system and connected by an innovation route, a place to live and work could emerge in the future.

In December 2017, the Wolfsburg City Council decided to develop a master plan for the area of Heinrich-Nordhoff-Strasse from the St.-Annen junction to highway 39. After a multi-stage negotiation process, a committee recommended that the AS P office from Frankfurt be commissioned with the master planning. The planning office began work in the fall of 2018. At the beginning of 2019, a mentoring circle was introduced, which meets twice a year, consists of representatives from politics, Volkswagen AG, external consultants and the city of Wolfsburg, and actively accompanies the master planning process. In the reconnaissance phase, the AS P planning team collected basic data and information in fact sheets. In the subsequent design phase, ideas were tested and coordinated with the mentoring group. The basic structures were defined in the final results phase.

The Wolfsburg City Council adopted the master plan in principle on February 10, 2021. The development horizon for the entire axis is designed for a long period, probably several decades. Short-term changes are to be expected first and foremost in the area of the Nordkopf. With the contents of the master plan as a basis, the investor SIGNA is currently preparing an urban design for the area between Lessingstraße and the main train station and will carry out public participation.

Here you can download the detailed technical reports on the exploration, design and results phase from the AS P planning office, as well as draft resolutions and information.