MĚSTSKÝ PROSTOR LOKALITY „BERLÍN KREUZBERG“

ABSTRACT

The thesis aims to evaluate the architectural and urban changes in the public urban space due to the influence of different cultural communities and to find out whether foreigners and residents with a migrant background have an impact on it. A comparative method was used in the solution, for which the following locations were selected based on site analysis and statistical data analysis: “Berlin Lichtenberg” − Weitlingkiez − with a low number of cultural influences and “Berlin Kreuzberg” − the Kottbusser Tor redevelopment area − with a high number of Turkish minorities. For the local investigation, which identified changes in the locality and compared the appearance of the urban environment, it was necessary to determine the algorithms by which the “Berlin Kreuzberg” area was evaluated. The time constraint of the research is the period after the arrival of the Turkish minorities to the locality and before the redevelopment of the urban area “Berlin Kreuzberg” (around 1980) in comparison with the current situation. This is a work in progress, but at this stage, we can already conclude that foreigners and residents with a migrant background are likely to influence and change urban space. These are mainly changes in building types and changes from a social and economic point of view. The result of this work provides an introduction to the current international topic of immigration from the perspective of architecture and urbanism. In light of the rapid changes in the locality and the fact that similar research results have not been discovered, there is an opportunity to continue this work, also from the perspective of gentrification discussed in the locality. (Moggert 2018)

KEYWORDS

cultural differences and influences, urban space, architectural and urbanchanges, Berlin Kreuzberg, Berlin Lichtenberg, Turkish minorities, immigration

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the entire team of the Brno

University of Technology − Faculty of Architec-

ture, who stood behind me and assisted me in the Specific Research 2021 project, which made this publication possible.

Special thanks to doc. Ing. arch. Ivo Boháč, Ph.D. for his professional guidance in the creation of this publication and also for his trust, support and assurance that it is within my ability to complete the Specific Research 2021 project. This is despite the problems of the pandemic period and the associated complications of travelling to Berlin and Brno, the impossibility of personal consultations and visits to institutions necessary for the research.

I am very grateful to my husband Jens for his patience, for finding out the necessary information in German and for his willingness to stand in for me in taking care of the household and our almost fiveyear-old daughter.

I would also like to thank my parents, who helped me with stylistic corrections.

HOME

Berlin’s interesting demographic situation, with 55.44 % of the city’s foreigners and residents with a migrant background, led the author to question whether the different cultural backgrounds from which people in the city come can change the urban space. This was supported by the author’s own experience of visiting Israel (where she had at least a short-term opportunity to experience life in a Muslim family) and a six-month work placement in an Iranian architectural office in Vienna. This is a very topical subject, which combines knowledge from the field of demography with knowledge from the field of architecture and urban planning. Berlin itself is a city that is constantly evolving and is also inspiring in terms of solving the problems of urban space in the context of historical development. It is a centre of contemporary architecture. The work evaluates a part of the urban district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg − “Berlin Kreuzberg”. This is the Kottbusser Tor redevelopment area, which was defined around 1980 by the International Building Competition IBA 1984/87 and which was renovated and completed during this period. Through it, photographic records of the individual buildings have been created, which are compared with the current state within the work. The site has a high representation of Turkish minorities. In contrast, a part of the urban district of Lichtenberg − “Berlin Lichtenberg” − is selected for comparison. This is the locality known as Weitlingkiez and has a low number of cultural influences. This thesis aims to find out whether foreigners and residents with a migration background have an impact on urban space and, if so, what kind of impact. The current state of the work in progress does not allow to determine the exact result. According to the data obtained from the case studies and the surveys carried out in the localities, the author dares to say that some influence of different cultures has been observed in the urban environment. These are mainly changes in the type of buildings and changes from a social and economic point of view. The overall results will be known at the end of the whole research and will be published in the framework of the dissertation.

AIM OF THE THESIS, RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND WORKING HYPOTHESIS

The thesis aims to evaluate the changes in public urban space concerning the demographic transformation of Europe in the context of international migration. It traces the influence of a social phenomenon − different cultures − in the urban architectural structure of the city. The research questions and working hypothesis were formulated:

• Do foreigners and residents with a migration background have an impact on urban space?

• Are they changing it?

• How do they change it?

• Demographic change in Europe (in the context of migration) = change in urban space?