Projects
Following an evaluation of its activities to date, the Foundation is committed to bringing a sharper focus to its support and promotion activities in public urban spaces. These activities can be assigned to the individual core themes of the Foundation – light, green or developed space - or simultaneously to more than one of these themes.
Joining forces for more green areas
The green masterplan is an overall concept and a collection of ideas on ways to literally make the city greener.
For Lord Mayor Helmut Himmelsbach, the „Day of the Vibrant City” was a highly satisfying day. "From our point of view, everything is heading in the right direction", said a happy Lord Mayor. The reason for his happiness was the „green masterplan” resulting from a competition staged by the „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation and won by the City of Heilbronn at the beginning of the year – a plan that was then presented on the „Day of the Vibrant City”.
The green masterplan is an overall concept and a collection of ideas on ways to literally make the city greener. The masterplan was drawn up by famous Berlin-based landscape architect Cornelia Müller, who previously designed the outdoor areas of the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. Green courtyards, facades and roofs, a close-knit network of play areas and a greener and more attractive city center – all these will soon be reality in Heilbronn if everything goes according to plan!
The „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation and the City of Heilbronn gave the starting signal for the project on September 12, the „day of the Vibrant City”. Not only did Michael Batz, a member of the Board of the „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation, pledge 100,000 euros to Lord Mayor Himmelsbach for the implementation of the green masterplan on this special day; September 12 was also a busy day when it came to actually planting trees. The highlight was a temporary line of trees on the corner of Lohtorstraße and Sülmerstraße in the form of a „green finger” symbolizing the green concept for the city center and also pointing the way to the Neckar river. The people of Heilbronn were delighted, and many of them spontaneously rolled up their sleeves and planted a cluster of trees in front of the Café Roth which the café agreed to care for as official „patron”. Donations totaling 9,000 euros were collected for the planting of trees on the Lohtorstraße on the „Day of the Vibrant City” alone. The local people were also able to obtain additional information on the green plans for their city at the „Green Masterplan Exhibition” in Heilbronn City Hall from September 12 to 22.
The initiative launched by the „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation was also supported by „Lorenz von Ehren”, Europe's biggest tree nursery. Last year, 30 German cities entered the competition for the creation of a green masterplan. The jury headed by Cornelia Müller unanimously chose Heilbronn as the winner, and the cities of Fulda, Trier, Worms and Reutlingen received special mentions for their submitted concepts.