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in Berlin-Mitte:
Scheme for the area of the former Stadium of the World Youth, Chausseestreet (Stadion der Weltjugend, Chausseestraße) Carfree Quarter At The Panke: Project description - Summary: 0. Brief Description (note: only links lead to english pages)
Idea Site History Urban Design Infrastructure Mobility Planning conditions & Current state Inquiry & Statistics Residential types Social concept Questions & Contact IdeaLiving in green environs, without stress from traffic noise or waste gases, without fear and sorrow, if your children go down the street to play: This dream of many families could become a reality in Berlin’s district Mitte, in the form of a borough for households which live without a personal car. The number of such families in Berlin is approximately half of the population! The residential quality of our cities has deteriorated: everywhere cars block the public area, where there could actually be children play areas and road-side trees. The pedestrians and the bicyclists, the most vulnerable road-users in the public urban space, are forced to use detours to get to their destinations. Hence, residents from the city center move towards the surrounding countryside or had to blunt their perception: Who can have a good night sleep with open windows? For many, this is an option only to be found in the countryside. That is a mistake. An urban borough can be completely different: |
June 26, 2006
diese Seite auf deutsch 
Carfree Quarter At The Panke: Download this brief description: panke0summary.rtf (6 p.)
The other textes of the project description (details) are as .rtf or .zip available, but only in german. Position in Berlin: 
Position in the neighbourhood: city map cutout Carfree Urban Masterplan: 
I/2002, larger (247 KB) carfree living in Berlin-Mitte: Registration in the list of interested households Contact: - Project Initiators
- Building Cooperatives Carfree households in Berlin: Nearly the half of all Berlin households doesn`t possess an own car (Source: Senate Department of Urban Development) |
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1. Idea, Location: Project idea Location, Size, Ownership Connection to public transport Suitability of the site to carfree criterias more details about the district of Mitte
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Location: site & connection to public transportThe planning area is in district Mitte, directly in the vicinity of the german federal government area (city plan cutout), at the Chausseestrasse. This street is the Northern extension of the Friedrichstrasse and in recent years, due to the location of many media and internet enterprises here, it has become known as Silicon Chaussee or Silicone Alley. On the area of the former Stadium of the World Youth (Stadion der Weltjugend) is Germany`s largest volleyball field in urban environs and further temporary sport facilities. The site has a size of about 13 hectares, is in public possession (Land of Berlin) and is intended for a mixed-use land development: housing, working and shopping, including greenings and infrastructure (social and sports facilities). Due to its central location and excellent public transport connection, this area is predestined to carfree living (carfree criterias): It is directly connected to subway, streetcar (tramway) and night bus systems; it is also within easy walking distance of different bus lines and the north-south city railway (S-Bahn) at station Nordbahnhof. It is also connected to the city commuter railway station Friedrichstrasse and the city railway north ring (Nordring), both being only few subway railway stations away. In a distance of only 7 bicycle minutes is the new Central Railway Station under construction.
The szene area of Spandauer Vorstadt (formerly known as barn quarter Scheunenviertel) with its innumerable cafés and galleries lies 5 bicycle minutes away, with the theatre and work areas of the inner city not very far away. |
carfree living in Berlin-Mitte:
Registration in the list of interested households Position in Berlin:
Position in the neighbourhood: city map cutout Stadium of the World Youth - overview: 
larger (68 KB) |
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2. History: Fireland Olympia candidature 1990 Competition 1995/96 Carfree scheme 1997 foll. |
Historical backgroundThe open space on the site was in the times of Prussian Kings used only for military purposes (as military exercise field), and after the First World War as a police stadium (starting in 1950, called Walter Ulbricht Stadium). It was reconstructed in 1973 and was renamed after the cause of the World Youth Festival as Stadium of the World Youth (Stadion der Weltjugend). This stadium was pulled down for creation of an Olympic Stadium in anticipation of the acceptance of Berlin’s bid for 2000 Olympics (Olympia candidature). With the result of the decision being against Berlin, the city plans for this site were also dropped. Hence, the area of the site has remained largely vacant and has been used for sports purposes, but, over all times, never for industrial uses. In 1995, a conventional urban design competition was organized to develop ideas for the area. The guidelines for the competition recommended a mixed-use area with the necessary social infrastructure, stores, offices, park, sports. However, no investor could be found for the original winner of the competition in 1996 and for later modified versions. It was in this situation at the end of 1997 that the Berlin pedestrian protective society, (per pedes e.V., lat.: on foot), had the idea of a carfree borough on this location, and assigned the task of preparing the master plan to Markus Heller, a Berlin-based architect. In the spring of 1998, the Berlin regional organisation of Friends of the Earth (BUND Berlin e.V.), joined the arising group. In February 2001 the Piscator Media Arena Development Company and the AKiB (a regional organisation of adventure playgrounds and cityfarms in Berlin, see its city farm project website at www.stadtteilfarm.org), were also included in the now completed Working Group Carfree Quarter At The Panke (administered by M. Heller).
