Flaner-Friendly Ottensen

Flaner is an French word dating back to the 19th century, which is used as a synonym for a relaxed stroll. Strolling involves people and the urban space, which becomes an area of observation and recreation. Now we live in the 21st century, where streets in big cities tend to belong less to people and more to cars. To make urban space flaner-friendly, the traffic project “Ottensen macht Platz” was launched in 2019 as a test version. Five streets of the Ottensen district in Hamburg were closed to motorized traffic (except delivery traffic). Ottensen is known as Little Paris in Hamburg because of its alleys and lovely cafes and it has turned into a little paradise for people who want to flaner and enjoy public space. In 2020 the city council agreed to permanently transforming some parts of Ottensen into limited-car-access neighborhoods. Residents could decide what free space could be used for. Many voted for trees, street furniture and bicycle parking spaces. After the end of the project rehearsal period, a survey was conducted among residents: about 70% of residents feel safer and rate the results as positive for all road users. However, the project will continue to be implemented only from April 2021 because of Corona. Flaner is in again!