Hafencity-speicherstadt: Accessibility and heritage in the regeneration of an urban ensemble

Abstract

Among the urban regeneration interventions undertaken in this century, the one carried out in the port of Hamburg with the development of the HafenCity plan stands out. Although this plan includes the Speicherstadt historic warehouses area, declared a World Heritage Site in 2015, their relationship and mutual influence have not been analysed so far. This article studies this relationship, first from urban planning, where heritage and port infrastructural remains are become one of the backbone principles of this redevelopment, that endows it with meaning. Second, through the study of public spaces and their heritage value, showing accessibility in parallel in Speicherstadt and HafenCity contemplated at the same time as a need, a threat and an opportunity for heritage. The symbiosis between Hafencity and Speicherstadt, even with its weaknesses, links urban regeneration with the conservation of industrial heritage beyond the advertising slogan.