High-rise Development Plan 2021

Frankfurt’s skyline can be seen from afar and defines the city’s image. Down through the decades, high-rises of different epochs have arisen in the Main metropolis. This dense spatial layout of very high buildings in contrast to what is otherwise largely a horizontal city is truly unique in Germany. Many Frankfurt citizens long since identify with this image of their city.

And the trend continues: New buildings are currently being realized or will shortly be commissioned. Additional sites for high-rises are being discussed.
To ensure this is a permanently controlled process, the High-Rise Development Plan dating from 2008 is being updated. The task of preparing the urban planning concepts for this has been assigned to two interdisciplinary working groups: the one consisting of 03 Architekten (Munich) and Thomas Müller Ivan Reimann Architekten (Berlin) with EBP (Switzerland), the other of AS+P (Frankfurt) with AIT (Vienna). Evaluation of the expert reports was completed in 2021. These expert reports form the decision-making basis for the City of Frankfurt Dept. of Planning to update the High-Rise Development Plan.

The overall objective: a moderate, careful development of the urban space and fabric. The emphasis is on considering current urban planning conditions as well as weighing up the chances and risks of new sites of high-rises. The idea is thus to develop urban planning concepts that protect the organic settlement structures, strengthen existing clusters, and tap new potential.