My six months of blogging for The GRID are now coming to an end. I am thankful for the opportunity, the support, and inspiration which I received from the GRID team during this time. As a big fan of combining communication, especially social media, with urban planning, I am proud to have contributed to this [...]
In a global economy, where places are in tight competition for investors, companies, workforce, and tourists, creating a place brand has become a powerful tool. Cities like Paris, London, and New York have distinctive features that tell a story about their urbanity, history and lifestyle. These images are commonly created not by accident, but are [...]
The special characteristics of cities and the urban way of life have been of fascination to people for a long time. But what exactly does this idea entail? Urbanity is a concept that is classically associated with modernity, when inner-city industrial spaces became the new centers of living and working, leading to a population boom [...]
It’s no secret that in order to attract investors, companies, and tourists, cities are under increasing pressure to stand out. More and more cities make use of social media to create a positive image and strengthen their place in the global competition of attractive cities. Imagine, you are in charge of your city’s social media [...]
My commute to the university is not very long: I take a train, another train, and I’m as good as there. Still, almost every morning I ask my mobile app to tell me which way is the quickest. Maybe today I’ll switch at a different stop? When exactly will the next train arrive – is [...]
Outside of the city of Hamburg, Germany, lies a piece of land that is hard to get to via public transport, on a street which usually appears deserted. Surrounded on both sides by containers, trucks, and industrial storage spaces, it is not what you would normally call an urban, livable place. But then you look [...]
Want to grow your veggies and eat them, too? While, until recently, the idea of combining urbanity with gardening seemed like a strong contradiction, urban gardens have started popping up in central city spaces around the world. One of the pioneering urban gardening projects is Prinzessinengarten in Berlin, Germany. Since summer 2009, this central Berlin [...]
Bike paths come in many shapes and sizes. They are made for the urban bicyclist, the long distance bicyclist, or the adventurous bicyclist. Sometimes, they are not made for bicyclists at all, and because it’s too dangerous or unpleasant to use them bicyclists find a way around them. What can a city do to encourage [...]
Deep within the Grunewald, Berlin’s largest forest, lies a special treasure of great historical significance: a hill called Teufelsberg. It’s a challenge to find it, but once you do, you will be rewarded with an extraordinary view across the whole city. With its 114.7 meters in height, it might not seem that high of a [...]
South from the city-centre of Berlin, a small pathway leads up to a curious mix of copper-colored buildings, a single-standing water tower, and birch trees, fighting their way through former train tracks. Upon arrival, the visitor is greeted by an engraved citation: “Wildness is the closest neighbor to art” – an idea which is taken literally [...]
The Mayor, urban planners, and economists agree: creative industries are key to Berlin’s economic development. In a city that doesn’t rely on larger industrial facilities, that holds a special position due to its historical heritage, that was perceived as an island for decades – music, film, and new media industries have started to settle; building [...]
With its 2.5 acres of land, Tempelhof has recently become Europe’s largest unimproved inner-city space. A site for experimental airships already in the 19th century, Tempelhof was one of Berlin’s most central airports for most of the 20th century. From holding a strategic logistic function within the Nazi regime, to providing an air passage during [...]
Do you have a problem? Mark it on the map and we’ll take care of it – if you vote for us. Prior to Germany’s Berlin Senate election in 2011, the Green Party presented an interactive online tool that people could use to suggest changes for the urban environment. More than 800 requests were sent [...]
