For some years the awareness of quality in public open spaces has been increased in Cologne. It became necessary to define standard design guidelines to consider existing urban characters in case of future construction projects. The city of Cologne aimed for an improvement of urban quality after drafting of an urban masterplan of downtown Cologne. Based on a long-term oriented concept guidelines for public open spaces should be developed. The guideline‘s main focus are design rules for streetscape standards. General principles were gathered to raise quality standards in downtown Cologne in the future. They base on typological analyses of the urban spaces as well as of existing functional and design features.
The guidelines itself are a planning instrument for gradual implementation of these goals. The public open space was regarded in the catagories space types, design principles and design elements (surface materials and furnishing) for a better orientation and an easy elaboration of essential identities.
planning: 2014