Green Corridors and Boundary Strips The future of the city and its environs is in the hands of numerous individual municipalities and districts. This is a result of how Brandenburg has developed over time. Berlin came into existence as a bridge between the twin cities of Berlin and Cölln and the villages of Brandenburg. Today, it is growing into a metropolitan region – a mosaic is coming together. This is fuelled by the impetus coming from the city as an engine of growth. The construction of the railways through the Margraviate of Brandenburg was, on the contrary, centrally managed and did not stop at the state borders. We profit from this excellent early infrastructure to this day. James Hobrecht’s construction of the sewerage system required the inclusion of areas outside the city; urban utilities were set up; hospitals were relocated to the forested areas. In the future Berlin’s new airport will be an example of successful cooperation between Berlin and Brandenburg. One of the next tasks, we think, will be to keep routes free for a new maglev that will form a ring railway around Berlin. However, for further development of the metropolitan region a strong model is required to manage growth.
Outlying districts: New development plans will enable and promote denser and higher development. The prototype is inner-city neighbourhoods; here, however, there will be only four storeys.
Densification towards the centre: There is to be no more wasting of space. Subsoil is to be recycled and utilised in more ways. This will save resources, restrict additional loss of land, and make use of existing infrastructure. The individual mosaic pieces will grow together. But the idiosyncrasies will remain and form the identity of each locality. Within this model, the city in its diversity can grow further. The multiplicity of Berlin’s urban forms is unique. During various phases of growth and destruction a multiplicity of urban structures have been established.
New neighbourhoods: The remaining spaces and boundaries form future urban neighbourhoods. The circular line will be a ‘Transrapid’ connecting the suburbs. A new ring railway should connect the suburbs with one another and so stimulate development. We propose using maglev as a circular railway. Alleys will connect the metropolis’ numerous islands and local centres with one another and relieve the inner city. These new alleys can serve as park-like routes for scooters, ramblers, and cyclists; they will be accompanied by watercourses, canals, and trees, and the rapid public ring railway.
Examples of cooperation between Berlin and Brandenburg: The Heidekrautbahn railway line will be reactivated. The reactivation of this line will create a valuable link between urban residential districts and surrounding areas in Brandenburg. In fact, eight other projects for close connections are planned.
Plan 2 A+B: Wilhelmsruh Here we examine further development of the city. The existing allotments hold great potential for the inner-city. Largely inaccessible, these have until now only been available to a small part of the population. We propose converting the allotment gardens into large, interconnected landscape parks for use by all. This is where the border strips and green corridors will start. When connected, they will form ‘green lungs’ for the city. It will be possible to cycle along them from the inner city into the countryside. The edges of the parks will have a tree-lined promenade on which residential buildings, cycle paths, and leisure facilities will be built. The continuing sprawl near the city will be limited and ordered by the new parks and their new edges with their structural borders. The new development plans allow for three- to four-storey developments within the city boundaries. The city will become denser and make better use of existing infrastructure. The densification will create new neighbourhoods. Some streets will be widened; squares and parks will be established. To compensate, plots of land may be built up more densely. The existing old brick industrial buildings in Wilhelmsruh will be retained; the old railway workshops will be kept as commercial spaces. Offices and commercial functions will be established along the road to Rosenthal.
Plan 3 A+B: Fredersdorf Here we examine developing a suburb. A new M-Bahn (Magnetbahn) station on the circular line is to be created at the intersection with the urban radial axis. Between the old S-Bahn station and the new M-Bahn station there will be an extensive space. Settlements have already developed along the radial axis. The railway lines frequently intersect these settlements at ground level; the noise they make impedes development near the route. We propose making Fredershof an example for putting the railway route underground; this will create a new, high-value urban space linking the fragmented areas and stretching between the M-Bahn and the S-Bahn station. The rapid railway link will make it possible to reach the city more quickly – a prerequisite for the success of the new transport policy. Along the railway less-used areas often lie fallow. Putting the tracks underground in the suburbs can turn these areas into new centres. The new development will partly finance the cost of building the railway. On land formerly occupied by the railway ‘broad suburban streets’ will be created; these will have a central green space surrounded, in the manner of a village green, by new residential and commercial buildings serving the suburbs. IT firms are looking for cheap office space in the environs of Berlin. Dismantling the large marshalling yards in Fredersdorf will create valuable free space for development. New settlements will be created along the railway routes. To compensate for and restrict these settlements, green strips of forest will be created on their edges (this will be a mandatory condition). At the same time, the forests will capture CO2. The new settlements will be built from wood; they will also capture CO2. To develop the suburbs, the railway routes can either be designed as enclosed viaducts with retail and park-and-ride facilities directly underneath them or put underground and built over, giving better sound insulation and fewer barriers to development. Both the latter options can be realised, depending on the location.
The M-Bahn: A new circular railway will link the suburbs with one another. This will run parallel to the city’s motorway ring road. With just a few stations, this has been designed as a rapid connection. The pursuit of cheap office space for start-ups and IT services will mean high demand for suburbs at S-Bahn stations. Linking the suburbs with one another will lead to high-tech belts springing up along these rings. These high-tech belts will at the same time be close to the industrial complexes that are growing along the motorway ring.
Plan 4 A+B: Wachower Fliess Regional Park In this plan we look at an element of the regional park: development of the landscape for leisure purposes. Many areas in the environs of Berlin are used for agriculture. These are at the moment not always accessible and constitute barriers to development. At the same time, they are important for ensuring regional and sustainable food production in the future and for providing for the city. They should not be displaced by leisure functions but retained and developed. Where there are streams and wetlands, no utilisation is possible; access to these features should carefully be opened up. Parks situated inside existing natural areas should be made accessible again. Streams are to be revitalised if necessary and developed as linear parks. New paths and paths for cyclists and walkers – partly elevated – are to be created. Along these green zones there are to be viewing points, barbecue and picnicking spots, and temporary catering units which can be dismantled if needed. The surrounding cultivated landscape is to be left in place. The former agricultural function is to be turned into an experience; new leisure functions are to be added. The areas between the various functions are to be forested. In some areas, new communal gardens similar to allotments can be established. This will require planning cooperation between Berlin and Brandenburg. If allotments are lost in the city, they can be recreated on the outskirts and made more attractive and easily accessible.
