Actually, we only want to hear the question “Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?” from the classic movie “Dinner for one” on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, however, it fits very well with the current Corona situation, which meant that the 3rd Neighbourhood Meeting 2021 of the Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier had to be held digitally again on the evening of November 30. As part of a Zoom video event, 24 HafenCity residents took part in what was once again a very enjoyable information and dialog event to find out the current status on the construction site of what is currently Europe’s largest inner-city building project. While enjoying the previously delivered Christmas stollen and mulled wine, there was also the opportunity to ask open questions. As always, participants were selected on a first-come-first-served basis, taking into account whether they had already been able to attend one of the previous events.
After a brief round of introductions, the event began with an update on the status of leasing by Portfolio Leasing Manager Anna Laura Riemann. In addition to the already well-known tenants such as the supermarket chain Rewe and the local drugstore chain BUDNI, the large anchor tenant Breuninger or the entertainment offerings Kinopolis and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre, the planned senior community living apartment project VILVIF Hamburg is certainly an interesting novelty for many, which represents an important building block in the multigenerational idea of the quarter.
Afterwards, Senior Construction Manager Viktor Eskioglou gave an overview of the current status of work on the construction site as well as previous and upcoming work. As a small highlight, Eskioglou switched via live stream from one of the construction site cameras directly to the scene of the action. This also made it easier to explain some of the details and answer specific questions.
Last but not least, Marketing Manager Karen Mester-Lichtsinn presented the cooperation between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the Sheltersuit Foundation and local aid organizations, in which Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier is participating. Since mid-November, an initial 100 warming protective suits have been distributed to homeless people in need throughout Germany, 20 of them in Hamburg alone. The sustainably produced Sheltersuit is a multifunctional, wind- and waterproof garment that converts into a sleeping bag and can alleviate the acute hardships of homelessness, especially in the cold seasons.
The atmosphere throughout the event was again extremely pleasant, open and relaxed. Karen Mester-Lichtsinn summed it up very aptly in conclusion: “We are very happy about the digital tools that have become established in the meantime, which enable us to create a neighborly feeling of togetherness even in a pandemic, despite the physical distance. In addition, dialog with our neighbours is incredibly important to us. That’s why we’re already planning the first neighbourhood event in 2022, optimistic as we are, again as a face-to-face event – well knowing that we can also enable an open and honest exchange digitally.”
