Tempelhofer Feld development and maintenance plan - Berlin

The development and maintenance plan for Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin (Germany) defines the guidelines, contents and measures for the the ca. 300 ha former airport, which is located in the center of the city and owned by the city itself. The 2016 plan was stipulated by the Law for the Preservation of the Tempelhofer Feld (ThFG, 2014) through a bottom-up process arising from a citizen vote. The plan was accordingly developed in a consensus-based participation process by the citizens of Berlin, the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection and Grün Berlin GmbH. Measures include the preservation of meadows and their biodiversity, the establishment of community gardens and nature experience spaces, as well as leisure, recreational and art activities. The plan also provides rules for strengthening civic engagement and offers a framework for cooperation between citizens, local politics and administration, also known as the Tempelhofer Feld participation model. Elected citizens, representatives of the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection and Grün Berlin GmbH work together on an ongoing basis in a monthly field coordination meeting (that is open to the public) aiming to jointly implement the plan and measures for the further development of the area. The cooperation to implement the plan is realised through a permanent three-column participation model consisting of a field forum, field coordination and thematic workshops (information and work meetings). In the field forum, which meets at least once a year and is also open to all interested parties, joint recommendations for further action are adopted. In order to implement the goals outlined in the plan, participatory planning processes are set up using the "Charter of Participation". One of the most important goals of the plan is to protect and further develop the unique open meadow landscape with its valuable flora and fauna and to preserve its urban climatic function.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Agreement-based or cooperative instrument›Community-based agreement with the support of the government

Challenges addressed

Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Heat stress and heat island effect
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The Law for the Preservation of the Tempelhofer Feld and plan aim to preserve the open meadow landscape and the flora and fauna (200 ha). Temporary protection zones are set up in order not to disturb breeding birds. Community gardens, tree trails and nature experience areas for children and young people have been established in the recreation area and trees have been planted.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Governance

Non-governmental actor(s)

Initiating body:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Details about how the instrument was designed:

In the referendum on 25 May 2014, 739,124 Berliners voted for the law to preserve the Tempelhofer Feld and thus for the preservation of this unique open space owned by the State of Berlin. The law required the development of the Tempelhofer Feld development and maintenance plan, which was realised from 09/2014 - 05/2016 in a cooperative and collaborative way by the citizens of Berlin, the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection (former: Senate Department for Urban Development and Environment) and Grün Berlin GmbH. This process included different phases and activities such as 1. preparation of information and collection of proposals, 2. thematic workshops and first space use workshop, 3. online and field dialogues as well as reflective participation and second space use workshop and 4. finalisation of the development and maintenance plan.

Targeted actors:

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Details about the implementation:

The plan is jointly implemented by the citizens of Berlin, the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection and Grün Berlin GmbH. Grün Berlin is a state-owned company translating political decisions and framework conditions into concrete sustainable urban development projects and their management. The plan and Law for the Preservation of the Tempelhofer Feld (ThFG) protects a total area of approx. 303 hectares, which is divided into the "central meadow area" (202 ha) and the "outer meadow ring" (101 ha). The "central meadow area" serves to preserve the open meadow landscape and the flora and fauna that characterise it, while the outer meadow ring offers a variety of uses for meeting, recreation, leisure, sports, civic engagement and more. Measures and activities are jointly planned via the participation model. Citizens can propose ideas for new projects that should be welfare and community oriented.

How did the government support the instrument?:

The Senate of Berlin (Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection) finances the development and maintenance of Tempelhofer Feld and coordinates all activities together with the citizens and Grün Berlin GmbH.

Financing

Budget:

Unknown

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

There is no specific monitoring system, but all activities carried out and planned are documented. In addition, the breeding birds of the approximately 300 ha Tempelhofer Feld have been repeatedly surveyed qualitatively and quantitatively since its opening using the territorial mapping method.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The following measures have already been implemented: Tree planting and educational tree trail, development of the nature experience area for children and young people with a water play area and natural elements such as lying logs, boulders, sand and clay as well as planting. Moreover, protection zones for the skylark were set up between the two runways from March/April to August to avoid disturbing the breeding birds. In 2019, 25 Skudden, a breed of sheep threatened with extinction, found a new home in the Tempelhofer Feld as landscapers maintainers. In the meantime, the stock has increased. In addition, numerous citizen-initiated leisure, recreation and art projects were carried out and further measures are planned. The Tempelhofer Feld contributes to climate adaptation for the neighbouring districts, serves as a carbon sink and an infiltration area for rainwater, reduces noise and dust pollution and presents a core area within Berlin's biotope network benefitting biodiversity. Further positive impacts include improved mental and physical human health and well-being. Moreover, the Tempelhofer Feld offers low-income, disadvantaged and marginalised people opportunities for participation and secures open space for all citizens, but in particular for the neighbouring neighbourhoods, which are characterised by high density and social pressures. Thus, social cohesion and opportunities for social integration can be strengthened and makes an important contribution to environmental justice.

Success factors and lessons learned:

A key success factor was the adoption of an open and cooperative planning and participation process to develop the Development and Maintenance plan for Tempelhofer Feld. In an open process, the main focus of the plan was defined as well as the phases and rules of play for its collaborative creation. In accordance with the conservation objectives of the overarching Law, measures were defined for i) the preservation and development of the natural balance, ii) the landscape and the urban climate, the experience and remembrance of the diverse and eventful history and iii) the sensitive further development of recreation, leisure and sports use, especially at the edges of Tempelhofer Feld. This process considered the needs of all users, including potential users, which is an essential factor. The Tempelhofer Feld is considered a place of lived democracy and a field of experimentation and an option space where new things can be tried out and exchanged in the most diverse areas - from nature conservation management to civic engagement.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Senat Berlin. (206): Tempelhofer Feld Entwicklungs- und Pflegeplan. URL: https://tempelhofer-feld.berlin.de/documents/74/160513_THF_Broschu%C3%AAre_Web.pdf

M. Brenck, B. Hansjürgens, C. Schröter-Schlaack, U. Tröger, A. Wessner, H. Wittmer (2021): Gesellschaftliche Wertigkeit des Tempelhofer Feldes – Qualitäten erfassen und sichtbar machen. Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ, Leipzig. URL: https://www.ufz.de/export/data/global/258172_DP_2021_5_Brenck_et_al.pdf

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://tempelhofer-feld.berlin.de/beteiligungsmodell-thf/

https://gruen-berlin.de/projekte/parks/tempelhofer-feld/ueber-den-park

Photos

@abbilder en Flickr (CC BY 2.0)