The Rather Korso was developed as a way to better equip the districts of Düsseldorf, Mörsenbroich and Rath that lack open spaces for the future and to provide them with good outdoor areas. The approximately three-kilometre-long Korso stretching along both sides of the S-Bahn rail line is a linear park that fluidly and logically connects the most important open spaces in the district independently of the road layout, linking them to form an overall system.

Schools, youth meeting points, and play and sports facilities dock onto the Rather Korso, creating new points of reference. The district has been re-evaluated in pedestrian terms, with hidden areas opened up and barriers overcome. With its positive resonance, the Rather Korso can have a profound impact on the district.

All along the Rather Korso, attractive and multifunctional leisure and exercise spaces have been created. The Sportpark am Bunker in front of the heritage-listed Hochbunker offers various trend sport facilities such as parkour, boules, and Panna.K.O. against an impressive backdrop, and has already been attracting people from across the region and beyond. The facility was designed in close cooperation with the planners at Proelan and with the involvement of local residents and young people from the local parkour scene.

Another facility at the Rather Korso is the “Richtig guter Fußballplatz”, or “Really Good Football Pitch”, which is integrated into the existing green space. The pitch is laid out where paths intersect in such a way that it opens up the space like a plaza with islands of lawn to break it up. Various hang-out spaces around the playing field make the football pitch a place for communication, including for those who aren’t sporty or just want to take a stroll through the neighbourhood.

Design: Planungsbüro DTP Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH

Client: State capitol Düsseldorf

Project location: Germany, Düsseldorf-Rath

Planning and realisation: 2013-2019

Photos: Nikolai Benner