Yesterday marked exactly 12 years since the referendum preventing any construction on Tempelhofer Feld was passed with almost two thirds in favour of preserving the former airport’s landscape. The matter may have appeared settled at the time, but it’s becoming a burning issue once more with 59% Berliners now in support of the field’s development and a mere 25% actively opposed. Despite the recent proposal to build housing along the field’s edge garnering widespread public support, a substantial number of people are still opposed to
bulldozing such a unique place. Many fear that surrendering a third of it now would open the door to further development in the future. Architect Hans Kollhoff, one of the persons behind the Home at Tempelhofer Feld project, told Berliner Morgenpost that this scenario is not on the table; all parties want to preserve the central open space. But not everyone is convinced. The 100% Tempelhofer Feld initiative, along with Architects for Future and BUND Berlin organised a protest barbeque at the field yesterday to
voice their opposition to any and all construction plans. Some of the event’s participants fear that “if they start, they’ll do it properly”, as they said to Morgenpost. They believe that development would mean the end of barbeque areas, community gardens and the circus. Besides, housing around the edges would equal noise complaints preventing cultural events, such as August’s TFELD, from taking place in the future. Biodiversity and Berlin’s climate resilience would also be diminished. Both sides of the discussion have solid arguments. The housing
crisis, which Kai Wegner called “the social issue of our time”, is proving to be one of the major campaign issues of the upcoming election. The development of Tempelhofer Feld appears to be becoming a decisive matter for the September vote, and one which parties are split on: the Greens and the Left oppose the construction project, while the CDU and AfD are in support. While what the AfD believes is of secondary importance since their chance of forming the local government post-election is extremely
slim, the CDU’s stance might prove pivotal. The party is unequivocally vocal about their support for the field’s development and even went so far as to say that support for the plan would be a condition for their participation in government. As current polls suggest a 3-way coalition the most likely scenario, their leveraging power on the matter is substantial. What complicates things even more is that while the Greens and the Left Party are opposed to the development, their voter base is not –
over half of them support the new construction plan. Should the parties succumb to pressure and adapt their official stance, no major group opposed to THF’s development would be left in the Senate.
Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin election, housing, referendum, CDU, AfD, Greens, Left, protest barbeque, biodiversity, TFELD, Hans Kollhoff, BUND Berlin, 100% Tempelhofer Feld