Social Cohesion Ben-Gurion-Ring

In the Integrated Urban Development Concept (IUDC) Social City Ben-Gurion-Ring at the beginning of the grant program, the strengths and weaknesses of the estate were analyzed, and development targets for the future defined. Individual projects were stated in a list of measures that if realized are destined to achieve these development goals.

To devise the IUDC, between March and October 2017 an extensive public participation process took place that offered all inhabitants of the district to help structure the development target for the coming years.

The needs and potential to be developed were identified in successive events and workshops. As experts on everyday life in the neighborhood, the residents contributed their knowledge to the IUDC and in this way developed tailor-made projects for social urban renewal. This participation process was showcased as part of a public results exhibition in the district management office in October 2017.

All project ideas from the participation process were bundled into a total of 16 measures.

The action plan was updated in 2025 and supplemented with a status plan (see PDFs below).

In the Consultative Council, 11 to a maximum of 15 local residents meet 10 people representing the institutions based in the “Bügel” district.

The Consultative Councils liaise between their local residents and those running the Social City program. They are contacts for local residents and represent their wishes before the municipal authorities and local politicians. The Consultative Councils are also familiar with current projects and pass on relevant information in the neighborhood.

Furthermore, the Consultative Councils act as advisors with regard to Social City projects: They recommend projects for inclusion in the annual applications for funding and play a role in their planning and implementation. The recommendations of the Consultative Council serve as the basis of discussion for the political bodies.
The Consultative Council is open to anyone living in Ben Gurion Ring. The involvement of local residents is important for the future development of the area! If you would like to become a voting member of the Consultative Council, you should introduce yourself at one of its meetings or contract the district management. Meetings of the Consultative Council are public and are held every six weeks at 6.30 p.m. on a Thursday evening.

Scheduled meetings2025
Thurs. Jan. 30
Thurs. March 27
Thurs. May 15
Thurs. July 3
Thurs. Sept. 18
Thurs. Nov. 27

In the row of stores at Ben Gurion Ring 56 premises have been rented in which to establish a project-related meeting point and a place of work for the Ben-Gurion-Ring Social City. The district office is both a space where people can meet and also the district management office with open visiting hours. The district management as the central local point of contact provides information on pending developments and services and offerings locally.

 

Contact
District Office
Ben Gurion Ring 56
60437 Frankfurt/Main
Tel: 069/ 500 040 60
Email: qm-bgr@qurban.de

Opening hours: Mon, Tues., Thurs, Fri. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Mon 2 – 4 p.m.; closed Wednesdays

With a view to strengthening its commitment to the common good, the City of Frankfurt is making available to those districts undergoing urban renewal a budget (contingent fund) for the execution of minor local projects and measures. In an unbureaucratic way the fund will enable independent civic activity in the non-investment field.
Do you have an idea that could be used to play an active role in your neighborhood? The City of Frankfurt will be pleased to reimburse you for your efforts.

Initial ideas for projects can be discussed informally with the neighborhood management team.

To the district management page

One of the most important gateways to the quarter is that in the south-east at Homburger Hohl. Via the Homburger Hohl street, it connects the district with the local public transport network (Bonames Mitte LRT station). The district gateway is currently characterized by a large, private, single-story parking garage with a parking deck and parking lot, two barrier-controlled access roads as well as a waste disposal area and various trees and shrubs.

In 2022 and 2023, an urban planning, architectural and landscaping ideas competition was held for the redesign and upgrading of this gateway to the quarter – with the due involvement of local residents. Gerber Architekten won first prize with their design “Bunter Ben”.
The subsequent plan was for the winning result to be translated into a design planning by the owner of the property, Nassauische Heimstätte. In mid-2023, the owner of the property, Nassauische Heimstätte, withdrew from developing the project. The City of Frankfurt is currently looking for alternative development options.

With its 11 retail units, the row of shops is a central, well-frequented spot in the Ring. These spaces, which are fully accessible to the public, are privately owned by a homeowners’ association and the GWH housing association.

Between 2018 and 2022, the existing beds at the rear of the entrance to the quarter were redesigned by a landscape gardener and plants put in them – together with the local preschools. The goal: to achieve visible improvements in the relatively short term. There was also a lack of seating in this area and seven colorful flexible chairs were financed by the City of Frankfurt’s Contingency Fund. The new seating will be set up during the day by the retailers and the district management and improves the quality of leisure time in the location during store opening hours.

