A Fresh Spin on Harburg's Lüneburger Street Makeover
Redevelopment Plan for Lüneburger Straße: Allocating Six Million Euros for Revamping the Shopping Precinct
Welcome to the brand-new era of Harburg's Lüneburger Street! After three decades, this bustling shopping hub is undergoing a grand transformation for approximately six million euros. As you might've guessed, it's long overdue for a facelift; its last renovation was way back when! The "refreshed" Lu, as they call it, is projected to run for around 40 years: "We're taking this opportunity to entirely reimagine it", shares Andreas Swensson, head of the civil engineering department.
In a bid to make this revamp a community-driven project, steg (Urban Renewal and Urban Development Company) and the District Office gathered around 70 enthusiastic locals at the town hall's huge conference room for the kick-off event "Citizens' Input in Lüneburger Street's Renovation."
The insights gathered from the "City Forum 2023," where citizens shared their uplifting ideas and proposals, were also up for discussion.
Among the speakers for the evening were Daniel Boedecker (steg), Hans-Christian Lied (Harburg's building director), and Andreas Swensson (civil engineering department head). They presented the current progress, plans for revamped public areas, and the participatory process to the intrigued audience.
Torsten Wild from the Claussen Seggelke Stadtplaner office explained the competition format for Lüneburger Street's design, including citizens' active participation in the idea generation process. The event also invited guests to jot down their innovations on Post-it notes displayed at designated areas.
While there's no need to hold your breath just yet, the competition is anticipated to be settled by summer 2025, with the pedestrian zone renovation commencing in 2026, aiming for a completion by the end of 2028.
As anticipated, several citizens called for a reevaluation of the "less-than-ideal store portfolio" in Lüneburger Street. Despite the steg's best efforts, they clarified that this matter falls beyond the purview of urban planning measures, and they have no control over the tenant selection by the property owners. However, they promised they would arrange a separate gathering for adjacent property owners to address the issue.
Peter and Luhr Weber, who run several pharmacies on Lüneburger Street and in Harburg's Arcades, topped off the evening expressing enthusiasm about the promising redesign strategy. Luhr Weber opined, "I'm truly impressed by the depth of expertise being invested in the Lu renovation. I enjoy a smooth process to keep the established retailers unscathed, as we witnessed in Hamburg's Osterstraße".
- The community-led renovation process for Harburg's Lüneburger Street also includes a call for a reevaluation of the store portfolio, as some citizens believe it is less than ideal.
- For the home-and-garden enthusiasts and other urban dwellers on Lüneburger Street, the anticipated pedestrian zone revamp in 2026 promises a fresh new lifestyle, with plans aiming for completion by the end of 2028.
