May 06, 2025
Exhibition „St. Petersburger Strasse OASIS“: Students at TUD win design competition for the heavily trafficked road.
The St. Petersburg Strasse, which stretches for 1.6 kilometers through the center of Dresden is known to be a busy main road dating from the 1960s. It has very limited quality of stay and creates a considerable barrier for pedestrians. Students from multiple universities have been working in close cooperation with the City of Dresden to design new possible development prospects as well as to reimagine the traffic congestion as a new, vibrant and inviting public space that encourages the public to linger and explore. Current students of TUD Dresden University of Technology were victorious at the final competition. All works will be on display from May 6 until June 12 this year. The exhibition is called „St. Petersburger Strasse OASIS – Transforming Traffic Space into a Living Space“ and will take place at the Center for Saxony’s Building Culture (ZfBK) in the Kulturpalast Dresden.
Aspiring architects and urban planners from TUD Dresden University of Technology, under direction of Professor Angela Mensing-de Jong, the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the Nuremberg University of Technology have been actively working on the urban space that is St. Petersburg Strasse, since last autumn. This was also carried out in close coordination and cooperation with Dresden’s Office for Urban Planning and Mobility. The student projects vary in their approach, some pragmatic and others visionary with the key questions being: „How much traffic is necessary on St. Petersburg Road?“ „How much greenspace should be created and preserved long-term?“ and „Where might development be appropriate?“
In the final round of the competition, the design by Gael Desre, Ricardo Nitzsche, and Karina Kharchenko from TU Dresden was selected as the winning entry. Their proposal stands out for its strong conceptual foundation and its balanced integration of high-quality public spaces with fascinating new development. In addition, one project from the Nuremberg Institute of Technology, one from the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and two further entries from TUD received awards.
At the „St. Petersburger Strasse OASIS“ exhibition, visitors will not only find award-winning projects but also encounter 20 additional ideas for further transforming this prominent area of Dresden. This exhibition aims to provide the public with a sense of St. Petersburg Strasse potential and offers a rare chance of civic participation.
At the exhibition opening on May 5, 2025, TUD Rector Ursula Staudinger congratulated the winning teams and and expressed her gratitude all participants as well as other students for their valuable contributions. In her closing remarks, she stated that in the course of mobility transition the St. Petersburg Strasse shows great potential for the city’s future development.
Further information:
Accompanying event on May 17 and 23
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Office for Urban Planning and Mobility will host two events to further exchange of ideas on May 17 and 23, 2025. On May 17, guided tours along St. Petersburg Strasse will also be offered. On May 23, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the students design proposals at themed discussion tables. Registration is requested.
Contacts of media:
City of Dresden
Press, Public Relations and Protocol
Tel.: +49 351 488 23 90
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