A survey and an analysis of the current building stock were carried out for the front gateway area on Ben-Gurion-Ring in 2021, something in which the neighboring businesses. Based on this, in 2022 and 2023 the landscape architecture firm Waldvogel created designs for the location. Following a public participation process in 2024, the plans will be incorporated into design planning by the owner GWH.

The redesigned east entrance to the quarter at Ben-Gurion-Ring 102 was inaugurated in early August 2025. The objective was to improve the quality of the space and give the entrance a new, open appearance. Inhabitants were able to input their ideas and wishes at an early point in time in the framework of several civic participation events. The plans directly reflected their contributions.

The once paved area with the carpark and waste collection point has been transformed into an inviting, green, and barrier-free entrance zone. This high-grade outdoor space across a total of some 2,500 square meters now boasts a design with plenty of greenery, new seats, and playground and mobility zones. A new mobility station for bicycles, cargo bikes, and e-scooters, a bicycle repair station, and two carsharing parking spaces support the transition to eco-friendly transportation. In addition, a new DHL package station ensures that deliveries are kept out of the car-free center of the neighborhood.

This private measure received funding in the framework of the “Social Cohesion” urban design support program run by the federal, state, and municipal governments. Planning and realization of the redesign was handled by GWH Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH Hessen in close consultation with the City Planning Dept.

The plan is to likewise soon redesign the adjacent outdoor area with the neighboring building containing Saalbau Am Bügel. The Ben-Gurion-Ring road with the pavements either side are owned by the City of Frankfurt/Main and on the basis of the City Council resolution “Redesign of circulation areas at the entrances to the quarter” will be redesigned by the City of Frankfurt Dept. of Roads and Accessways.

There are numerous components to the public relations work being carried out. All of them are destined to help enhance the image of the Ben-Gurion-Ring quarter in the longer term. The construction measures are all being accompanied by a series of participatory events, such as workshops, information events, exhibitions, tours, and festivals. In addition to the civic participation formats for the construction measures, there is also continuous participation by the Ben-Gurion-Ring Advisory Council, which meets approximately every six weeks. Each measure and action taken as part of the support program is also accompanied by press releases, posters, and social media posts.

Ben-Gurion-Ring is distinguished by generous outdoor spaces between the high-rise buildings. These are made up of private and public green spaces, most of which merge into one another without a visible boundary. The center of the estate is car-free. The aim is to improve their appeal and the frequency with which they are used. The outdoor spaces include meadows, parking areas, pathways, and the Bügelsee lake.
The plan is for the outdoor areas to enable activities for all age groups. An open space concept has been drawn up for the renewal of the urban outdoor spaces, the “Ben-Gurion-Ring Green Belt”, which is now gradually being implemented. The following steps have already been realized:

• participation in the Luminale 2018
• cultivation of an flowering meadow that attracts insects to the south of the building at Ben-Gurion-Ring 124-138
• installation of dog stations
• assignment and supervision of patrons for the dog stations by the district management
• information displays with solar modules set up on behalf of the district management
• the addition of bollards ensures that the green corridor is car-free.
• Installation of a sunshade in the infants’ section on the See playground
• Installation of a bookcase for children in front of the Regenbogen Family Center in collaboration with FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH
• Provision of two additional, insect-friendly street lanterns on the only insufficiently lit main path between the St. Lioba church and Grosse Wiese

Further plans are in the pipeline:

• financing a children's Little Free Library in front of the building at Ben-Gurion-Ring 110a (District Advisory Council 10)

The environment directly surrounding residential buildings has a decisive influence on residents’ quality of life and neighborhood cohesion.

A radically new concept was developed for the North Ben-Gurion-Ring 20-42 inner courtyard through an intensive participation process: Tenant gardens with hedges and communal areas with raised beds were created running alongside the buildings in accordance with the wishes of the residents. In the middle of the inner courtyard, a toddler’s playground, a boules court, a small area with fitness equipment, flowerbeds for perennials, benches, and seating pebbles under trees invite residents to linger. The setting was developed according to the wishes of the tenants. The project by GWH Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH Hessen was funded by the “Social City” program.

The City of Frankfurt Planning Dept. is very interested in the private courtyards at Ben-Gurion-Ring 176-186 and Ben-Gurion-Ring 124-138 also being redesigned by the housing companies with the participation of the tenants.

