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WORKSHOP READER
Workshop „The Future of European Cities – Examining Berlin“
03. June – 09. June 2012 at August Bebel Institut, Berlin
www.august-bebel-institut.de
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CONTENT
(1) Berlin's gentrification Row. Locals' RageAgainst Rising Rents
(2) Socially Integrative City: NeighborhoodManagement in Berlin
(3) Leipzig Charta on Sustainable European
Cities
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09/08/2011 03:08 PM
Berlin's Gentrification Row
Locals' Rage Against Rising Rents
By Christopher Cottrell
Berlin's Kreuzberg and Neukölln districts were once known for cheap rents and diversity. But their
edgy urban charm has attracted both affluent residents and international investors, jacking up rents
in the process. Now long-time locals are fighting to keep their flats.
Above the gritty caverns and stale air of the Hermannplatz subway station, thousands of Berliners
came together last Saturday in the city's Neukölln district in a gesture of solidarity. Middle-aged
parents pushed baby strollers alongside leather-clad adolescents with colorful hair, protesting what
they all see as the systematic displacement of the city's lower (and even middle) class residents.
"A lot of people showed up from very different backgrounds," said local resident Lisa Wendt, an
active member of her local "Kiez Initiative," or neighborhood association. The 26-year-old helped
organize the demonstration, which she claimed attracted around 6,000 protesters -- although police
put the figure at 2,500. "People joined in along the way too. Clearly this is an issue that affects
everybody," she told SPIEGEL ONLINE.
For years, Berlin's unique Bohemian flair has attracted students and creative types. But the
affordable rents of the past have slowly begun to disappear as the city continues to undergo a rapid
post-reunification transformation. Now international investors have set their sights on the German
capital as typically working-class districts like Neukölln and Kreuzberg -- which have traditionallyhad large immigrant populations -- become increasingly popular with middle-class Germans and
new arrivals already accustomed to paying more money for less space in the cities where they came
from. This influx of outside money has sent rents in Berlin's central districts through the roof. And
that, in turn, has angered long-term residents who feel turfed out of their homes.
Cost of Living Spikes
Nearly 62,000 people have moved to Berlin in the last decade, many of whom have settled in the
Mitte or Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg districts, according to a 2010 rent review published this summer
by Investitionsbank Berlin, which supports development in the city-state. One effect of the
population growth has been a six percent average rent increase in the last two years, the Berlin 2011
rent review showed. But city-wide figures fail to highlight the fact that in some areas -- like those atthe heart of Saturday's protest -- the cost of living has exploded.
The Berlin tenants' association, the Berliner Mietverein, recently cited a 2010 study from the Topos
Institute which said apartments in the Reuterkiez area of Neukölln were going for 13 percent more
than in 2007. Market analysis carried out by the left-leaning German daily Die Tageszeitung ,
meanwhile, claimed this summer that rents in Neukölln have increased by 23 percent. While rent in
Berlin is still cheaper compared to other large German cities, income tends to be much lower than in
places like Hamburg and Munich. But the percentage of income spent on housing tends to decrease
as income rises regardless of the city, leaving low-income earners disproportionately affected by the
increased cost of living.
Wendt, for example, used to live in Friedrichshain, a district across the Spree River from Kreuzbergwhich had been part of East Berlin before the Wall came down. By the time she moved in, a deal
had been agreed to privatize the state-owned apartments built by the city's housing society -- a
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public body tasked with providing low-income residents with an affordable place to live. Between
2002 and 2007, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit approved the sale of around 110,000 apartments
owned by the city. He also axed a support program for 28,000 state-subsidized apartments.
Eventually, ownership of her apartment building changed hands too, and Wendt and her neighbors
began receiving notices about planned renovation and visitation appointments -- the new owners
were looking to sell her apartment to the highest bidder. The improvements were more than
necessary, she said. And even though she would have only had to pay for a fraction of them, theincreased living costs eventually pushed her across the river to more affordable Neukölln.
'It Just Gets More Expensive'
For 18 months, Wendt has lived in a building in Neukölln which belongs to an investment firm in
Luxembourg. "For a while, no repairs were done. We had water damage more than once and no one
cared," she said. "But now that they're looking to sell the place, they sent us all letters requesting
access to our apartments so they can assess the value and renovate." Wendt, having been through a
similar process before, called a meeting of all the tenants and together they decided not to give the
owners access to their apartments, thereby preventing any renovations. "If they want to bring our
building up to code, fine," she said. "But if they want to modernize everything then it just gets more
expensive for us." That was three months ago. Since then, they haven't heard a word from their
landlords in Luxembourg.
