Schw?bisch Gmünd, a mid-sized town in southern Germany, has engineered a far-reaching urban redevelopment process resulting in a new green heart for the city. This comprehensive project has structurally reoriented the inner city, including its traffic patterns. Historical urban structures were re-exposed, new urban axes were formed and expansive public spaces were built. A new image of the inner city has been forged by a new boulevard, a green promenade, paths and public squares along the old urban streams, as well as sporting areas and playgrounds. A24’s responsibilities ranged from planning the overall urban development concept down to designing the individual details.
A symbol for this new Gmünd is the reclamation of a central open area: the long overbuilt outlet of the Josefsbach – a small brook – into the Rems – a larger stream. This river mouth (Mündung in German) is the source of the city’s name. The water junction has become a link between the new and the existing open areas in Gmünd: located between the train station and the old town, it links the old baroque city garden, the Remspark, open spaces along the Josefsbach and the passages to the old town, which converge to form a new, spacious green zone. Each of these areas opens onto the river mouth, imbuing it with a rich play of various relationships to and perspectives on the water.