Case Studies  The Karolinenviertel Case in Hamburg - St. Pauli

Public infrastructure provision

The district has a very good public transportation network. Two subway stations are close by as well as one metro-train station. There are also several bus stops in direct surrounding.

Yet the supply of schools in the neighbourhood is secured by two elementary schools. However, one of the schools will probably close down in a few years since pupil numbers have massively declined. The reasons for this decline are diverse. Besides the general decline in births especially within the German population, there is a huge number of parents who send their children to schools in other districts. This trend is being intensified by the immense proportion of immigrants of 90 % at elementary school level.

One secondary school is in close neighbourhood as well as one technical school. Furthermore, there are two kindergartens in the area.

Shopping facilities of the daily needs are being covered by small retailers in the district together with one big shopping market in direct neighbourhood. However, the former variety of retailers does not exist any more since these stores could not work economically. The district’s low buying power and general trade concentration processes are responsible for this phenomenon.

The subject ‘garbage’ is a continuous problem in the neighbourhood, especially illegal dropping of garbage which can only be coped with by huge expenditures. The pilot project of STEG’s ‘Schanzenkieker’ which has been developed for a better ‘cleaning from one hand’, has led to a radical improvement of the situation since 2001.

1.4. Description of decline and introduction of the regeneration procedure    II. Urban regeneration and redevelopment in the Karolinenviertel