The plans by the "scape Landschaftsarchitekten" office, which emerged as the winner of a workshop process in 2022, are characterized by differentiated vegetation consisting of bands of perennials, newly planted flowering trees, lawns and meadows. The existing, characteristic trees will be preserved and given better conditions by increasing the root space. Small, multifunctional entree areas will be created at both ends of Stiftsplatz, with the existing Christusbrunnen fountain to the west and the bicycle parking garage built in early 2024 to the east.

The square will be barrier-free throughout and important road crossings and path connections will be marked out with guide strips for the blind. Its center will form a spacious green area as the center of the urban space, which will have a play island with climbing poles. Other play facilities planned include hammocks and a slackline. The plans for the irrigation and drainage of the large vegetation area using rainwater from the adjacent buildings to the north are particularly impressive.

The rainwater management includes infiltration in troughs in the planting areas, tree pit renovation and the creation of a tree trench. Rainwater from the roofs of the adjacent buildings to the north is channelled into an underground cistern and fed to the green space by means of an underground drip irrigation system.

The high degree of building material recycling in particular was highlighted very positively by the jury in 2022, as the existing paving stones are to be recycled and thus also create a design link to the collegiate church. The square around the Christusbrunnen fountain is to be particularly emphasized by the reuse of the high-quality basalt and marble paving.

Part of the workshop process is the development and implementation of a parallel public participation program to accompany the planning workshop process.

On March 30, 2022, the Committee for Citizen Participation adopted the concept for public participation to accompany the redesign of Stiftsplatz.

It consists of various building blocks and consecutive steps and is intended to address a wide range of stakeholders. The participation concept is supplemented by the political decision to appoint a citizen to the planning workshop jury. This person was drawn by lot from the people who took part in the participation and were interested in a seat on the jury. All applicants were selected by lot at the public participation event on Stiftsplatz on May 14, 2022.

The public presentation of the results of the workshop process for Stiftsplatz took place on August 11, 2022. At the jury meeting, scape from Düsseldorf was awarded first place. Second place went to RMP Stephan Lenzen from Bonn. The designs of the other two offices were eliminated in the second round.

The work of the scape office will now be proposed to the political committees for the commissioning of further planning and implementation. It will also be used to apply for funding as part of the urban development program.

From September 7 to 21, 2022, interested parties were able to view all of the work at an exhibition in the foyer of the City Hall. In addition, all interested parties were once again invited to share their opinion on the winning design and the results of the competition at  www.bonn-macht-mit.de (opens in a new tab) by September 21.

The collected submissions and comments will be presented to the politicians together with the result of the winning design for a decision, in order to subsequently apply for funding for the redesign of Stiftsplatz as part of the urban development funding process.

The comments and ideas from the public participation events will be incorporated into the planning workshop's terms of reference as planning information and design ideas. This will be submitted to the City Council for approval. The terms of reference will then be presented to the participating offices at a public event (kick-off colloquium). It thus forms the decisive guideline for the assessment of the work so that the offices can devote themselves to working on planning solutions in the following weeks.

Following the public presentation of the results, a recommendation committee made up of specialist planners, political representatives and members of the public will make a recommendation on the best design and submit it to the Bonn City Council for a final decision. Once the workshop process has been completed, the city of Bonn plans to apply for urban development funding for the redesign.

Stiftsplatz takes its name from the adjacent Stiftskirche, which was built in 1881 as the successor to the church of Dietkirchen Abbey. Another historical reference is the Christusbrunnen fountain, which was moved to Stiftsplatz in 1973 due to construction work on the old cemetery.

In addition, a large bunker and fire-fighting water tank dating back to 1940 lies hidden beneath the Stiftsplatz. These three contemporary architectural witnesses are listed buildings and are to be integrated into the redesign in order to bring the history of the Stiftsplatz to life.

In addition, Stiftsplatz is an important building block for the mobility transition in the urban fabric due to the busy bus stop, the planned bicycle parking garage and the already installed e-charging station.

On October 28, 2021, the Bonn City Council adopted the objective that there should be more greenery and fewer parking spaces on Stiftsplatz (DS no. 211463 (opens in a new tab)).

On March 30, 2022, the Committee for Citizen Participation adopted a concept for public participation to accompany the redesign of Stiftsplatz ( DS no. 220486 (opens in a new tab)).

The Bonn City Council (February 4, 2025) and the Bonn City Council (February 13, 2025) approved the draft plans for the climate-friendly redesign of Stiftsplatz (DS no. 252372 (opens in a new tab) ).