Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Cologne: Moderated Internet forum for the
redesign of an inner city ring-road
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Cologne
Cologne is situated in the south of the Rhine-Ruhr-area in
Western Germany and has a population of about 1.000.000
inhabitants. The city of Cologne is the metropolis for the entire
region of the south-western part of North-Rhine-Westphalia
and covers about 405 km². The population density is quite high
with 2518 inhabitants per km², and every third person in
Cologne owns a car. In fact, a lot of workplaces and shopping
facilities with a large catchment area around Cologne are
situated in the city centre. Additionally, the Rhine river divides
the urban area into two parts, so that a lot of traffic is
concentrated on the main roads and bridges across the river.
This causes congestion problems which have to be dealt with
in terms of managing all transport modes equitably and
ensuring traffic safety for all users. One of the arterial roads is
the inner city ring road ("Kölner Ring") with a connecting role for
the entire city of Cologne but also an important route for
downtown through traffic.
Cologne
48
Re-design of an inner city ring road with
consultation of all stakeholders
Since 2001, the City Council, politicians and various stakeholders have
been engaged in improving traffic safety and recreational spaces along
the inner city ring road: The main objective is to re-design and re-build
some parts of the inner city ring road in consultation with all of the
affected stakeholders in the area. The section of the inner city ring road
treated within the GUIDEMAPS project is at the boundary between the
medieval part of the city and the parts of the city developed during the
years of industrial expansion. Surrounding the ring section is a highdensity
housing area. The ring section is characterised by various
shopping and leisure facilities as well as office facilities. Day and night
uses differ vastly. The re-design of this inner city ring road section was
required because the current situation caused several problems:
the high traffic volumes caused security problems;
reckless driving behaviour of a number of vehicle drivers led to
conflicts and dangerous situations, even to fatalities (especially at
night and on the weekends);
the intensive use of the area by visitors and residents; and
the high traffic volumes affecting the quality of public space.
GUIDEMAPS interests
As recognised by the City Council, a lot of different aims and interests
of different stakeholders had to be dealt with during the consultation
process. In the beginning, the most commonly used tools were public
meetings, hearings and public announcements. However, it soon
became clear that some groups or stakeholders could not be reached
by those 'traditional' engagement activities. Therefore, the City Council,
with support from the GUIDEMAPS project, explored two 'new' and
more "innovative" engagement tools: a 'working committee' and a
'moderated internet forum'. Questions that had to be dealt with were:
In which ways could a working committee with various
stakeholders accompany and improve the decision-making
process?
In which way could a media strategy - with specific emphasis on
the internet - be implemented?
How could a temporary moderated internet forum help to involve
new stakeholders?
What is the acceptance level of these 'innovative tools' among
planners, citizens and politicians?