Urban development - Senate plans international competition for Tempelhofer Feld
The black-red Senate wants to take at least the first steps towards a possible development of Tempelhofer Feld. To this end, there is to be an international ideas competition and a so-called citizens' workshop. This was agreed by the Senate on Tuesday, as announced by Christian Gaebler, Senator for Urban Development and Construction.
He considers a city-wide debate on the topic to be sensible and necessary. "We have to consider whether we as an urban society can afford to explicitly devote such a large area to more or less one use - namely leisure activities - and occasional events," he said. The SPD politician announced that the citizens' workshop with up to 500 Berliners would start in April 2024.
Gabler wants a discussion about the how of development
The participants who are invited should be as representative as possible of the Berlin population. "Not everyone will shout hurray and say: I'll take part," admitted the senator. It could therefore be that there are fewer than 500 participants in the end.
Those who declare their willingness should discuss possible uses for the area on the site of the former airport. Gaebler emphasized that it was not a matter of discussing whether, but rather the how of "careful peripheral development".
Ideas competition to start in summer 2024
The senator does not think it makes sense for strict opponents of development to take part in the workshop: "The aim is to ensure that no one sits there and says at every opportunity: I'm against it anyway, I don't want anything to be built there." However, initiatives and associations that have dealt with the issue should also have their say.
The initial results of the discussion process will then be incorporated into the ideas competition. Gaebler announced the start of the competition for summer 2024. "The aim is to have 25 results in February - which can then be evaluated again in the citizens' workshop - and to have a result in the first half of 2025."
Current legal situation does not allow development
However, none of this is binding for the Senate: "The citizens' workshop will not decide, nor will the ideas competition," said Gaebler.
Black-Red is avowedly in favor of peripheral development. However, this could not be implemented quite so easily: in a referendum on May 25, 2014, a majority of voters voted not to build on the field at all, but to leave it as it is. This was also stipulated in a law.
Whether there will be a new referendum or another form of consultation on building on the edge of the field is still open. He did not want to anticipate the Senate's decision, said Gaebler. "My impression is that those involved are already of the opinion that there must be a vote in some form. How this comes about is exactly what is now being legally examined."
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Source: www.stern.de
