Green light for Heinrich Pesch housing estate construction project - GER

The idea of a social settlement - called “Heinrich-Pesch-Village” - will become reality. The plans were presented to the public and to the construction committee of the city of Ludwigshafen and were received  with great approval. All parties in the committee voted unanimously for the project.

The "village" will be developed on an area of ten to twelve hectares, which is owned by the founding association of the Heinrich Pesch Haus (HPH) and the Church community of Ludwigshafen. The basic idea was to create a social housing complex for people in precarious situations. In order to make this at all possible, the HPH did find various partners in business, administration and politics. "It's a very nice experience, what kind of people participate and get involved, so that our crazy idea can now become reality," says Father Johann Spermann SJ, Director of the HPH. The experts emphasize, that all sections of the population have to be represented in such a district, so that no ghetto comes into being. This consideration should be implemented in the Heinrich Pesch Village. 450 housing units are planned for up to 1500 residents - in terrace houses, single and multi-family houses. People should come from all over and live together here; those who have a good income, and those who "do not have such a simple life and an increased need for support" in life, as described by Ulrike Gentner, deputy director of the HPH. The village should serve as a house for encounter and have a neighborhood manager. Also planned are a kindergarden and maybe a primary school. Subordinated, there should also be industry in the field. The Pfalzwerke, the main energy provider in the region, is looking for a new location, and the HPH is in contact with management to become one of three potential investors.

Jutta Steinruck, lord mayor of Ludwigshafen, calls the project a "a huge step forward" for new housing and commercial settlements. For her, the planning fulfills the ideal of "how we want to live and interact in the future". This opinion is also shared by the mayors of the district Anton Priolo and Barbara Baur, who describe the Heinrich Pesch settlement as a "huge opportunity". They welcome the idea that many different people from different backgrounds will find a living there. In fact, the plans open up many opportunities. In addition to various forms of living - property or rent - the neighborhood offers encounters, education, recreational opportunities, communication and networking. It will be a largely residential area designed to use alternative energies as much as possible. The goal is to obtain the recognition as a sustainable urban development project - or "smart city". Investors and residents should become members of an association, the plots of land won´t be sold, but rented on a long-term lease. The rental income should help to ensure that the project - including the neighborhood manager - is self-supporting.

The meeting house will have rooms for common activities, exchange and educational services. The plan encompasses accommodations for overnight stays. "We have learned that we need attractions for such a project," says Father Spermann. Such an attraction could be a café, or even a communal garden. The HPH as an educational facility could provide services in the field of ​​education and, at the same time, will profit from a shorter distance to the city. According to the actual calculation the planning costs for the village will be about 500,000 euros, another five million euros for the development and 700,000 euros for the construction of the meeting house.

The city council will decide on March 19 to draw up the land development plan. This is supposed to be completed by spring 2019, then the development work can begin. Residential construction could start in 2020. The people in charge expect the development to be largely completed by 2023 or 2024. Co-initiator Johann Spermann SJ is happy about the approval from the construction committee.