obenstadt e.v. / Hamburg Roof Days 2024 - Photographer: Isadora Tast
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RETHINKING ROOFTOPS

The future is upstairs
Looking at the whole thing from above - that's exactly what obenstadt e.V. does

We are obenstadt e.V. - a non-profit association with a clear goal: to promote the use of Hamburg's rooftops as a habitat for all living creatures. Because we know: Roofs can do much more than just be empty or unused. They can be meeting places, feed people, provide shelter for animals or become green oases - in other words, a habitat that really helps the world. We gave this topic a stage in July 2024: the “Hamburg Roof Days 2024”. For the second time, we organized Hamburg's alternative festival for roof use on selected rooftops in the city center.

The future is upstairs!


See you next time.

Neu
Come up to the roof!

And change the world with us from above! In our rooftop news, we regularly inform you about our commitment to making cities more liveable. We hope you enjoy reading it.

NEW

Long Day of Urban Nature 2025

That was the motto of our guided tour as part of the ‘Long Day of Urban Nature’ on 21 June. Together with 15 interested people, great local cooperation partners and a few degrees Celsius too many, we explored a total of three roofs in HafenCity.

NEW

the good roof story

We are passionate about taking art and encounters to new heights, literally!

NEW

Asphaltsprenger-Festival 2025

The annual Asphaltsprenger Festival on the PARKS site is now a firm favourite with nature enthusiasts and interested parties. Here you can find out about environmental protection, urban nature and sustainable urban development.

The festival, organised by the Loki Schmidt Foundation and the BürgerStiftung Hamburg, took place at the same time as the Hafengeburtstag. For the fourth time, the PARKS site was transformed into a lively meeting place for environmentalists, families, music fans and the curious - and offered an unparalleled programme on 10 May.

At the heart of the festival is the desire for a city in which nature and people are given more space again. Numerous Hamburg environmental organisations presented themselves at almost 50 stands, providing information about their projects and inviting people to get involved. Here you could not only learn how each individual can contribute to environmental protection, but also become directly active: Whether it was developing digital microscopes to analyse the water from the flood basin, building insect hotels or taking part in the bee trail - a thirst for research and action were expressly encouraged.

Illustration - Heiner Wolfram
Master Thesis
Roofs are relevant for us

Hardly anyone knows what Hamburg's rooftops look like - and what Hamburg's rooftops can do. Our two cofounders Daria Sankina and Janet Klawitter from obenstadt e.V. investigated this as part of their joint Master's thesis - and have formulated approaches for implementing more multifunctional roof uses in Hamburg.

Hamburg Roof Days 2024
It was great: Our review

4 roofs, 9 expeditions, 16 specials and, believe it or not, 1,500 visitors: That was the Hamburg Roof Days 2024! We are still thrilled - and revel in the best moments with you.

Fotografin: Isadora Tast
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In Hamburg alone, there is an approx. 37 km² roofscape with an incredible amount of development potential that has hardly been used to date and is virtually being wasted. That is about 25 times the size of Hamburg's city park.

But why all this? Are roofs relevant at all?

Yes, because due to the ongoing urbanization trend, increasing demand for space and competition for space, there is a steady decline in open and green spaces in growing cities. However, open and green spaces have important benefits for the well-being of city dwellers, can mitigate the effects of heatwaves and heavy rainfall events and create new habitats for urban flora and fauna. This is why the planning and shared use of roof surfaces is essential for sustainable urban development and should be indispensable in practice.

Wir sind Obenstadt

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