ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the status of public spaces for the development of urbanity. It focuses on how a project development company can influence the preconditions for generating urbanity, which is so central to its purposes. A lot of effort is being invested in the design of the HafenCity's public spaces in order to secure the best preconditions for a usage profile that will meet with the ideal of the European city. The several attempts to transform and restyle public spaces which can currently be observed in inner cities as well as other city districts are an integral part of the debate on the aesthetic configuration of city planning. Urbanity is understood as an essential aspect of city planning which should, in future, become a distinguishing feature of the new city district. The HafenCity of Hamburg is stepping forth with the clear intention to create urbanity in the new city district.