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A tour with construction and environmental officer Kolmer shows progress and visions of the new Darmstadt city district
On Friday, June 13, 2025, the Bessungen district group of the Darmstadt Green Party toured the developing Ludwigshöhe district. They were accompanied by Michael Kolmer, the city's head of construction and environmental affairs, who explained the sustainable urban development project on site. The event was well-attended and offered fascinating insights into one of Darmstadt's largest and most ambitious new construction projects currently underway.
The department head presented key aspects of the district: a high proportion of green space (around 40 percent) with sports and play areas, a car-free mobility concept with a neighborhood parking garage, shared mobility options and direct public transport connections, as well as consistently sustainable planning. This includes, among other things, geothermal energy, green facades and roofs, a sponge city concept for rainwater infiltration, and an integrated district heating solution.
The development was made possible by an innovative traffic concept, as the adjacent intersections are already heavily congested. The city also broke new ground in citizen participation: Citizens from all over Darmstadt were involved in the planning process via a lottery system.
The neighborhood is designed to offer diverse living spaces – including subsidized housing – complemented by a timber-framed educational campus, play streets, natural areas, and wildlife refuges. Even an old fence will be preserved as a protective measure against wild boars. A total of 854 residential units are planned, 61 percent of which are already built or under construction. Around 3,000 people are expected to live in the Ludwigshöhe district in the future. The basis for the socially balanced structure is the so-called "Darmstadt Key" (a system for allocating housing based on social criteria).
According to the Greens, this shows that the Ludwigshöhe district is developing into a vibrant, sustainable and livable urban quarter.
(DARMSTADT – RED/GREENS)
Featured image: Environmental Officer Michael Kolmer in conversation with Zoé Zimmermann, Jens Willenbockel and Martin Duyster at the landscaped staircase (from left). Photo: Stefanie Scholz