The large municipal playground next to the Bügelsee lake was given a comprehensive makeover by the City of Frankfurt Parks Dept. in 2017. The municipal playground at Rondellplatz and the municipal playground on the Grosse Wiese meadow are currently being redesigned as part of the section-by-section renewal of the green belt.
All of the other playgrounds are privately owned. They are mostly outdated and in poor condition, have hardly any playground equipment or benches and are therefore little used. The City of Frankfurt is dependent on the willingness of the owners to modernize and invest in these playgrounds.

The tender for plans for the new design for the Schattentheater playground + BGR 112-116 will presumably be issued by GWH and ABG as the owners of the properties. Implementation is scheduled for 2026. The project will be assisted by financing from the urban planning support fund.

Like a green ribbon, the approx. 4.7 hectares of the Ben-Gurion-Ring greened zone with its glorious old trees runs through the estate – from Bügelsee in the north to the park meadows at the Kalbach subway station in the south. A framework concept (outdoor planning concept) was devised detailing the rejuvenation of this municipal green belt and local citizens were involved in a multi-step civic participation process. The individual planning and construction projects will now be realized step by step. At present, the following are being prepared:

First: The Rondellplatz playground between Ben-Gurion-Ring 114-120 and 162-164 is now in the planning phase. Construction is scheduled to start in Q4 2024.

Second: For the sub-sections Grosse Wiese (with a football ground), Hanggarten (sloping gardens) and Baumhalle (Hall of Trees), planning is scheduled to start in fall 2023 and construction in Q4 2025.

For further information on the framework concept (outdoor planning concept) please click.

The Rondellplatz playground between the building at Ben-Gurion-Ring 114-120 and that at 162-164 is in the planning phase. Construction is scheduled to start in 2026. On Nov. 23, 2023, the City of Frankfurt Planning Dept. provided details on the project at an info booth outside the district management office. On Dec. 1, 2023, an event to involve children and citizens was held. All the interests and needs of the locals were factored into planning. The children decided that a climbing wall should be built on the large round playground. Click here or the press coverage.

The preliminary draft plans were presented to District Advisory Council 10 in an online workshop discussion and to Neighborhood Local Council in the district management office. The preliminary draft planning was then rolled forward and design planning prepared. This was then presented to Advisory District Council 10 at its meeting of Jan. 14, 2025. The District Advisory Council’s questions were answered. District Advisory Council 10 then resolved District Advisory Council Initiative OI 89 2025 “Revised planning for the Rondellplatz playground” in order to bring its inputs to bear. The project currently awaits the results of said initiative.

Plans are also being made for the Grosse Wiese meadow, Hanggarten and Baumhalle sub-sections located between the residential blocks at Ben Gurion Ring 176 to 186 and 102 to 110. The Grosse Wiese meadow will be retained as a wide, open green space, and as an unofficial landing pad for the emergency services helicopter but its edges will be made more versatile and enhanced with planting. Sluth of Ben Gurion Ring no. 16 and 16a, a sports pitch for younger children, which the area has to date lacked, will be created as recommended by District Advisory Council to the City Executive: the plan is for a miniature pitch sized 20 x 13 meters.

On Nov. 23, 2023, the City Planning Dept. provided details on the project at an info booth outside the district management office. On May 2, 2024, the office awarded the contract, LS² Landschaftsarchitekten, and the district management conducted a campaign to encourage children to get involved, with a workshop held in the district management office on May 23, 2024, to which all children had been invited. LS² Landschaftsarchitekten put its first design ideas up for discussion; they had been developed on the basis of the overall concept.

The interests of local inhabitants are currently being inputted into the planning. On the edge of Grosse Wiese the sand/mud playground they requested will be built as it could not be realized on the Rondellplatz playground. Moreover, a drinking fountain will be installed.

As an important access route to the subway station, the Homburger Hohl street is to be redesigned. The City of Frankfurt Planning Dept. drew up the preliminary plans for the street in 2022 and 2023. The planning objectives are the unsealing and greening of the street against the background of climate protection and climate adaptation, the reorganization of the parking spaces, bicycle parking spaces and old glass containers, the integration of recreational areas and the revision of the lighting

The citizens information event on the preliminary plans was held on March 19, 2023. The City of Frankfurt Road Building and Development Office prepared the tender for the engineering services in 2024, and it was issued in 2025.

Many project ideas for improving the social infrastructure and neighborhood cohesion can be consolidated in a district café/neighborhood meeting place. The goal is to create a central, public neighborhood meeting point with a district café – as a place that offers a small range of catering services as well as space and advice for existing neighborhood activities. These already include the district management, homework help, the “Suppenteller” (soup plate) project, the “Gesprächscafé” (conversation café) project, voluntary tenant and social counseling, a consultation hour with the local security guard, and much more.

