The Berlin Strategy | Urban Development Concept Berlin 2030 | use: urban sustainability exchange

The Berlin Strategy | Urban Development Concept Berlin 2030

Status

ongoing

City

Berlin

Main actors

City Government, Community / Citizen Group, Research Institutes / Universities

Project area

Whole City/Administrative Region

Duration

Ongoing since 2013

The city of Berlin used an interdisciplinary participation process to develop the Berlin Strategy | Urban Development Concept Berlin 2030 to support the city’s sustainable growth.

The city of Berlin is experiencing rapid transformation growth that represents both opportunities and challenges for urban development planning. In managing growth, the city administration is committed to a culture of participation to ensure Berlin continues to be a sustainable and cosmopolitan metropolis. In 2013, the city administration commenced a review process and released a status report on completion. The report analyzed development trends and assessed the opportunities that could help shape the future of the city. The report provides in-depth analysis, drawing on a number of ideas, strategic plans and future policies to build the foundation for the strategic development of Berlin.

Subsequently, a broad participation process was launched and implemented through online platforms and „City Forum“ meetings. The meetings comprised representatives of the city administration, diverse groups of stakeholders and the general public. The aim of the meetings was to define the key priorities to be included in the strategy.

The Berlin Strategy outlines eight priorities that will determine Berlin’s medium- to long-term development opportunities and gives an overwiew of actions the city will undertake in order to effectively respond to present and future challenges. Additionally, ten transformation areas have been identified and set geographical priorities to provide a tangible framework for implementing the Strategy at community level.

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Sustainable Development Goals

City

Berlin, Germany

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 estimations, about one third of Berlin’s population was foreign born or has a migratory background. These inhabitants originate from other parts of the EU—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 functions

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. As a city-state it is also one of the country’s 16 Länder, as the federal states are called in Germany. Situated approximately 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea, the city lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through Berlin’s centre. 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 Germany and East and West Berlin in 1990, the unified Berlin was re-established as the country’s capital (replacing Bonn, the former capital of West Germany). In 1999, large parts of the Federal Government and the German Bundestag finally moved back to Berlin. Berlin is a city of great historical significance, which becomes evident considering the amount of historical landmarks that visualize the city’s history. Some of the most important landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate (built in 1793), the Reichstag Building (which dates to 1884), remnants of the Berlin Wall (taken down on the 9th of November 1989) or the Holocaust memorial (inaugurated in 2003). Berlin is also a famous cultural hub, known for its world-class museums, theatres, operas and concert halls as well as its vibrant club scene and street art. Finally, the Brain City Berlin is 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.

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 10 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.

Website

http://www.berlin.de

The Berlin Strategy provides specific development goals, identify appropriate fields of action for collaborative work and outine a clear vision of what Berlin will have achieved by 2030. Strategic actions will respond to major challenges in ensuring sustainable development of the city. Both individually and together, they form the basis of an integrated approach to urban development.

The Berlin Strategy sets out eight priorities:

Strengthening the economy with smart knowledge
Unleashing strengths through creativity
Safeguarding employment through education and skills
Reinforcing neighbourhood diversity
City and green growing together
Laying the groundwork for a climate-friendly city
Improving accessibility and city-friendly mobility
Shaping the future together

The Berlin Strategy provides city-wide development perspectives focusing on specific selected urban locations in spatial terms. For these transformation areas, the Urban Development Concept Berlin 2030 describes the targeted direction of development. Target situations are defined while practical approaches to achieving them are also indicated. Transformation areas can be regions that are undergoing change and need intervention from the public sector, that are suitable for location profiling, or play a significant role in the fabric of the city. The transformation areas offer urban development planning the advantage of steering important development decisions in the right direction and setting priorities. This also allows public and private stakeholders to engage in coordinated group actions.

Throughout the process, participation was encouraged using a range of creative analogue and digital communications tools. Written messages in the form of ‘Berlin telegrams’ sent to workstations were posted on the city’s advertising columns and distributed by email and post. To foster community engagement, debates were organized via twitter and the Berlin 2030 City Development Plan’s online platform. The online dialogue was supported by on-site workshops for representatives from the economic and research sectors and the general public, organized according to the City Forum format.

Following the reunification of Berlin, the City Forum was created as a public discussion platform for significant questions concerning urban development. From April 2013 onwards, the City Forum focused on the Urban Development Concept Berlin 2030 under the title "City Forum 2030". A total of five forums were organized and examined the following themes:

1 “Where is Berlin, where is Berlin going?”
The first forum identifed key challenges and social complexities that Berlin is facing today. At the same time, it questionned the urban development of Berlin in a European perspective.

2 “Berlin: social, fair. What keeps the city together?”
As Berlin is growing, it is becoming more multi-cultural. Providing equal opportunities for everyone is a major challenge and securing social coexistence and spatial balance is imprerative to maintain a functioning urban society.

3 “Berlin: economically prospering. What makes the city grow?”
Berlin is the capital of Germany and well known as a place for innovation and research. The city has established itself as a start-up metropolis and attracts creatives from all over the world. However, in comparison with other regions in the country, the economic situation of Berlin is below average. The economic development of the city will be strenghthened through investments in tourism, public services, as well as business and industrial sectors.

4 “The Berlin Strategy: Where Berlin Focuses”

The fourth forum focused on spatial dimension. The goal of the Berlin Strategy is to shape an economically prosperous, fair, ecologically balanced and culturally diverse city. “Transformation areas” have been identified as strategic places for responding to urban development challenges in the city.

5 “Berlin 2030: Forming a city together”

The 5th forum focussed on the joint design of the city. Participants from the general public discussed and contributed to urban design conceps for the city with relevant stakeholders.