While tourist guides generally present the neighborhoods of Friedrichschain-Kreutzberg as emblematic examples of Berlin’s alternative and creative lifestyle, the nearby area constituting the Südliche Friedrichstadt is not (yet) acknowledged as such a must-see spot. Nonetheless, the district is thought to perfectly embody the complex and varied nuances characterizing the dynamics of social change in a contemporary urban context such as Berlin. The case of Südliche Friedrichstadt – and the surroundings of Mehringplatz in particular – sheds light on the specific trajectories through which societies evolve at the local level, whereby the answers to new global challenges are anchored to legacies of the past and shaped on the peculiar historical conditions that distinguish socio-spatial configurations.
The Mehringplatz area is defined by dichotomic and often contradictory tendencies that are played out on different levels and cleavages, the first of which is tied to its ambiguous position as a center and as a periphery at the same time. Whereas the site is located along the north-south axis leading to the elegant Friedrichstrasse, it still carries the marks of marginalization of the years of the German division, as a complex that bordered the west side of the Wall and that was greatly affected by the closeness to the notorious Checkpoint Charlie. Under the regime of the Federal German Republic, former projects of turning the area into a commercial hub failed to be realized and were instead readjusted to give space to new social housing initiatives. However, in the polarized and feverish climate of the 1970s and 1980s, plans of urban renewal carried out to reshape the center according to new dominant political ideologies often lacked sensitivity to residents’ perspectives or needs. This was also the case of the Mehringplatz area, which keeps standing out as one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in contemporary Berlin in terms of its inhabitants’ quality of life.
The population density is, indeed, considerably high around Mehringplatz, as recent statistics show that roughly 6,000 people concentrate in its 25 hectares and the housing landscape hardly allows for the conception of spaces assigned to the performance of different functionalities, such as commercial or leisure activities. The age structure of the neighborhood is the outcome of older and younger residents leveling each other off, therefore combining two slices of the demographic population that are generally in need of special measures of social support. Moreover, in 2017, 68% of the territory presented a migration background, mostly from Turkey and Arab countries; despite improvement in their employment status, the social conditions of many residents are unstable.
In 2005, the national Soziale Stadt program (Socially Integrative City) categorized Südliche Friedrichstadt as a deprived neighborhood in need of specific interventions, tailored to improve the wellness of its inhabitants and the economic attractiveness of the district. In accordance with the standards set at the Federal level, a Quartiermanagement was founded, allowing the implementation of community-led development schemes boosting residents’ direct participation in processes of decision-making concerning small-scale projects.The neighborhood slowly embarked on a journey of spatial and social regeneration by embedding its residents into interactional networks that acted as springboards for communal debates to identify local needs, narratives, and values. From this starting point, novel proposals for improvement on the commercial and creative side proliferated. For example, in 2009, the study Kreativ Raumpionere am Mehringplatz developed a strategy to support the settlement of cultural actors in the area; similarly, a Regeneration Area Plan framework was set, and in 2011 steps were taken to mobilize investments into new economic activities and social infrastructures.
Despite the several achievements conquered throughout the last 20 years, the flow of investments and political discourses targeting Südliche Friedrichstadt and Mehringplatz as territories of interest gradually let latent tensions emerge within the neighborhood. In fact, the implementation of the aforementioned set of social and urban interventions favored the settlements of new creative and leisure activities that might easily fall into the grip of gentrification, already in motion in many confining districts of Berlin. For instance, some narratives revolving around the regeneration of the territory underscore its lively character and its “colorful mixture” of cultural diversity; Südliche Friedrichstadt is depicted as an inclusive and attractive spot, where different nationalities mingle and the creative industries flourish. Such representations are hints of underlining forces already at play, for new forms of development are re-centralizing the neighborhood, but are doing so by paying growing attention to potential new residents and productive activities that encourage financial speculation and pose a threat to the place’s identity.
Before such an interplay of factors, new interventions must carefully ensure the integration of old and new lifestyles. The Mehringplatz area exemplifies how crucial it is to design measures and tools able to improve a neighborhood’s quality of life and entrepreneurial ambitions, while also protecting it from the risks of gentrification and displacements. Tesserae has been closely involved in the Südliche Friedrichstadt case. Since 2016, it has established partnerships with multiple stakeholders and local actors and has been taking part in several projects, such as the Erasmus+ KA2 Adult EULER, the Erasmus+ KA2 Youth URBEX, and the H2020 Rise CoCreation. Through its work, Tesserae aimed at offering innovative methodologies to tackle contemporary urban and social challenges at the neighborhood level; these tools are crafted through means of participatory techniques analyzing space (such as practices of urban reconnaissance, collaborative mappings, digital storytelling) to improve the utility of existing structures. The ultimate goal is to increase the community’s social engagement, helping residents to discover their sense of collective identity and agency and, therefore, to be actively aware of what their territory has been and what they would like it to be.
Further information can be found:
Statistic Information available on the District Office of Friedrichshain-Kreutzberg Website
Official information on the redevelopment project for the area
Contents and information developed by Tesserae:
Tripodi, L. Comma Neighbourhood Atlas. Published in Dérive Magazin – Zeitschrift für Stadtfoschung n. 73
