The climate crisis of the 21st century requires urban spatial structures to be reorganized from an urban climate perspective in order to enhance urban resilience. Stuttgart, Germany, institutionalized ventilation corridor planning to address chronic a...
The climate crisis of the 21st century requires urban spatial structures to be reorganized from an urban climate perspective in order to enhance urban resilience. Stuttgart, Germany, institutionalized ventilation corridor planning to address chronic air stagnation caused by its basin topography and redeveloped former railway brownfields secured through the Stuttgart 21 project into the climate-adaptive Rosenstein District. This study aims to analyze spatial restructuring strategies for station-centered urban development based on ventilation corridor planning in the Rosenstein District and to provide fundamental academic references applicable to climate-adaptive urban development and regeneration in the Korean context.
The temporal scope of the study extends from 1994, when the Stuttgart 21 project was first conceived, to 2023, when the Rosenstein Rahmenplan (Framework Plan) was formally established. The spatial scope includes the former railway site obtained through the undergrounding of Stuttgart Central Station, encompassing the Europa District, the Rosenstein Residential and Campus District, the Maker City, and the Curved Track Park that connects these areas. This study adopts the Rahmenplan as its primary analytical framework because, as a non-statutory intermediate planning instrument, it enables climate-responsive spatial principles-such as ventilation corridor planning-to be flexibly integrated into urban structure, land use, and open space planning prior to legal implementation. The research adopts a six-step methodology in which an analytical framework based on the Rahmenplan is established through a theoretical review, followed by a step-by-step analysis of spatial structures by living district, and the findings are synthesized from the perspective of urban resilience.
The analysis yields the following results. First, in terms of density and skyline planning, building heights are gradually adjusted from two to sixteen stories in response to the basin topography, while a minimum separation distance of three meters between buildings ensures the continuity of low-level cold-air flows. Second, land-use planning based on the “5-minute city” concept integrates residential, commercial, and educational–cultural functions within walkable distances, particularly at lower levels, thereby enhancing mobility efficiency and reducing energy consumption and heat generation. Third, open space planning combines courtyard-based blocks, pilotis at lower levels, and rooftop and façade greening to strengthen cold-air generation and storage, while organizing unbuilt spaces as linear green corridors and ventilation axes. Fourth, transportation infrastructure and street design are integrated with blue-green infrastructure so that street sections function as microclimate-regulating devices and stormwater management systems, while open linear structures centered on non-motorized transport prevent the fragmentation of ventilation corridors.
In conclusion, first, the Rosenstein Rahmenplan functions as a specific landscape planning instrument and an integrated urban and architectural planning framework that flexibly coordinates urban vision and spatial structure between statutory plans. Second, ventilation corridor planning operates not merely as an environmental policy but as a core physical design variable determining building placement, density, skyline, land use, open space, transportation infrastructure, and street configuration. Third, unlike conventional point-based park systems, the linear park structure plays a decisive role in resolving spatial fragmentation and securing the structural continuity of urban ventilation. Fourth, the creation of low-rise landmarks utilizing railway heritage represents a strategic shift away from high-density development models and simultaneously reinforces local identity and social resilience.
Keywords: Ventilation Corridor Planning, Major Station-Area Development, Rosenstein Rahmenplan, Urban Resilience, Integrated Urban and Architectural Planning.