Berlin's vote to take properties from big landlords could be a watershed moment, Alexander Vasudevan, Sep 29, 2021[1]
Berlin ( bur-LIN, German: [bɛɐ̯ˈliːn] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent states, Berlin is surrounded by the State of Brandenburg and contiguous with Potsdam, Brandenburg's capital. Berlin's urban area, which has a population of around 4.5 million, is the second most populous urban area in Germany after the Ruhr. The Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has around 6.2 million inhabitants and is Germany's third-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main regions.
Berlin straddles the banks of the Spree, which flows into the Havel (a tributary of the Elbe) in the western borough of Spandau. Among the city's main topographical features are the many lakes in the western and southeastern boroughs formed by the Spree, Havel and Dahme, the largest of which is Lake Müggelsee. Due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. About one-third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers, canals, and lakes. The city lies in the Central German dialect area, the Berlin dialect being a variant of the Lusatian-New Marchian dialects.
Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]
- ufaFabrik, International Center for Culture and Ecology, Berlin
- Berlin alternatives, by alabaeye, Mapping the alternatives in Berlin, 2nd Open Street Map of Berlin
Community resources[edit | edit source]
- Baumhaus (Treehouse) project space (in German) in the Wedding district is a nonprofit project and event space dedicated to creating a hub for the development of neighborhood sustainable development projects. A repair café, an improvisational orchestra, and a vertical gardening program are just a few of their initiatives.
- Leila Berlin (in German) is a thriving tool library in East Berlin that has spawned several imitators across the country. Their selection goes way beyond household carpentry tools. Need to borrow a bicycle helmet, a drill, or a set of wine glasses? Go see them.[2]
Open spaces[edit | edit source]
- gruen-berlin.de, Green infrastructure and public open spaces for Berlin. "We create open spaces and green infrastructures for a more liveable, social Berlin that is barrier-free for all people and at the same time meets its ecological responsibility as a metropolis in the 21st century." added 15:05, 15 July 2021 (UTC)
Arts, sport and culture[edit | edit source]
- New neighbourhood, Moabit, non-profit association founded in 2013. "Today we are one of the largest voluntary neighborhood initiatives in Berlin. With our large rooms and our daily program, we create a social and artistic platform for exchange, learning and engagement for the neighborhood from all over the world. We don't help, we learn from each other. Our goal is to influence society, to actively shape it, to create new opportunities for non-hierarchical political and social coexistence. Our work is voluntary." added 14:56, 15 July 2021 (UTC)
- Cooperative for Urban Creativity
- Kulturlabor Trial & Error Berlin based non profit, working with crafts, D.I.Y. culture, sustainability, arts and media
See also: Community resources
Cycling activism[edit | edit source]
bikesurf.org, bicycle sharing project - wikipedia:Cycling in Berlin
Ethical consumerism[edit | edit source]
Original Unverpackt, zero waste store[3]
Sustainable Berlin, information from visitberlin.de
Food activism[edit | edit source]
Berlin has a tradition of communal neighborhood gardens (Schraebergaerten) stretching back over 150 years. That tradition lives on in projects like the huge Prinzessinengarten (Princess Garden) in the multicultural Kreuzberg district and the Mauergarten (Wall Garden) in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. This list from Foodtank explores many similar projects.[4]
foodsharing.de (in German) coordinates a network of community food fridges across the country and recruits groups of volunteers to "rescue" food which would otherwise be thrown out from willing shops and producers.[5]
Prinzessinnengärten (Princess gardens, Berlin), Wikipedia (German) Prinzessinnengärten
See also: Urban Foraging in Germany
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle[edit | edit source]
- BerlinRepair, cherish, maintain, pass on, added 15:50, 30 April 2021 (UTC)
Sharing[edit | edit source]
The bustling German capital is an amazing city to visit for all sorts of reasons, but it has a lot to offer for those who are interested in cooperatives, squats, and other local sharing projects.
Köpi is a well-known squat where free alternative movie nights are organized three times a week. Discover new films and enjoy cheap drinks while meeting people and learning more about the Berlin squat scene.[6]
See also: Food activism, Community resources, Maps
Urban sustainability[edit | edit source]
News and comment[edit | edit source]
2017
- 7 Reasons Why Berlin is a Successful Sharing City, Shareable (Oct 06, 2017)
Berlin's Holzmarkt Shows the Incredible Potential of Urban Villages, Aug 23[7]
The Urban Common Spaces That Show Us We Belong to Something Larger, May 3[8]
Berliners finally dump the car for love affair with the bicycle, Apr 26[9]
In Berlin, a Model for Creative and Affordable Housing, Apr 12[10]
Coming Soon to Berlin: Bike Superhighways, Mar 6[11]
To engage citizens in planning technology must be matched with a participatory culture, Mar[12]
2016
Berlin pulls funds out of fossil fuel companies, Jun 23[13]
2014
Berlin 'borrowing shop' promotes the benefits of sharing, March 17[14]
30,000 show how fed up they are with industrial food, January 19[15]
2012
Berlin beats London and Washington DC in league table of world's best democratic space,[16] August 8
2010
Sehr gut: Why cycling in Berlin is a dream. Wide streets, bikes in parks, cycling culture... 10 reasons why the German capital is a marvellous place to cycle,[17] April 22
2008
Reichstag to run solely on renewable power,[18] March 21
External links[edit | edit source]
Wikitravel: Berlin, Get around
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ theguardian.com
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ European Green Capital
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ Shareable
- ↑ irishtimes.com
- ↑ @yesmagazine
- ↑ citylab.com
- ↑ dailyplanet.climate-kic.org
- ↑ gofossilfree.org
- ↑ theguardian.com
- ↑ Agricultural and Rural Convention
- ↑ www2.warwick.ac.uk
- ↑ guardian.co.uk
- ↑ The Guardian