Interim solution
In 2024, for the duration of the planning and construction work for the district cafe, an interim building was erected – the “Haus am See” – by students from TU Darmstadt together with Ben-Gurion-Ring locals. The project was realized as part of the Design+build seminar in 2023 and 2024. After the students had completed the design phase, from 11 proposals a civic participation project then selected one and building work was then assigned.

A vote was held among the local inhabitants to choose a name for the neighborhood pavilion, with “Haus am See” winning.

At various participation events, the furniture for the neighborhood pavilion was built by the local inhabitants themselves and painted in the BGR colors. The neighborhood pavilion is open for use by all local inhabitants free of charge. There are regular activities, meetings, and events. Anyone interested can apply at any time to the district management office.

Services:

• The association Kirche in Aktion e.V. regularly hosts the “neighborhood meet”, “crafts meet”, and “chat café” events in the district management office and in the “Haus am See”. For the schedule and for contact details click here Webseite.
• In 2025, a kitchen for all or “Küfa” was set up in Haus am See; it makes meals form surplus food and serves them free of charge to inhabitants.
• Once a month there is a music evening organized by a local inhabitant.
• Other projects (e.g., a gaming group) and various individual uses are being launched.

Long-term solution 
As the basis for the long-term creation of a lakeside new build for the neighborhood café / neighborhood meeting point, in 2024 a location feasibility analysis and comparison were carried out. The result was to pursue the idea of a location to the east of Bügelsee in connection with construction efforts for Bastionsplatz in the new-build zone.

The planning contract was awarded to Frankfurt’s AB2P Architekten. Construction is expected to be in 2027. The new build will be developed and run by the City of Frankfurt Dept. for Youth and Social Affairs. The new build will be a new, central working space for the district management and provide free-of-charge rooms for all Ben-Gurion-Ring institutions, initiatives, and inhabitants.

Civic participation in planning the long-term solution for the district café / neighborhood meeting point took place at the Advisory Council in 2024 and during the “Lakeside Picnic” in summer 2025. Anyone interested was able to view a 3D model of the proposal submitted by AB2P as the architects commissioned to plan the building and walk through it virtually using VR goggles. Moreover, the architects were at hand to answer questions and discuss thing.

Video: Virtual tour of the district café designed by AB2P © Bildungsgabe

The idea of a Repair and Technical Meeting Point at the Bügel was submitted by the Am Bügel Citizens’ Initiative to the Social City Advisory Council, where it was greeted very positively.

From 2019 onwards, the citizens’ initiative has rented the former janitor’s office of Wohnungsgesellschaft GWH in the building at Ben-Gurion-Ring 116 and encouraged cooperation with the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club Frankfurt e.V. (ADFC). Repair courses are currently held on 3-4 Saturdays a month, offering a social get-together in addition to the “tinkering”. The project contributes to the topics of environmental protection, sustainability, capacity building, upcycling instead of throwing away, and the exchange of knowledge and experience. Contact persons and dates can be found here.

The property at Ben-Gurion-Ring 172-174 was acquired by the City of Frankfurt for the purposes of school development in 2020, and the office building at Ben-Gurion-Ring 158-164 was rented in 2021.

The redesign of the outdoor spaces at the youth center was implemented as one of the first projects of the urban development program. In 2018, the participation process for the redesign of these spaces at the youth center took place with young people aged 12 to 21. In small workshop groups, the young people came up with many surprising ideas for the redesign. These ideas then formed the basis for planning the outdoor areas.

In addition to a playing field for football, basketball and volleyball, a 240 m² parkour and calisthenics facility, practice walls for graffiti sprayers, a grandstand, were created along with a separate area for the girls’ club with a ground trampoline, hanging swing, hammock and raised beds. The seating cubes between the newly planted trees have also become a new meeting point in their own right. The planning and construction process was accompanied on site by a “get-your-hands-dirty construction site” project and open-air summer cinemas. The new sports and leisure area was inaugurated in July 2022 and is open to everyone.

At the St. Lioba parish church, a vacant room in the youth section will be converted into a music room. In line with the idea of ‘bringing services’, music will be brought to the local inhabitants. The plan is to offer children, young people, and the local inhabitants a low-threshold opportunity to integrate music into their everyday reality.