KIEZBLOCK GUIDELINES PUBLISHED

In the past years, traffic has increased heavily in Berlin’s neighbourhoods. Noise and air pollution have risen, and children and the elderly in particular no longer feel safe on Berlin’s roads. In close cooperation with the districts, the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment has developed new guidelines that show how to calm traffic in the neighbourhoods – and increase quality of life for all.

How can we turn our neighbourhoods into places where people enjoy spending time again? Places where pupils can walk to and from school without fear of harm and where the elderly can cross the road simply and safely? Motorised through traffic in particular has lowered road safety in Berlin’s neighbourhoods considerably in the past years, not only making roads more dangerous for everyone but at the same time subjecting residents to traffic noise and exhaust pollution in the immediate surroundings of their homes.

Like many other metropolises, Berlin is therefore faced with the task of increasing quality of life in the city once more and adapting its neighbourhoods to meet the challenges of climate change. This matter came to the fore during the pandemic, when neighbourhoods became the centre of our lives. Barcelona’s superblocks are a key role model for traffic-calmed, low-traffic or, in the best case, trafficless districts; the first one was built in Poblenou in 2017. Superblocks keep through traffic out of neighbourhoods, freeing up space that can then be used by pedestrians and cyclists. Green areas and spaces for encounters are welcome alternatives to traffic jams and vehicles looking for parking spaces – and lower pollution in  the city to boot.

Berlin is testing the implementation of Kiezblocks to drive the mobility transition. The city currently has over 50 Kiezblock initiatives; however, each works independently of the others. They not only differ in their understanding of what a Kiezblock is, they also take different approaches to questions such as, “Is a Kiezblock just a trafficless residential zone?” or “Does this include unsealed and green areas?” 

When it comes to implementation, Berlin’s Kiezblocks are just as inconsistent, handling the types of measures included, the interest groups involved and the projects’ implementation differently. The resulting lack of an exchange between the Kiezblock initiatives narrows learning effects; in the worst case, mistakes are repeated that could have been avoided.

In future, the results of a state- and city-wide research project, entitled Redesigning Urban Quarters at Human Scale (“Stadtquartiere im menschlichen Maßstab umgestalten”, German only), may provide valuable support. The German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) has teamed up with partners in Vienna, Potsdam and Ljubljana to research the potential of super- or Kiezblocks for German and European cities, with the aim of developing implementation and participation strategies. The project is based on the findings of two real-life laboratories in Berlin and Vienna.

In close cooperation with the districts, the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment has compiled guidelines on how to calm traffic in the neighbourhoods. These contain measures that aim to prevent motorised through traffic as well as approaches to increase road safety and quality of residence in the neighbourhoods. The guidelines also list measures for adapting to climate change. (SK/ vdo)