Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld is an ambitious urban development project in Hamburg, Germany, transforming a 125-hectare area in the Bahrenfeld district into a vibrant hub for science, research, innovation, housing, and leisure. Built on the site of a former airfield and trotting track adjacent to the historic Volkspark Altona, Hamburg's largest park, the project integrates cutting-edge research facilities with residential neighbourhoods, businesses, and green spaces to create a compact, mixed-use district.
The project is coordinated by Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH. The 2022–2024 urban and open space planning competition for neighbourhoods at Volkspark saw teams like LOLA Landscape Architects with MANDAWORKS and Karres en Brands with ADEPT submit winning visions emphasising connectivity, biodiversity, and an 'accelerator axis' linking science, community, and nature.
By the 2040s, the area will offer thousands of new apartments, workplaces, a dedicated S-Bahn station, and facilities like schools and innovation parks, fostering interdisciplinary exchange and sustainable living near world-class laboratories such as European XFEL and PETRA III. This integrated neighbourhood aims to blend global science with local vibrancy, enhancing Hamburg's profile as a knowledge city.