Pop-Up Park

Faculty for Architecture, TH Cologne
Departement of Urban Development and
Urban Planning of the City of Wuppertal
April – September 2024
Suspension railway stop Alter Markt
Wuppertal, Germany

The city of Wuppertal is particularly affected by the consequences of climate change compared to other cities in Germany. This is due to its distinctive valley location and the high proportion of sealed surfaces in the valley floor. Heavy rainfall events are increasingly leading to severe flooding, while overheating in inner-city areas during the summer months continues to rise.

To raise awareness among the residents of Barmen and develop solutions that also enhance the quality of the limited public space, a research project was initiated in collaboration between Departement of Urban Development and
Urban Planning of the City of Wuppertal, TH Köln’s Faculty of Architecture, and Studio Quack.

The forecourt of the Alter Markt suspension railway station, a representative example of the urban space in Barmen and located near the city centre, serves as a cooperative testing ground in the spirit of a real-world laboratory. The project began with an installation by Studio Quack: a multifunctional trellis structure that announced the initiative while also serving as a starting point for the next steps.

Students from TH Köln’s Faculty of Architecture subsequently carried out research to establish a data baseline, conducting their own analyses and various surveys.

The findings informed a temporary redesign of the square. Planned and coordinated by Studio Quack, and implemented with the participation of TH Köln students and interested residents, the project aims to explore how local people engage with the spatial transformation, how it affects the use of the space, and whether the planting is suited to the local conditions and supports the intended redesign.

Continuous monitoring is in place to evaluate data and feedback on an ongoing basis. Once the neighbouring suspension railway station has been refurbished, the park will be permanently redesigned to meet the needs of its users while also responding to changing climatic conditions.