Changing Habitats: strategies for a river valley, Ahr river, Germany

This thesis was initiated in response to the devastating flood in the Ahr Valley in 2021. Historically, the narrow valley has been hit by such flash floods frequently. Among other stressors, these have caused great damage to the landscape and have cost human lives. So far, there is no solution and no overall concept for the Ahr valley - although the urgency is undeniable.
The thesis considers the new situation as an opportunity and tests, with the help of scenarios, how the Ahr Valley can live in the future. The scenarios addressed the cohabitation of human and non-human actors with different degrees of human use of the valley. In the process, new dynamics emerge, both in the valley floor and vertically to the river across the mountain. The new vertical connection as a sequence of the Ahr Mountains is seen as an important solution for the overall concept in the Ahr Valley and is designed using an exemplary village.