The most populous district of Mainz (Mainz-Neustadt) has been one of three regional windows of the federal-state program "Social City" since 2000. As confirmed by the social space analysis, the northern part of Neustadt not only has social deficits but also serious urban planning problems in some areas. While the southern area up to Josefstraße is characterized by rather dense and closed Wilhelminian-style perimeter block development and thus has a largely homogeneous appearance, the structural and urban planning deficiencies are particularly visible in the north of Neustadt.

To remedy these deficiencies, an Integrated Development Concept (IEK) and a district framework plan for 'Northern Neustadt' were developed for the Mainz Neustadt regional window in order to create a basis for urban development support for the development process in northern Neustadt.

Due to the apparent urban, urban planning, and social deficits, as well as the need to merge Neustadt with the new Zoll- und Binnenhafen district (culture, high-quality housing, services) in the future, the framework plan recommends sustainable urban planning intervention to stabilize the northern area.

Of particular importance in this context is the 'Wallaustraße / Emausweg' area, which has already been addressed as a focus of attention in the framework planning. In response to the urban and urban planning problems, the framework plan proposes the development of a new neighborhood square south of Wallaustraße as an extension of Lahnstraße. The new neighborhood square is intended to act as a focal point and enhance the northern part of Neustadt by offering a high quality of life. In addition, as the 'bridgehead' of Neustadt, it is intended to provide an attractive connection to the customs and inland port.

Insights into the design and orientation of the neighborhood square were already gained from the analyses of the overall neighborhood development. The preliminary planning (service phase 2 HOAI) for the redesign was presented to the Building and Renovation Committee (June 5, 2018), the Neustadt Local Advisory Council (June 6, 2018), and the Youth Welfare Committee (August 23, 2018). The design was also presented to citizens at a public information event on June 20, 2018. The presentations by the planning office prosa Architektur + Stadtplanung | Quasten Rauh PartGmbB are available for download here.

The draft plan—the next step after the preliminary draft plan—was presented to the Youth Welfare Committee (January 30, 2019), the Building and Renovation Committee (January 31, 2019), and the Mainz-Neustadt Local Advisory Council (February 6, 2019). The further development of the planning was also presented to citizens in the form of an information event on February 19, 2019. The draft planning is available for download here.