Archive: IBA Berlin 2020

Spacious city

Land and soil are resources that cannot be increased or multiplied. It follows, therefore, that urban space must be managed carefully. For IBA Berlin 2020, this means:

• The many small free corners and gaps, the many fallow spaces and vacancies in the city make up an enormous potential for the implementation of new ideas, for processes of appropriation and neighbourhood involvement or for temporary uses.
• In project areas, one must consider carefully which areas are to be developed, which areas are to be kept free - for example, for climate change mitigation - and qualified for open space planning, which spaces are to be secured for the unforeseen, and which areas are first to be examined more closely in terms of suitability.
• A smart way of managing areas entails the necessity of densifying the city in certain areas. The IBA Berlin 2020 will show that this can be linked to new qualities, thus increasing acceptance of such measures. At the same time, one must address the fears of those affected in the surrounding area and conduct a city-wide discussion about how to deal with NIMBY attitudes in decision-taking processes.

Graphics: Thomas Rustemeyer