A New Plan for Berlin’s Inner City: Planwerk Innenstadt

Abstract

Berlin’s reunification is not only a political, administrative, social or societal challenge; this process must also be assisted by the creation of an overall urban structure that clearly serves to unite. Berlin, as we know, is different in many ways from other large German cities. Berlin not only suffered a great amount of destruction in the war — its long division into two separate cities led to two different societal structures with their different objectives and opportunities with respect to urban design and planning. The so-called ‘wall in people’s heads’ still functions as a challenge for reunification in Berlin, as does the broad reluctance people express to incorporate the ‘other’ half of the city into their own daily routines. For the creation of a common identity, the city centre takes on a decisive importance as an area that connects and brings together citizens of the East and West halves of Berlin.