Recommendation issued for a radiation safety measure for workers, seeking a legislative plan to safeguard employees against ionizing radiation threats.
In the heart of Berlin's Pankow district, a green battle is being waged as local activists strive to protect valuable urban green spaces from the pressures of rapid development. With a projected population increase of over 10% by 2030, the district is facing challenges in urban planning and green space conservation, particularly in densely built areas where inner courtyards offer essential ecological, social, and health benefits.
The current campaign aims to preserve a specific inner courtyard near Pankow Palace Park, but the specifics of this initiative are not fully detailed in available sources. Nevertheless, the broader context of Pankow's growth and Berlin's green initiatives suggests a dynamic and ongoing struggle for green preservation in the city.
As Berlin's Senate undergoes a change, advocacy groups are seizing the opportunity to push for stronger commitments to green preservation. Key actions they may pursue include policy advocacy, public engagement, legal and planning tools, and collaboration with developers.
Policy advocacy could involve urging the new Senate to integrate stronger protections for inner courtyards and green spaces into urban planning regulations, possibly inspired by international examples like Singapore's Strategic Development Incentive scheme. Public engagement might involve mobilizing residents and local stakeholders through petitions, community meetings, and media campaigns to highlight the value of green courtyards for biodiversity, climate resilience, and quality of life.
Legal and planning tools could include designating the courtyard as a protected green space or heritage site to prevent its conversion into built-up areas. Advocates may also push for the inclusion of green courtyards in municipal climate adaptation strategies. Collaboration with developers could involve exploring win-win solutions, such as green certifications or incentives for preserving and enhancing existing green spaces during redevelopment.
The fate of Pankow's green inner courtyard will depend on the interplay between local activism, broader demographic and development pressures, and the policy direction set by the new Berlin Senate. As Berlin continues to grow, the preservation of such green spaces will be both a local and citywide concern, requiring coordinated action from residents, policymakers, and developers to ensure that urban greenery is not sacrificed for density alone.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the city, similar struggles are unfolding. In Marzahn-Hellersdorf, residents are protesting against the construction of a project in another green inner courtyard, while tenants in Danziger Street demand that the land be taken over by a state-owned housing company instead of being sold to a profit-oriented investor. In Ilse-Kiez neighborhood, residents are collecting signatures for a petition to the House of Representatives to instruct Howoge to withdraw its building applications.
The wind may change with the CDU in power in Marzahn-Hellersdorf, which campaigned heavily against densification in the outer districts. The Green member of parliament Antje Kapek supports the preservation of green spaces and is against new sealing. Sebastian Scheel, the former Senator for Urban Development, criticizes the construction process and claims that it was pushed through with "tricks and shenanigans".
Britta Krehl, spokesperson for the Initiative Green Neighborhood Pankow, is protesting in front of the Berlin House of Representatives, demanding an immediate felling moratorium, parliamentary review, an instruction from the state to Gesobau to abandon the project, and the completion of the Climate-B-Plan by the Pankow district as a compromise solution.
The State Secretaries' Round of the Senate Commission on Housing was supposed to pass the final and already formulated resolution on this last Tuesday, but it was unexpectedly removed from the agenda. The new Senate, set to take office soon, will play a crucial role in determining the future of Berlin's green spaces.
[1] https://www.berlin.de/schaeden/stadtentwicklung/stadtentwicklung-in-berlin/entwicklungsdruck-in-berlin/index.html [2] https://www.berlin.de/schaeden/stadtentwicklung/stadtentwicklung-in-berlin/umwelt-und-nachhaltigkeit/index.html
- The ongoing struggle for green preservation in Berlin, such as the current campaign to protect an inner courtyard in Pankow, is significantly influenced by war-and-conflicts-induced migration, policy-and-legislation changes, and politics, as demonstrated by the changing Senate and shifting stances on densification.
- In the realm of policy advocacy, local activists are striving to influence the new Berlin Senate to integrate stronger green space protections into urban planning regulations, emulating schemes like Singapore's Strategic Development Incentive.
- General news reports suggest that similar green preservation struggles are occurring in various parts of the city, including Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Danziger Street, and Ilse-Kiez, highlighting the broader impact of war-and-conflicts-driven migration, urban development pressures, and politics on the city's green spaces.