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initiator of the project:
per pedes e.V.
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3. Urban design: Land uses, density Typically carfree ... Carfree residential area Architecture Park At The Panke City Of Short Ways Piscator Media Arena in the Fireland Business Courtyards carfree residential area: 
larger (70 kb) Piscator Media Arena: 
X/2000, larger (58 kb) South-Panke, Stadium of the World Youth:  X/2000, larger (63 kb) |
Urban design, free spaceThe concept of the carfree quarter sees a mixed-use accomodation with ~760 dwellings in urban density (FAR for the residential area ~2.0 to 2.5; concerning project development & urban design: office of architecture Heller).
Beside conventional housing the project is open for private building cooperatives and also includes family-fair, student- and senior-fair living forms, retail trading and service providing areas, the Piscator Media Arena, a world-new culture project, public and private sports courts, and a city farm with child day-care (detailed description of youth concept see www.stadtteilfarm.org). Other elements include an adventure playground with elements of a city farm in the park near the Panke, which is designed with various ecological elements. (uses following the guidelines of the architectural competition of 1995)
The calm residential area is shielded from the road and sport fields by the building line along the Chausseestrasse in typical Berlin highness of the eaves (Berliner Traufhöhe). The residential buildings have ø 5 full stories + attic (buildings along the Chausseestrasse are higher, nearer to the park are lower). A market square at the southern subway station exit links the new borough with the neighbourhood. The commercial area with stores and offices (e.g. supermarket, health center etcetera) lies at the edge of the populated area. Inside of the residential area (in the heart of the plot) some buildings are giving their ground floors to rentable community offices, since increasingly more humans work at home. The manifold design of the architecture corresponds with the different identities of their users, since this architectural variety is at the same time a condition and a result, if it is desired that the inhabitants of the quarter can relate to their dwellings and feel responsible to them! The urban design with its small partet block structure provides also small partitioned lots in it and orients itself to small places and corners at the speed of the pedestrians and not to that of automobiles. It is intended to indicate a clear separation between private internal areas (play areas for tots and tenant's gardens) and the public ´street´ spaces, which are equipped with various kinds of street furniture (seats, play areas etc.). The breadth of the ´streets´ is reduced to a necessary and comfortable minimum (to trafficability for emergency services, furniture transportation vans and other exception cases), so as to claim more place for green areas and playing children. The distance between the houses corresponds at the least to the building height. In this Quarter Of The Short Ways, you can do some shopping in the supermarket and several special stores at Chausseestrasse. Your child can do a short visit to you while you are working in your office nearby. Watch the sportsmen, or go in the park put yourself into the sun and listen to the gurgling of Panke Creek. In the evening you visit the new show in the new Piscator Media Arena and afterwards you can invent new utopias in a Bar around ...
The originality of the quarter lies in its synthesis of its urban character and familiy-friendly street space, which has more the character of a park. Since no money will be spent on building expensive underground parking bays, the saved costs may be invested in making the dwellings more inexpensive and the surroundings more attractive. The project is thereby a sustainable, social and ecological solution to effectively manage the population loss incured by suburbanization. Only a carfree quarter can offer these advantages! |
carfree living in Berlin-Mitte:
Registration in the list of interested households Photo of model: 
larger (66 kb) Carfree Urban Masterplan:
I/2002, larger (247 kb) Workshop & Exhibition: Kids design a carfree street (Europe-School): 
X/2002, larger (74 kb) |
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more details about
4. Infrastructure: City farm, child day-care Basic schools nearby Park At The Panke Sports facilities Piscator Media Arena more details about the planned city farm in the Carfree Quarter At The Panke
more links to Berlin`s NGOs for a family-friendly city link to German network of Intercultural Gardens
link to Beach Mitte on the Stadium of the World Youth |
InfrastructureA kindergarden, the youth leisure facility as well as the adventure playground with "elements of a child farm" form the new model of a city farm. This is a type of a city quarter center, which provides also various offers for adults and forms thus a neighbourhood`s meeting point (see detailed description of its concept in www.stadtteilfarm.org). In the Park Of The Panke may also develop a project "Intercultural Gardens in the Carfree Quarter".
