Selb (DE)

How can the site contribute to a productive city?

Directly at the South-Western border of the station area, a local small medium business, which expanded its production capacities in the last years and increased the number of employees considerable, has its production halls. South of the area is a supermarket. At the station square and in the street to the station, some companies are present (restaurants, a petrol station, trade). Currently, the site lacks attractivity regarding the urban layout and the proposed selection of uses. The goal is to create an attractive location for living and working through extensive urbanistic actions like revitalization of the public space and reconstruction with attractive building ensembles.

City strategy

Through revitalisation of the inner-city fallow land and the improvement of the urban situation around the station, a contribution to the inner development should be made. Selb, as the whole region, is in need of good and individual adaptable living spaces, especially for rented flats. Additionally there are only few inner-city areas for possible new construction of apartment buildings. Therefore a reconstruction, at least partly, with apartment buildings or town houses is wished for. A mixture with undisturbing businesses with a relation to the small scale character of the town is desired. The new station quarter should have optimal traffic connections to the different parts of the town.

Site definition

The area is located approx. 400 meters north of the city centre. The empty storage facility and the adjacent mostly empty station building are influencing the city image negatively at a prominent position. The approx. 4.5 ha large area around the station has lost its historic significance because of the immense decreasing train traffic in Selb. There are function deficits. Large parts of the area are fallow lands. In front of the station, the Goetheplatz and the following Bahnhofstraße have also urban and functional drawbacks. The Goethepark south of the square is not recognized at the moment and should be rethought.

How is production inserted in the urban diversity programme?

The traditional porcelain industry had its production facilities from their beginning in the middle of the city. Also, a lot of the again thriving small medium businesses are producing, researching and administrating on integrated and inner-city areas and influence the industrial image of the town to this day. The outsourcing of production to the city borders and the separation of working and living are phenomenons of the younger past in Selb with only few examples along the motorway A93 in the West. The city wants to strengthen the tradition of inner-city production with the renewal of the station area and the adjacent spaces. Possible integrated spaces for the extension of existing or new commercial areas are hard to find at the moment.
Also, attractive inner-city locations for small businesses or creative users do hardly exist. The city of Selb wants to raise the unused potential of the station quarter. This space should get a modern and urban flair by introducing a mixture of housing, services and producing businesses with design elements that relate to the important industrial and train heritage of the town. In the long-term the station area should be connected to the city centre and the new Outlet Center by urban impulses. Together they should form a new, attractive middle of Selb.

View of the main road and the former train station on the site

Former train station on the project site - parking lot & vacant space

Old train tracks - wastelands & vacant spaceOld train tracks - environment growing back on the vacant space