Big development after World War 2

2.5.1

130 Big development after World War 2 [18][19][20]

The long-term settlement development project “Langfristige Stadtentwicklung” primarily focuses on the qualified densification of settlements from the 1950s to the 1980s which account for one-quarter of all populated areas.

During the 50s and 60s, who came in Munich could have appreciated and loved the marvellously small, social and mixed-use urban spaces. This visible assessment was not at all about a misplaced desire for romanticism or preservation, he says, as any city is certainly forever changing and therefore also requires continuous modernisation. But particularly in Munich there was a special tension - it was raising from Rubble. World War Two, brought Munich to face the decision between a radical new beginning and the reconstruction of the old cityscape. The municipality voted in support of a moderately conservative rebuilding. The so-called “Munich

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Phoenix - Rise from the ruins

Fig. 2 – War damage to Munich buildings in %, statistics and graphics by Munich Reconstruction Department. (Source: Stadtarchiv München).

132 way” combined the rebuilding and preservation of traditional constructions on the one hand with future-oriented planning on the other. Many cities used the war’s destruction as an opportunity to free themselves from the unpopular 19th-century urban style with is tenement blocks, insalubrious back courtyards, and narrow, crowded streets.

Reconstruction granted a chance to shape the conditions for a new future, with a “subdivided and varied city” “appropriate for automobiles.” Instead of a dense city, the plan went to a modern “urban landscape.”

“Whatever happens, we must endeavour to save the appearance and the image of the old city… so that, in a few decades, we shall again have our beloved Munich as it was in the past.” (City councilman Karl Meitinger - “Das Neue München”).

BW4 Aereal Picture - WW2 Munich 133

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The consequences of industrial development only slightly burdened pre-war Munich, preserving the “cosy” atmosphere of an erstwhile royal residence city.

The plan for the reconstruction of Schwabing envisioned neighbourhoods with plenty of greenery and open space, though it preserved the existing street grid of 200x200 meters designed by Theodor Fisher.

Munich’s population topped the one-million target in the late 50s. The steady growth of population and economy led to new problems. A challenge taken into consideration in the 60s, a comprehensive urban-development plan created the preconditions for further growth and transformation into a contemporary metropolis. That thanks to the spring of motorisation that decisively altered the appearance of cities and communities, becoming the symbol of Germany’s “economic miracle.” The situation was una-

voidable until the early 1970s, so that a change in traffic policy and urban development arrangement became a reality. A new phase in the city’s planning began when the Bundesbaugesetz [federal building law] took effect as a unified planning law for the whole country. The Staffelbauordnung [graduated building plan] of 1904, was substituted by the city-development plan of 1963 providing an urban-architectural model. Its guidelines, based on scientific studies and forecasts, contributed to charting the course of future evolution. But as expetable, the quick pace of the modernisation did not only brought some advantages, but the difficulties became apparent: land prices were rising, and the residential population was pressured out of the inner city, which was losing its characteristic features. The planning process so got empowerment through the intensified municipal research, the coordination of all municipal planning activities, and the democratised planning and en-

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136 couraged the participation of citizens in the planning process.

Munich’s post-war development reached its peak with the 1972 Olympic Games. Not until the 1990s, after a phase of small measures, the city council decided in favour of expansion to ensure Munich’s importance as a metropolis.

The so-called “polycentric concept” was the central idea for settlement development. The rapid growth of administrative and service-related businesses further heightened demand for office space in the inner city. The burden on the inner city was alleviated through the creation of numerous, attractive, decentralised venues.

The previous policy of constructing large and costly settle-

ments on the periphery of the city was abandoned. In its place, building activity was to concentrate on readily accessible and heretofore undeveloped sites within existing settlement areas. Valuable undeveloped areas on the city’s periphery were to be preserved for recreational usage. The renewal and modernisation of previously neglected urban areas were recognised as an essential priority. Instead of large-scale urban renewal through the demolition of old buildings and the erection of new ones, from the start, Munich pursued a concept of urban renewal that sought to conserve existing structures. The increasing attractiveness of the inner city led to a corresponding increase in luxurious modernisation and real-estate speculation. In seriously jeopardised areas, the city drafted preservation rules designed to counteract the trend toward the displacement of residents and commercial operations.

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138 Moreover, quieting traffic in inner-city residential neighbourhoods became a new task for traffic planners. Better access to the inner city via public transportation made it possible to reduce environmental pollution there. Residential and living quality increased; public space along streets and on piazzas was wrested from cars and regained for people.

Big developements after World War 2 139