In the neighbourhood (~10 minutes by foot) are several schools: the Europa Primary School, the music-oriented Papageno Primary School, as well as - unfortunately in some further distance - in the Rochstrasse near Alexanderplatz the ESBM, a reform-educationally oriented private primary school, and in the Weinmeisterstrasse a Rudolf Steiner School. Purchase possibilities are intended at the edge of the residential area along the Chausseestrasse. Within the southern range of the area - embedded into the ensemble of Fireland Business Courtyards at the Chausseestrasse - is planned the futuristic Piscator Media Arena (PMA), a "multimedia event space". Likewise within the southern range, between Panke Park, city farm, Fireland Business Courtyards and PMA, local and private sports facilities are intended. The Beachvolleyball area (at present at the area) of BeachMitte is integrated into our planning in other place, additionally to its open fields is planned a Beachhall. |
City farm:
larger (81 kb) Photo of model: 
larger (58 kb) |
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5. Mobility: Here don`t drive any cars Mobility Agency Deliveries Car Sharing Exceptions Parking places Legislated rules Costs of parking places Business Definition carfree/-reduced more details about 5.1. Parking places: for bicycles for cars more details about 5.2. Carfree rules: Local Development Plan (B-Plan) Berlin Building Law Code (BauOB) Legislation of traffic Parking Space Management more details about 5.3. Mobility Agency: Introduction research project Pallet of services Organisation Contact for research project contact to some of Berlin`s advocate groups environment protection & tansport NGOs Berlin public transport connections: Route Planner
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Mobility: transport conceptInside the residential area drive and park no private passenger cars. Each building in the quarter is attainable for rescue vehicles and other exceptional cases (deliveries etcetera). A Mobility Agency supports the inhabitants in all their interests of mobility (bicycle station, delivery service, travel agency, mobility consultation etc., details). Parking bays for CarSharing, visitors and people with disabilities (about 0.12 parking places per dwelling) as well as additional for business are planned in an underground parking at the edge of the quarter. Parking bays for private inhabitant passenger cars are not intended, them are not demanded by the Berlin Building Code (§50). Aboveground parking bays to the Chausseestrasse are reserved for the delivery and taxi stands (details). Households with own passenger car, which want to live in the new carfree quarter, have therefore two possibilities: 1. They abolish their passenger car. Anyway, the use of bicycle and public transport is usually more inexpensive in the private total balance, and nearly half of all citizens of Berlin proves that it can be lived without car. Most of those households, which announce themselves on the prospective customer list and still possess an own car, want to abolish it at the latest to their introduction into the carfree quarter, because due to the central situation, the car sharing offer and the optimal public transport connection they do not need it any longer - and, anyway, often it is already annoying ... 2. They keep their car and rent themselves somewhere far away in the city a parking bay. Directly in the environment it is now already difficult to find a parking bay, and, over short or long, the Parking Space Management will be expanded to the neighbourhood, so that ´secret´ parking will be impossible in the nearer environment. Those who cannot live with these conditions have the whole remaining city free for living. With the advantages of a calm, family-friendly and green residential environment those households are ´rewarded´, which maintain a carfree life-style. With this conception further regulations under private law for the autopossession (for instance in leases) are not necessary (details). |
Transportation Plan:
I/2002, larger (247 kb) At the rim of the quarter, Chausseestreet: 
larger (60 kb) |
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more details about
6. Planning conditions: Current planning aims of region Berlin-Brandenburg Current Berlin`s Land Use Masterplan (FNP) District`s Masterplan (BEP) District`s Zoning Map of Land Use (B-Plan) Resolution of District`s Parliament (BVV) Changing attempt of FNP (1999/2001) current state of project: News/current state current e-newsletter: download events in Berlin: Calendar general information about the different planning levels in Berlin
Land Use Planning for Berlin (about Flaechennutzungsplan - FNP)
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Planning conditions: legislation concerning the site, political situation & current stateSituation before October 2003: The project was discussed 1999/2000 in the district Mitte with its government, its administration and its political parties. It is in accordance with the land uses wished by the district for this site, and with the conditions of the old urban design competition of 1995. It was taken up as preferred variant to the district`s development masterplan (District Zoning / Land Use Masterplan, called Bereichsentwicklungsplan / BEP). As early as 1994 were confirmed the first step of a Local Development Plan (Bebauungsplan / B-Plan). The Land Use Plan, a Berlin-wide Zoning Masterplan (Flächennutzungsplan / FNP, see plan on the right column beside), provides housing (FAR 1.5), the Park At The Panke as well as sports fields. The planning of the city center ring (a large street with an amount of cars approximately like an autobahn, planned against the will of the district) through