The district at a glance

Hamburg has been growing for years, on the outskirts of the city as well as in the center. The conversion of old port, railway or commercial areas enables urban growth without sealing off new areas. This creates potential for sustainable urban development close to the city centre with mixed quarters for working and living. Through short distances, they contribute to the urban mobility turnaround and conserve the valuable resource soil.

Hamburg is changing its face around the Elbbrücken . Grasbrook is playing a decisive role in this. Together with its direct neighboring district Veddel Grasbrook is the missing building block for the "leap across the Elbe", an urban development strategy aimed at better integrating the Elbe island and the districts south of the Elbe into the city as a whole.

For years, urban development has had its eye on the Elbe island Kleiner Grasbrook, on which the Grasbrook district is now being built. In 2008, for example, there were plans to relocate parts of the University of Hamburg there. In 2015, there were discussions about relocating the port industry and hosting the 2024 Olympic Games here. In 2017, the idea of the new Grasbrook district, which is intended to combine urban life and urban-friendly port use, was presented to the public.

In 2019/2020 a "competitive dialogue" with strong public participation built on the first draft from 2017. Initially twelve, and in the second phase six, renowned planning offices from Germany and Europe developed urban and open space planning ideas for Grasbrook. In the end, the joint design by Herzog & de Meuron and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten prevailed and served as the basis for the further detailed functional planning.

In December 2022, the Hamburg Senate confirmed the functional and open space planning for the new district, thereby setting the stage for the next steps in its implementation. By mid-2024, building permits and land availability—and thus the planning-related conditions for the property development—had been secured.

At the same time, the aim is to use physical bridges to overcome barriers and create new urban connections. The competition for the Moldauhafenbrückebridge, which connects Moldauhafenquartier with Hafentorquartier in the west of the district, has been completed. Construction of the bridge can begin in 2026.

Already today, infrastructure projects are visibly shaping the transformation of the area. In particular, work is progressing on raising the former port areas to the future flood-protected level. The contours of the “ Grasbrook Boulevards ” are already clearly visible thanks to the preparatory earthwork measures. Site clearance was completed with the demolition of the “Überseezentrum,” and explosive ordnance surveys were largely completed by the end of 2024. Construction of the first buildings is expected to begin in 2028 at the “ Moldauhafenquartier.”