"Our beautiful city is growing. In view of this, open spaces in Bonn are particularly valuable and it is important that we protect them and develop them further with a view to the future and increasing demands. This is an important task in view of the climate crisis and the global decline in biodiversity. The open space plan that has now been adopted provides a good basis for the development of open spaces in the city," explains Mayor Katja Dörner. "I am delighted that we will soon be able to tackle the first concrete project with the Rheingärten together with the city of Bornheim," said the Mayor of Bonn.
The Bonn open space plan
The Bonn Open Space Plan serves as an umbrella strategy for the future development of Bonn's open spaces on various specialist topics such as environmental and nature conservation, landscape planning, urban planning, social and youth work as well as health and sport. It provides suggestions on current challenges such as competition for space due to population growth, demographic change, nature and landscape conservation and climate change adaptation. Visions and solutions for open spaces in the urban area for the coming decades are formulated by means of guiding principles for which development goals have been drawn up.
Three guiding themes characterize Bonn's green spaces: These include "Strong landscapes" such as the forest and mountain landscapes of the Kottenforst and Ennerts or river landscapes such as the Rheinaue and Siegaue floodplains. "Blue-green networks" connect these landscapes, such as the Annaberger Bach green corridor between Kottenforst and Rheinaue. "Green districts" focus on the immediate residential environment with its potential for upgrading and greening.
The wishes of the residents were also taken into account: During the concept work, the city invited people to go on walks in all four districts; people were also able to make suggestions on the city's participation portal Bonn-macht-mit.de.
The open space plan shows what needs to be done where in order to achieve the desired development goals of the guiding principles. The "Rheingärten" are one of five loupe areas in which the objectives of the plan have already been concretized.
Rhine gardens between Bonn and Hersel
The agricultural area on the Rhine between the Bonn districts of Auerberg and Graurheindorf and the Bornheim district of Hersel is to be upgraded in terms of climate protection, biodiversity and local recreation. The idea goes back to a citizens' petition submitted by the Auerberg local committee to the Bonn and Bornheim councils in May 2022, which requested, for example, additional trees and groves, play facilities for children and the restoration of the electoral avenue along Kölnstraße.
The cities of Bonn and Bornheim concluded a cooperation agreement for the project, with the city of Bonn taking the lead. In April 2024, the cities invited people to a participation workshop, which was met with great interest from around 100 participants and generated numerous ideas. The local committee was also actively involved. The project name "Rheingärten" was chosen by citizens at a participation event.
The council has now approved the concept with the list of measures as a basis for more in-depth planning. Eleven measures are to be implemented in Bonn, four in Bornheim and three across the city limits. For example, tree planting, individual benches, a "blue classroom" at Rheindorfer Bach and the revision of paths are planned.
As a next step, the towns will apply for funding to finance in-depth planning and implementation. They will receive advice and support from the "RegionKölnBonn" association, which has classified the Rheingärten as a future project due to their model character for the region.