the Habersaathstrasse, a quiet, peaceful housing street at the South edge of the ´carfree site´, could be repelled by two citizens` initiatives initiated by the Greens 1999 finally. On July 13, 2000 the district`s parliament (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung / BVV) expressed itself for the idea of a carfree borough on the stadium area in all-parties-agreement with only one dissenting vote (in the wording). The Senate planned the sale of property (Stadium area) and wrote out in November 2001 a show of interest procedure (Interessenbekundungsverfahren) as first step, that this project with its carfree investors took part. The result in the spring 2002 was the decision over the further pursuit of sale: In this second step of the procedure (called Bieterverfahren) investors accomplish an ´obligatory offer´ to the Senate as owner of the site (if this project should receive thereby the addition, is to be counted on a completion of the first building sections after further approx. 4 years). The Senate promised to invite us to participate again and to call out this second step soon, but nothing happend during the next 18 months except just waiting for the continuation of this procedure ... Situation after October 2003: In the middle of October 2003 a Berlin newspaper uncovered that the Senate wants to settle the Federal Information Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst / BND, the german version of CIA) on that site, against the originally planned intention of selling the stadium area for the realisation of a mixed-use city there. As expected, the district protested against this wishes and voted again on October 23, 2003 (in the wording) for a mixed-use and carfree quarter. Also the Green Party, all important Berlin based environmental protection NGOs and of course our Working Group Carfree Quarter with its carfree investors protested - thus the investment of the carfree borough was prevented! We all proposed for the BND another site in the neighbourhood (at Heidestrasse) what is available, larger, cheaper, and better suited for the very special needs of a secret service - and what is positioned closer to the chancellery, a decisive criteria in the discussion as BND emphasised always. Now (2005) the decision against the carfree project seems to be done finally, against all good arguments, and the background for this desastrous decision is: The site at Chausseestrasse is in possession of the Land of Berlin, and the better suited site at Heidestrasse is in possession of VIVICO, the real estate company of german railway. For the BND the costs are no decisive criteria, because it is a federal institution, and Germany has always enough money for its bureaucracy. So BND is able to pay more than private investors for the site. Of course there are a few more reasons which are too complicated to explain here in detail. Since nobody knows at present whether the Federal Minister of Finance at the end will actually make the billion available necessary for the moval of BND - first calculations say ~1,600,000,000 Euro -, we look for a new ´carfree´ property. The new Senator for Urban Development has thereby its support assured (it was her predecessor in office who set up the idea to move the BND on the Stadium site). At the moment we proove several sites along the carfree criterias and plan to present a few of them to our 500 waiting carfree households (calendar). current state of project: October 15, 2003 / update 19.07.2004: Carfree Quarter or BND ?! May 18, 2003: What happens at the moment ? How the procedure should go on ... October 16, 2002: Background information about the planned sale of the site (Bieterverfahren), official Senate`s information for the Berlin Parliament, August 21, 2002: "(...) In the sale procedure (Ausschreibung des Bieterverfahrens) of ´New City Quarter Chausseestreet´ will be integrated, that a concept, what wants to realise carfree living, is appreciated. (...)" |
Berlin`s Land Use Masterplan (before latest changes (in 2004) in accordance with adjustments to the move of BND):
Berlin`s Land Use Masterplan "Chausseestrasse 02/97" |
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7. Inquiry: Interested households Investors Market gap more details about 7.1 Statistical data of registered households: Descent of households (district/city) Current size of households Prefered residential type Current & future car ownership Statistical data district Mitte |
Inquiry: market analysis & statistical dataSo far have themselves over 500 households (this number according to November 22, 2003) on the prospective customer list (list of those interested households who want to live carfree at Chausseestreet) announced (registration), among them also private building cooperatives, which want to build a house together (kind of small investors), and such similar ones, which want to live together as tenants in one of an investor for them established buildings (tenant cooperatives). Several investors want to build flats (for property and rent), and also at the trade areas several builders are interested. Further larger investors and banks, who recognized the potential of carfree living in Berlin, are for the project in the discussion. Very large interest always finds thereby our customer statistics, which represents a kind market study. This statistic evaluation of the registered households shows that it concerns thereby above average large households, which predominantly possess no car already now. They come from all parts of Berlin (partially also from outside) and from all social layers of society. They do not correspond to the assumed cliché - they only simply use no own car... |
