Tomorrow is a quite important day for the people of Berlin. Why? Because for the first time the whole city (and not just a district like in the last public voting for the Mediaspree) can decide whether or not the amazing free space of the former Tempelhof airport will remain the same or will be changed completely with a huge library, expensive luxury apartments and office buildings. A huge part of the field will remain a recreational area and apparently a part of the new appartments are supposed to be “affordable”, but the public is really mistrustful of these arguments, especially since a lot of the recent city developements have been anything but satisfactory for the people living here. Of course such construction plans always bring the risk of accelerating gentrification in the surrounding areas. Obviously if you look at the rents that especially new Berliners are willing to pay in the nice areas of Neukölln such as the Schillerkiez that is located directly next to the Tempelhof Feld you can see that this is already happening with prices higher than in supposedly expensive Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. But I guess it’s exactly this recent change that is making the people of Berlin super sensitive towards any new projects of such nature. I can totally understand how everyone who is enjoying the city for its laid-back lifestyle and wide open spaces is not willing to let anything endanger their peaceful Berlin. Especially the last 4 years have seen drastic changes in the city and everyone is really worried if Berlin will be able to remain the cool and free-spirited city it is right now. It’s up to you now, those of you who are able to vote. Think about it, inform yourself about the plans of the senat and make a choice tomorrow. After a jump a few impressions of the Tempelhofer Feld as it is now.
Tempelhofer Feld – A Piece of Freedom for Berlin
Frank
Author
Frank is the founder and editor-in-chief of iHeartBerlin. He takes photos, makes videos, and writes texts mostly about what's going on in Berlin. His vision and interests have shaped iHeartBerlin since its conception back in 2007 - and he hopes to continue bringing you the best of Berlin for many years to come.