EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Large housing estates in Germany: overview of developments and problems in Berlin

Large housing estates in Germany: overview of developments and problems in Berlin

Introduction

This German national report focuses specifically on large housing estates in Berlin. It takes two sides of German housing estates into account:

a western estate in the district of Reinickendorf in the Maerkisches Viertel;
three parts of the Marzahn-Hellersdorf (one of the largest European agglomerations of eastern estates).

Proposition

The basic question addressed in this report is: what types and combinations of problems have been identified in the large housing estates in Berlin and what factors are associated with them?

Description

The research is built up as follows. In chapter one an inventory is made of the problems and problematic developments in the estates. Chapter two gives some general information on Germany. Chapter three provides a general overview of the city of Berlin. An understanding of the large housing estates in Berlin requires information on the economic, demographic and socio-cultural developments at the urban level. The chapters four until seven describe the housing estates in the Maerkisches Viertel and the Marzahn North. Finally some conclusions are reported in chapter eight.

Methodology

In order to find out the specific problems of each estate the context of the two Germanys is first described, followed by a description of western and eastern Berlin’s development during the last decades and then concentrate upon the estates. The research has therefore focused on the following variables of the estates:

physical structure (quality, tenure, price and type of the dwellings, quality and character of the environment);
demographic developments (age structure, income distribution, household and ethnic composition);
economic developments (employment and unemployment, number, type and size of firms);
socio-cultural developments (changing values and norms within the estate, changing cultural identity).

Conclusions

Some conclusions of this RESTATE research are:

Whereas differentiated building design and urban layout were possible in the Maerkisches Viertel during the 1970s, until 1989 in Marzahn the need to cut cost at any price prevented variability and difference in appearance.
In both districts the same misjudgement of the durability of technology appeared: the concrete, joints and flat roofs proved highly vulnerable.
The need to provide the eastern and western large estates with improved means – physical improvement, social enabling and economic initiative – for liveability and competitiveness on the market remains high on the agenda. This is presently part of the “two faced” programme of urban regeneration: partial demolition only, if the upgraded estate promises to become economically sustainable for the future.
None of the researched estates is outstanding in criminality, health-related problems, violence or vandalism.
Berlin’s housing related development policies have more and more concentrated on integrated policies. These culminated in the neighbourhood management and the “Socially Integrative City”.

Contact info

RESTATE
Mr. R. van Kempen, tel. +31 30 2531399

Publication date

01/12/2003

Researcher

Knorr-Siedow, T., Droste, C.

Cities

The city of Berlin

Article info
ISBN: 90-6266-219-6

Links

RESTATE

Large housing estates in Germany: overview of developments and problems in Berlin (PDF, Eng, 6 MB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Housing

Keywords

Housing policy