Last updated: September 2024
The new 6.5-hectare Anita Berber Park has been created on the site of the former St Thomas cemetery, between Tempelhofer Feld and Hermannstraße. It is named after the dancer Anita Berber, who herself was buried there in 1928. The cemetery was unused and out of use for several years and became accessible to the public through the intervention. (Ref. 3; Ref. 6) The construction period was preceded by a public participation process in which the facilities and design were developed together with the users. The redesign of the space was conducted by a landscape architecture office (Henningsen Landschaftsarchitekten PartG mbB) and financed by the German Federal Government (Ref. 1). The new park, which was planned and financed as a compensatory measure for the construction of the A100 urban highway, increases the quality of local recreation in the densely populated district of Neukölln. (Ref. 2; Ref. 6) An important goal was to achieve high species diversity in the park while preserving its valuable trees and shrubs. The park also offers multiple spots for rest and play as well as a zone for free running dogs. (Ref. 2; Ref. 6) The park features wooden climbing structures and an old collection of trees with hollows, along with bushes and shrubs. These areas often accumulate rubbish, highlighting the ongoing waste management issues the park has faced since its renovation (Ref. 4).
Anita Berber park from above
Henningsen Landschaftsarchitekten PartG mbB
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Protection of natural ecosystems, Habitat conservation, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces
Project objectives
1. To create biodiverse habitats in the park and preserve existing flora and fauna (Ref. 2; Ref. 6; Ref. 8)
2. To increase the quality of recreational opportunities in densely populated urban environments (Ref. 6)
3. To increase accessibility of public green spaces, with particular focus on families, elderly, disabled people and low-income households (Ref. 3; Ref. 9).
4. To transform an unused cemetery to a park area (1)
Implementation activities
The participatory design process started in 2015, included community actors and a firm specialised in community engagement, which conducted three site visits and a workshop, to reimagine the use of the cemetery/space. In 2016, the district held a naming competition for the cemetery-turned-park, and it was rechristened as the ‘Anita-Berber-Park’, after a cabaret artist (Ref. 1) The Protestant Church Association Berlin-Mitte sold the cemetery area to the German federal government in 2016 (Ref. 10) and the project was handed over to a landscape architecture office (Ref. 1). In 2017, the park construction commenced alongside the removal of graves, and the park was opened later that same year. Conservation efforts for the existing trees and shrubs were also initiated (Ref. 6; Ref. 8; Ref. 10) The meadows were partially reseeded and are continually developed through a mowing scheme tailored to the needs of each area (Ref. 2). Additional infrastructure was implemented (e.g. ramps) to increase the physical accessibility to the park from the surrounding streets in 2024 (Ref. 9). Playgrounds were constructed for children and rest areas for all visitors (elderly people) (Ref. 3). A ramp allows access to the park for people with limited mobility, and street accessibility was increased recently in the surrounding streets to allow access to the park (Ref. 3; Ref. 9).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Elderly people, People with functional diversities, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The federal German government bought the cemetery area from the church association and gifted it to the city of Berlin (Ref. 10). The regional government, the state authorities of Berlin, financed the planning process and were the official developers of the project. The local government of the district and district manager organised the planning and implementation process and financed the amenities in the park. (Ref. 1; Ref. 8) Citizens, church representatives and the local police were invited to a participatory planning workshop that was conducted by a firm, specialised in community engagement. The planning and physical construction of the project was managed by a landscape architecture company (Ref. 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The "Ordinance on the prevention and compensation of interventions in nature and landscape in the area of responsibility of the Federal Administration" (Federal Compensation Ordinance) (Ref. 14), requires the German state to avoid interference with nature or landscapes and to compensate it if, due to public infrastructure projects (e.g. building highways, power lines, offshore wind parks), nature and landscapes get destroyed. The ordinance serves to standardise the application of the impact regulation (following the Federal Nature Conservation Act) for federal projects, while at the same time maintaining high nature conservation standards. Implementing the Anita-Berber park was financially supported by such compensation for destroyed green space in an infrastructure project (the construction of the urban highway A100). The Federal Government bought the deconsecrated cemetery and then gifted it to the city, as green space was paved over for the A100 highway construction, around 3km away from the location of the Anita Berber park (Ref. 1). )
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€2,000,000 - €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public national budget
- Public regional budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Achieved restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Achieved increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Offsetting, Biodiversity offsetting *
References
1.
Holleran, S. (2023). From graves to gardens: Berlin’s changing cemeteries. p. 255-257 Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
2.
International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe (n.d.). “Anita Berber Park” Berlin, Germany - Landscape Architect’s projects which improve the access to and use of green space for disadvantaged groups. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
3.
International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe (n.d.). Anita-Berber-Park . Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Naturstadt Berlin (n.d.). Anita-Berber-Park. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Anita-Berber-Park (n.d.). Anita-Berber-Park in Berlin Neukölln. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Henningsen Landschaftsarchitekten PartG mbB (n.d.). Anita-Berber-Park. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Treffler, J. (2024). Barrierefreiheit: So wurde der Anita-Berber-Park umgestaltet. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Schilp, S. (2017). Ein neuer Park für den Schillerkiez: Namensgeberin ist Anita Berber / Großes Freilaufgebiet für Hunde. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Bezirk Neukölln (2024). Barrierefreie Anbindung zum Anita-Berber-Park fertiggestellt. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
10.
Kräge, S. & Wilms, M. (2017). Hier wird die Würde der Toten weggebaggert. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
11.
Bezirksamt Neukölln (n.d.). Einwohnerregisterstatistik. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
12.
Bezirksamt Neukölln (n.d.). Die Bevölkerungsstruktur Neuköllns. Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
13.
Bezirk Neukölln (n.d.). Arbeitsmarktreport für Berlin-Süd (Neukölln). Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
14.
Federal Ministry of Justice & Federal Office of Justice (2020). Verordnung über die Vermeidung und die Kompensation von Eingriffen in Natur und Landschaft im Zuständigkeitsbereich der Bundesverwaltung (Bundeskompensationsverordnung - BKompV). Accessed on August 9, 2024, [Source link];
Path in the Anita Berber park
Henningsen Landschaftsarchitekten PartG mbB
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.