TSPA, together with B+B, has been selected as one of the teams to participate in the cooperative workshop process for the development of Blankenburger Süden, Berlin's largest urban expansion site. Starting in autumn 2019 and continuing until spring 2020, four teams will develop as many different test designs as possible for the planned new city district. The resulting ideas and images will be used to create a new structural and utilization concept (the so-called "Alternative D") for the south of Blankenburg.
Our team is excited to be part of a cooperative workshop process where teams create test designs simultaneously. This workshop process is the third building block of the so-called laboratory phase. The first two building blocks of the laboratory phase are "Sharpening Key Objectives" and "Clarifying Framework Settings."
The area to be tested covers around 150 hectares. It extends from the former location of the Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (FHTW) in the north to the approximately 90 ha core area—formerly a Rieselfeld, now arable land—to the Heinersdorf industrial estate in the south. Additionally, the test designs will focus on the connection to the neighboring neighborhoods.
Some of the topics we will be discussing critically and creatively are: uses and functions, urban planning, open spaces and ecology, mobility and transport, and interdependencies with the neighborhoods.
We are delighted to exchange ideas in this workshop with our esteemed colleagues:
YelowZ, bgmr Landschaftsarchitekten, UmbauStadt, MLA+, Fugmann Janotta und Partner, CITYFOERSTER, Felixx Landscape,
Context
The development of Blankenburger Süden is a response to the housing shortage in Berlin. Located in what is still considered a "phantom" of green grounds and one of Pankow's most rural regions, the 90-hectare core area aims to accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 apartments.
"Four teams of planners with a focus on urban development and landscape architecture will take part in the cooperative urban planning workshop procedure. These four teams were selected via an EU-wide award procedure," explains Katrin Dietl, spokeswoman for the Senate Department for Urban Development (Schubert, 2019; Berliner Morgenpost).
In response to the housing shortage in Berlin, the last legislative period initiated the search for suitable locations for housing construction throughout the entire city. In spring 2016, the choice fell not only on ten additional locations but also on the state-owned properties in the south of Blankenburg.
When the test drafts are available in spring 2020, they should be as varied as possible and provide concrete ideas and images. A final draft will be derived from them, which the Berlin House of Representatives will eventually vote on.
