A call for Cautiousness that conquered Berlin, Germany and the rest of the World.

In 1984, Berlin organised a double Building Exhibition. Mr Hardt-Waltherr Hämer and his team developed 12 principles for how urban renewal should take place. A reaction to the harsh renewal until that time. A call for Cautiousness, that later influenced the entire German approach, and also had its way abroad.

Kreuzberg, photo toKi

The 12 Grundsätze der Behutsamen Stadterneuerung (the twelve principles for cautious urban renewal) became a standard for later urban renewal in Berlin and the rest of Germany, and are still alive nowadays.

The principles are:

1. Urban renewal must be planned and - fundamentally - realised with the current residents and entrepreneurs.
2. Planners must reach an agreement with residents and entrepreneurs about the aims of the renewal measures. Technical and social plans will go hand in hand.
3. The special character (of Kreuzberg) must be preserved. In parts of the city that are under pressure, confidence must be reawakened. Fundamentally threatening damage to housing should be redressed immediately.
4. The careful change of floor plans will enable new housing types.
5. The renewal of houses and buildings must be gradual and must be completed little by little.
6. The physical situation must be improved by minimum demolition, by green development in courtyards, and by the decoration of facades.
7. Public facilities such as streets, squares and parks must be renewed and preserved in accordance with public needs.
8. The rights of participation and tangible rights of persons affected by the social planning must be settled.
9. Decisions about urban renewal must be made in an open way and preferably be discussed on location. The participation of affected people is to be reinforced.
10. After confidence has been generated, urban renewal needs solid financial commitments. Money must be available quickly.
11. New forms of project responsibility must be developed. The responsibility for the commissioning and the responsibility for the actual work of the renewal measures must be separated.
12. Urban renewal according to this concept must be secured for the duration of the International Building Exhibition.

Still alive

Just how influential these principles still are nowadays, we at ErasmusPC experienced during a residents’ meeting in Dublin. Angry with the lack of genuine participation in proposed plans for regenerating a part of the city, an older Dubliner stood up and proclaimed that the developers and the city should read the twelve principles that had been developed in Berlin.

Links

• Also see the ReUrba interview with Hardt-Waltherr Hämer