Basel: indicative project for Klybeck site completed

The canton of Basel-Stadt, Swiss Life and Rhystadt recently presented the «Klybeckplus» indicative project. The Klybeck industrial site in Basel is to be transformed into a new district and will one day provide living space for 8,500 people - a third of which will be rented on a non-profit basis - and 7,500 jobs. There are also plans for two new parks, one on the Rhine and one on the Wiese. The indicative project forms the basis for the utilization planning.

At just under 30 hectares, the Klybeck site is the largest transformation area in Basel. The two landowners Swiss Life and Rhystadt want to invest over CHF 3 billion.

Over the past three years, the three planning partners have further developed the urban development concept, which was presented in 2022, and examined its feasibility. The concerns and suggestions of the population from the participation process were also taken into account. In the current guideline project, the planning of open spaces, mobility and the handling of existing and new buildings in particular were adapted. This can be seen, among other things, in the example of Kleinhüningerstrasse, which currently ends abruptly in front of the Klybeck site: In future, it will lead back to the Rhine and lead into the Rheinterrasse, a new public open space directly on the waterfront. «By linking existing neighborhood streets with the previously closed area, the spatial networking with the adjacent neighborhoods will be significantly improved,» write the project managers.

With its central location and the new high-rise buildings flanking it, Klybeckplatz forms a new center for the north of Basel. The first floors of many of the buildings are intended for uses that serve the district. These are to be further specified in a utilization concept.

Fewer new buildings

The master plan envisages more than fifty buildings for the entire site - around a third of which are existing buildings. The tallest building will be around 120 meters high. In the Esplanade north of the Dreirosenbrücke bridge, five new buildings will be dispensed with compared to the master plan and one additional existing building will be retained. In the Klybeckplatz-Süd neighborhood, only two new buildings are planned instead of four. According to the current planning status, the striking K-90 building on Klybeckplatz is also to be retained despite the strain on the building: The building is to be renovated and used as neighborhood parking. Buildings 322/328, 370-373, 375, 379 and 381 along Mauerstrasse, on the other hand, cannot remain as originally planned but are to be demolished due to excessive building loads. In the Mauerstrasse Nord neighborhood, the canton is examining whether a construction site would be suitable for sports use.

Traffic concept prioritizes bicycles and pedestrians

The further elaborated traffic concept envisages a new streetcar connection between Badischer Bahnhof and the Rhine as well as a connection to the other development projects in the north of Basel. Priority is to be given to bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Car access is severely restricted. Parking is planned exclusively in collective garages. The energy supply is focused on renewable sources and is based on a mix of local energy from river water, geothermal probes, solar and waste heat recovery as well as connection to the municipal district heating network.

The development plan is expected to be available at the beginning of 2027 and will then be submitted for public consultation.