In the middle
Fewer cars, fewer parking spaces and therefore more space for everyone: this is the goal of the Graefekiez in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The pilot project has now begun. It remains controversial in the neighborhood.
“I’m Henrik, and my wife Shirley and I signed up for the piece.” “That piece there” is a small patch where until recently there was a parking lot. All you can still see is grey-brown topsoil surrounded by red and white striped construction site barriers.
Around 90 parking spaces have disappeared on Böckhstrasse and Graefestrasse. Beds are to be created here, space for bicycle racks or for playing boules, stopping areas for delivery traffic or for so-called parklets – hybrids made of wood consisting of a bench and a flower pot. And the residents, such as Henrik and Shirley, should help shape the new open spaces.
Around two dozen interested people came together that evening in the Graefekiez in Berlin-Kreuzberg. They should get to know each other so that they can support each other in gardening in the future, says Simon Wöhr from the “paper planes” association. The Association for Sustainable Urban Development is supporting the district office in the redesign.
More space and safety for everyone
A pilot project has started in the Graefekiez, or a “field test” as they say in the district office. The core question is roughly: How will cities deal with the fact that there is often no longer enough space for everyone – for pedestrians, cyclists, private cars and delivery vehicles, for residents and tourists, for school students and daycare children? How do you make traffic safer for all of them, and at the same time make the city even more resilient to climate change? By first abolishing as many parking spaces as possible – this could sum up the decision of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district council from summer 2022.
The Graefekiez in Berlin-Kreuzberg has been traffic-calmed since the 1980s. But pedestrians, cyclists, cars and delivery trucks often continued to get in each other’s way. The decision of the district council meeting in summer 2022 should change that. But he caused unrest. The original plan was for parking spaces to disappear throughout the district.
Fewer parking spaces, but more greenery in the district: Not everyone is enthusiastic about the ideas of the pilot project
“People had the feeling that tomorrow the bollards would be there and I wouldn’t be able to get to my apartment anymore. Then there was a simmer in the neighborhood and a lot of people spoke out against it,” remembers Wöhr from “paper planes”, the association for sustainable urban development. The project was therefore limited to two streets. And the association has set up a weekly public consultation hour directly in the neighborhood.
The responsible district councilor from the Greens, Annika Gerold, is convinced that this helped. She has observed that there has not been as much criticism since implementation began and additional areas have been created for planting. Gerold even hopes that the pilot project will be expanded to the entire Grafekiez and become an inspiration for other Berlin districts.
Concerns from residents and traders
However, not everyone in the Graefekiez itself is convinced. Traudl Kellermann and Brigitte Göring, for example: one has an insurance office here, the other a watchmaker and jewelry store. The two fear that if there are no parking spaces, their customers could stay away – because they mostly come by car.
In addition, she doesn’t want to be a participant in a pilot project without being asked, says Kellermann: “We’re an experiment. People want to see what we can do and what we can offer, or not. Of course there are people who think it’s all really great, But there are others too.”
Instead of parking spaces, so-called parklets are now intended to bring more quality of life to the district.
For example, the driving school a few houses away. When the students start their driving lesson, the driving school used to use free parking spaces in the area. Owner Dominic Blume doesn’t yet know whether he will get extra space. “Communication is not particularly good: it started back in 2022 that it was said that 2,000 parking spaces would be removed, and people were kept in uncertainty for about nine months.”
Basically, Blume thinks the project is good. During theory lessons, he always points out to his driving students that there are other mobility options besides cars. “Otherwise the streets will be full. Your driving license won’t help if you can’t get anywhere anymore,” says the driving instructor.
The pilot project also envisages public transport, car sharing, e-scooters and e-bikes for hire as alternatives if in the future not so many people drive into the Graefekiez because there are now no parking spaces there. And if you used to park here, you can park your car in a nearby parking garage.
Henrik and Shirley plant their bed: “Tin in the front, sheet metal in the back and flowers in between, at least!”
Open-ended pilot project
Henrik and Shirley first want to plant fat hens on their new bed in the Graefekiez, where there was once a parking lot. This is a perennial plant with thick, fleshy leaves and bright pink flowers that really comes to life in autumn. “Do we want to put them in the middle?” asks Henrik. “If you like,” says Shirley and hands him a perennial.
The fact that there is a Renault Clio in front of their bed and an old white S-Class Benz right behind them doesn’t bother them both. “The city is there for everyone, including drivers,” says Henrik. “And we’ve now gotten a little bit back from the drivers.”
The two can now cultivate their bed, which was once a parking lot, at least until spring. The district council should then decide whether the pilot project in Graefekiez will continue.