Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany, as well as one of the nation’s 16 states. It is situated approximately 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea and lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through the centre of the city. The city extends over an area of 891.7 square kilometres and stands at an average altitude of 34 meters above sea level.
After the reunification of the two Berlins in 1990, Germany began a process to centralize the capital to Berlin (replacing Bonn, the former capital of West Germany). Since then, Berlin is the place where the German House of Representatives and the German Bundestag hold elections. However, it wasn’t until 2001 that the Bundestag and the government of Berlin were fully established under the same roof. Berlin is also a city of great cultural significance, which is evident if one considers the amount of historical landmarks that tie the city’s history to its multiple overlapping pasts. Some of the most important landmarks include the Holocaust memorial (inaugurated in 2003), remnants of the Berlin Wall (taken down on the 9th of November 1989), the Reichstag Building (which dates to 1884).
As the capital of Germany, Europe’s most populous and economically powerful country, Berlin is also the centre of culture, politics, media and science in the country and serves as a European hub for air and rail traffic. Berlin is also a leading location for science and research. It is home to a number of prestigious universities such as the Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and the Technische Universität Berlin, with more than 35,000 students each as well as renowned research institutions and think tanks.
Move Urban
The use of space-efficient mobility concepts when developing new residential quarters in cities can make a significant contribution to solving problems associated with urban expansion. The Urban Move project will develop and test concepts in a real-world laboratory in Berlin. The intended outcome of the project is that these concepts will provide a serious alternative to traditional forms of private motorized transport, relieve pressure on existing transport infrastructure and achieve cost benefits without neglecting individuals’ mobility needs.
Background and Objectives
Berlin is a growing city. It is expected that the population of Germany’s capital will increase by 7.5 % by 2030, reaching 3.8 million inhabitants. While the city’s dynamic development is generally reviewed positively, it also provides challenges. Significant pressure on the housing market gives rise to the claim that affordable and appropriate housing has to be available for every citizen now and in the future. Mobility planning needs to embrace the diverse needs of a growing number of inhabitants and commuters and simultaneously services and health care have to be prepared for the additional population. The City of Berlin’s Senate has pro-actively responded to the growth of the city. The Urban Development Concept 2030 has been updated and identifies ten places of transformation where the residential developments are concentrated. The plan’s objective is to develop and implement integrated approaches, which take into account the various challenges identified.
Current building development (2018), living laboratory, Berlin
Implementation
The key aim of the Move Urban project is to investigate institutional, legal and operational issues and their impact on each other in the living laboratory “Waterkant” (part of the new-build area called Wasserstadt Spandau) in Berlin. The recommended actions for the living laboratory will be examined to assess their general transferability, with the overall aim of being able to make statements of general validity. The project will focus on the mobility of individuals and also commercial transport and local logistics.
As part of the project, political decision-makers, local administrators, key actors in the residential property and mobility sectors as well as members of the public will be provided with fundamental and systematic information about the organizational and legal factors involved in the design of space-efficient mobility concepts. The goal is to develop transferable recommendations for integrated mobility concepts for residential estates. Such concepts should be able to ensure the provision of high-quality mobility against the background of expanding cities and growing shortages of space.
This inter-disciplinary project brings together people with skills in the fields of politics, urban planning, law and social sciences. The project’s inter-disciplinary nature will be ensured by its links with actual planning measures, topic-specific workshops and an advisory committee of relevant practitioners to monitor the progress of the project.
Future building development (2025), living laboratory, Berlin
Financing and Resources
The lead agencies for the project are The Federal Ministry for Education and Research and FONA (Research for Sustainable Development).
Barriers and Challenges
Space-efficient mobility measures, such as car and bike sharing or mobility hubs, are not new. However, knowledge regarding how these mobility measures operate in new residential areas and the extent to which they are transferrable to different situations is limited. Specifically, what needs to be investigated is the relationship between supply, demand and the regulatory control of mobility services, and the impacts that can be anticipated. There is also a lack of clarity around factors that are specific to an individual location, e.g. the modal split that is typical of specific population groups, the geographical location such as the distance between the residential development and the nearest public transport stop.
There are also structural challenges when it comes to planning and implementing transport access to new-build residential estates. Firstly, the timescales involved in planning and building residential estates are very different from those necessary for creating efficient rail or tram links. Ideally, effective public transport links are already established before the first tenants move in. However, it is frequently the case, as can be seen in this project, that new-builds are completed much earlier than transport infrastructure and there is a great danger that during this time residents will establish car-oriented behaviours. Consequently, it is necessary to have alternative mobility services and measures that can be implemented at short notice as a substitute for private-car ownership. In this regard, there is not yet sufficient data available of the specific institutional, legal and operational implications of putting such measures into practice.
https://waterkant-berlin.de/ein-neues-quartier/das-projekt
City Profile
Size and Population Development
In 2019, the municipality of Berlin had a population of 3,669,491 inhabitants, making it the most populous city in the European Union (EU). The larger metropolitan area has about 5 million inhabitants.
Population Composition
According to estimates, about one-third of Berlin’s population are foreign-born or have a migratory background. These inhabitants originate from other parts of the European Union, such as Poland, Italy or Bulgaria, as well as from countries outside of the EU, such as Syria, Vietnam or the United States of America. The largest non-native population comes from Turkey. In 2019, more than 107,000 Turkish nationals were registered as inhabitants of Berlin.
Main Industries/Business
As the fourth largest economy of the world, Germany has a wide array of prestigious industries. Berlin is home to a diverse mix of economic activities: state-owned enterprises, creative industries, automotive manufacturers, (digital) media corporations, high-tech and telecommunication companies, as well as multiple digital pioneers that flourish in the city’s vibrant start-up scene. Tourism is constantly growing and brings about 14 million visitors (2019) to the city every year.
Sources for City Budget
Berlin draws its budget for public expenditure largely from taxes, federal transfers, fees, fines and operating revenues. It is spent not only to provide high quality public services, but also to boost the city’s private sector, civil society engagement and cultural life.
Political Structure
The city-state Berlin is governed by the Berlin Senate, which is comprised of ten senators, and the Governing Mayor. As the capital of Germany, Berlin hosts the Bundesregierung (federal government), the Bundestag (federal parliament) and the Bundesrat (the parliamentary chamber of the 16 Länder). Each of the 16 Länder has a representation in Berlin. On many political issues, the Länder have co-legislative powers vis-à-vis the Federal government. Moreover, Berlin hosts embassies from more than 120 countries from around the world.
Administrative Structure
Berlin is administrated by the Senate and its 12 districts or boroughs (Bezirke). The Senate is the city’s central administration, in charge of city planning, public policy, and the regulation of public and private spheres. The district administrations have some decentralized public functions, with reasonable differences between the various localities.