carfree living in Berlin-Mitte: Registration in the list of interested households Contact zu building and tenant cooperatives |
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8. Residential types: Miscellaneous supply Self-help possibilities Type: owners Type: tenants Informations for private building cooperatives Contact to building and tenant cooperatives 8.0. Contact building cooperatives: building cooperatives (as tenants): - Throw A Bridge (Brückenschlag) - Tenant`s Group building cooperatives (as owners): - Housing Project (Wohnprojekt) - Living With Children (Wohnen mit Kindern) - Carfree Housing (Autofrei Wohnen GbR) more details about 8.1./8.2. building cooperatives (as tenants/owners): Definition Organisation types Community of owners Building attendant Aspects to take care of Participation Check list Initiation & contact |
Residential types: offers of investors, building and tenant cooperativesA broad mixture at living forms is intended. The different patterns of dwelling have in each case pros and cons, some of them are however still uncertain and/or unfortunately rather improbable. We are particularly interested in the integration of building cooperatives (property) and tenant cooperatives (rent). The following models are planned (explanations in chapter 8.): Property: - conventional (ready for occupancy) flats (ETW) (provided by investor) - ETW with different developing standard for self-helpers (provided by investor) - building cooperatives (with building attendant & taut time management, without investor) - ownership-oriented housing co-operatives flats, german type Genossenschaft (provided by investor) - ecological real estate fund (in discussion, but still uncertain) Rent: - conventional flat for rent (provided by investor) - tenant-oriented housing co-operatives flat, german type Genossenschaft (provided by investor) - tenant cooperatives (general lease with investor) - subsidized low-rent housings (at present no promotion in Berlin, also in the future very improbably) Guidelines for building & tenant cooperatives and e.g. a check list for the development of a group profile are in chapter 8.1./8.2.. Contact to building & tenant cooperatives (overview & links to different residing concepts) in chapter 8.0.. If you want to live carfree in the future, you should announce yourselves on our list of interested households (registration). We need some data from you: The first paper is the registration (Anmeldung, contains detailed questions only to our internal use) and the second paper is a kind of a political Declaration of Intent (Absichtserklärung), which we will hand over to the Senate in the context of the protest against the planned settlement of Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and/or the search for a new property. |
carfree living in Berlin-Mitte: Registration in the list of interested households Contact to building and tenant cooperatives Exhibition: Carfree Life In Europe
larger (gallery at sujet.design) |
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9. Social concept Local Agenda 21 in Berlin: Links & NGOs in Berlin & district of Mitte Senate`s LA 21 office
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Social concept: attempt of a privately financed modelDue to the lack of national promotion presumably there will not be subsidized low-rent / social housings, so a private social system is in consideration: All inhabitants and those doing a business in the new quarter pay a small solidarity sum per square meter of used space, either monthly quasi as operating cost, or uniquely as capital stock into a ´neighbourhood donation´. Due to the size of the carfree quarter monthly a larger sum arises. A ´neighbourhood committee´ decides on the assignment of the means: The subsidy of dwellings for big families and single-educating is meaningful as well as of surfaces for crafts enterprises in the planned Fireland Business Courtyards. Also important are the co-financing of personnel places of the city farm and unique expenditures for neighbourhood celebrations etcetera.
The goals Social City and City of the Short Ways are integrated thereby in a new way and let arise more quality of life for all. Peaceful life with one another and responsibility for the neighbourhood - under this slogan the model could be developed as an important component in the sense of the Local Agenda 21 together with the future inhabitants. |
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more questions ... ?
faq events in Berlin: calendar contact us: Working Group Carfree Quarter At The Panke
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more questions ... ?If you have questions, try to translate the FAQs or the detailed descriptions (linked in this brief description in the left column), but don`t hesitate to contact us directly. The Working Group Carfree Quarter At The Panke meets only irregulary or for demand, but you can find members of the group regulary here: - every Thursday at 7 pm in Berlin-Schöneberg, meeting of the transport division (AK Mobilität) of Friends Of The Earth Germany, section Berlin (BUND Berlin e.V.).
- special meetings: see calendar of events in Berlin (refering not only to carfreedom, but also to environmental protection, transport & urban design policy and local agenda 21). top
contact Working Group
Carfree Quarter At The Panke (Markus Heller) translation help (1st-4th part): Faiza Zafar (Mail: zafar [  ] uiuc [dot] edu), Illinois/USA - Lahore/Pakistan
Start www.autofrei-wohnen.de/homeEngl.html
URL of this site: http://www.autofrei-wohnen.de/panke0summary.html www.autofrei-wohnen.de sees itself as environmentally-dependent NGO-junction in the international carfree network. © & site construction: M. Heller, Berlin |
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