Wendt was far from being the only Berliner at the demo who regards the privatization of the
housing market with contempt. Berndt N. has lived in the Bergmannkiez neighborhood of
Kreuzberg for 28 years -- having moved in when it was still separated from the other side of the
river by the Berlin Wall. Leaning on his bicycle while delicately rolling a cigarette, he recalled the
days when Kreuzberg used to be home to countless artists and students. Fortunately, he lives in a
rent-controlled apartment, paying as little as a quarter of what some residents around him do.
'The Slums of the 21st Century'
According to district mayor Franz Schulz, rents in Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain have increased by16 and 18 percent respectively in recent years. And even though Berndt has managed to sidestep the
price hikes that have pushed out so many of his long-time neighbors, he said he is still worried that
he too might someday be forced to leave his home for a cheaper apartment on the outskirts of
Berlin. Of the city's 3.45 million inhabitants, 420,000 live in high-rise housing projects in places
like the dilapidated, East German-built complexes in Treptow-Köpenick far south of the city center.
Sociologist Hartmut Häussermann referred to such peripheral neighborhoods as the "slums of the
21st century" in a study conducted for the Berlin state government entitled "Monitoring Social City
Development 2010."
As for Berndt, he believes the blame lies with politicians. "It's rather disappointing that our leftist
government could not only allow this to happen, but play an active role in inciting it," he toldSPIEGEL ONLINE. When asked what could be done, he suggested buying back all the apartment
buildings the government privatized in 2004, as well as imposing a price ceiling for rents. "And
they need to pay more attention to diversity," he added.
Political Posturing Discouraged
The battle between counterculture and the free market has already been at the forefront of more than
one election campaign. Last Friday, Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel reported that the far-left Left
Party's lead candidate for the Berlin Senate, Harald Wolf, had called upon the next governing
coalition to mandate the construction of at least 6,000 new apartments, half of which to be built by
the city's public housing authorities. He also called for the state government to purchase apartment
buildings from private owners, particularly in hard-hit neighborhoods, to quell rising costs.But on Saturday, the protesters were keen to ensure that political posturing would not be on the
agenda. From loudspeakers, crackly voices warned anyone affiliated with a political party from
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hijacking the demonstration for their own political gain. Wendt, still beaming from a successful day
on the streets, said demonstrators no longer trusted the politicians to do the right thing. That's where
the local neighborhood associations come in, she argues. "Rather than falling for party propaganda,
we've created district and housing committees to represent ourselves and push through our demands
-- that living space not be seen as a commodity, that anyone be allowed to live where he or she
pleases."
Winding through the districts suffering most from rising rents, the protest eventually made its wayto Treptow, a quiet neighborhood with plenty of trees where children watched curiously from
apartment windows as the demonstration passed by. In front of a spotless white building with stylish
steel facades, a small group of well-dressed men and women were waiting for the protesters. These
were the prosperous outsiders who were the cause of the problem, according to the protesters. They
held signs that read, "We are your neighbors," and were trying to make the case that they were not,
in fact, bad people.
'Gentrification Did Wonders'
Luigi Lauer was one those in the group. In a light brown tweed jacket and white shirt, he didn't
seem overtly affluent -- in fact, he moved to Treptow 12 years ago, but was keen to support the new
arrivals. "I'm here to show my solidarity with the new neighbors," Lauer, who originally hails from
the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Since he first
came to Treptow, Lauer has seen the area blossom with new bars, restaurants and cafes -- things that
make a place worth moving to, he said. "A little bit of gentrification did wonders for this
neighborhood," he said. "Ten years ago, you couldn't find a single bar here. There weren't any
restaurants or cafes. There was nothing."
In the eyes of most protesters, however, Lauer's arguments didn't add up. The small side
demonstration was quickly surrounded by irritated members of the main protest. Even a sound
technician from a local TV station made his frustrations clear, yelling at Lauer and his group as he
held a boom mic over their heads.
Wendt dismisses Lauer's arguments as well. As a Neukölln resident, she is aware that the rates of
openly advertised apartments have risen significantly in the last few years. "This is a big problem
because Neukölln has a lot of low-income residents," she said. "These people can't afford to pay
more and are forced to move."
URL:
• http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/berlin-s-gentrification-row-locals-rage-against-
rising-rents-a-784966.html
Related SPIEGEL ONLINE links:
• The World from Berlin: Is 'Tourism Fatigue' Behind Berlin Arson Wave? (08/19/2011)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,781223,00.html
• Neukölln Nasties: Foreigners Feel Accused in Berlin Gentrification Row (03/11/2011)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,750297,00.html
• Photo Gallery: There Goes the Neighborhood
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-65627.html
• Gentrification's Victims: Berlin Fears Rise of New Slums (03/02/2011)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,748532,00.html
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2011
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