Discussion: Enclaves for Alternative Forms of Living - Current Housing Construction in Berlin
In view of its continuing growth and its changing needs and forms of living, Berlin, like other cities, is confronted today with many new challenges in terms of its urban planning and architecture. In recent decades, publicly financed housing has come to dominate in both East and West. With only 14 per cent privately owned dwellings in the city, Berlin has the largest proportion of rented property in Germany. In 2002, the senate of the city decided to end all support for housing programmes. In combination with an economic recession in Germany, this led to an almost total construction stop by investors. At the same time, it meant that many vacant sites remained undeveloped, and in the following years, these afforded gaps and a special potential for urban development: the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of other parties was motivated to find new solutions. Somewhere between pragmatism and idealism, many future-oriented solutions came about, particularly on the initiative of private families who wished to remain living in the city centre, but who were unable to find what they were looking for in the realm of rented accommodation. Berlin became an experimental ground for unusual urban development processes. Vacant sites and unused buildings were exploited by pioneers such as construction groups, cooperatives and the like.
