This summer, a south Berlin neighborhood will start a fresh experiment that will last for at least three months: eliminating parking places.
The project’s goal is to convert the space often used for cars to alternative purposes like gardening or recreational activities.
The question we are pursuing is whether public spaces can be utilized and experienced in ways that are more effective than keeping them exclusively for parked cars, according to Annika Gerold, a Green council member for Berlin’s Kreuzberg district and the director of transportation, as quoted by The Guardian.
Reducing or banning car use in cities is viewed as a climate solution that also improves urban life and public health.
While cities are currently responsible for about 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change argued in its Sixth Assessment Report Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change that, if certain changes were made, their density could pave the way for more climate-friendly living. AFP reported at the time.
One of these adjustments involved creating walkable neighborhoods and connecting them to reasonably priced public transportation in order to reduce the reliance of urban areas on cars.
According to Diana Reckien of Utwente University in the Netherlands, who was not engaged with the IPCC study, “Larger cities around smaller settlements.” “A community is really made up of four-by-four blocks with only a few narrow roadways, a playground or a market square in the middle, and all the essential services” (grocery stores, stationery, doctors, hairdresser).
Berlin is making an effort to shape itself in line with this aim. The number of automobiles on its streets has actually increased in recent years, despite the fact that it is one of the greenest cities in the world and has a reputation for excellent public transportation, safe cycling, and walkability.
According to Professor Andreas Knie, a mobility researcher at the WZB Social Science Center, “Five years ago, we were at the top of the game.” Now we have been passed by London and Paris.
Berlin will test removing parking spaces in the Gr fees district, which is south of the city center, in an effort to catch up.
According to NZZ, local car owners will be able to park their vehicles at a close-by garage for 30 euros per month. There are worries that the garage with fewer than 700 slots won’t have enough room. The Green Party anticipates that the event will convince Berliners to give up their vehicles for good.
According to a survey by the Social Science Research Center Berlin, almost two-thirds of locals support the experiment. However, a local shop owner said that an informal poll of his clients and neighbors produced conflicting findings.
I d estimate it s 30% in favor to 70% against, Hawaiian poke bowl luncheonette owner Florian Eicker said, as The Guardian reported. And those people aren’t particularly adamant about owning cars for ethical reasons.
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For Eicker, the issue is the haziness surrounding the specifics of how the pilot will function. For instance, it’s unclear how many streets would be included or whether the parking spaces will be reserved for outdoor tables for restaurants or plants. This is partially due to the council’s refusal to provide too much information prior to Sunday’s state election in Berlin.
According to DW, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which opposes the parking spot trial, received more than 28% of the votes cast in that election.
The CDU may be able to establish a government, but the Social Democrats, Greens, and socialist Left Party still hold a majority of seats in the state legislature, making it unclear whether or not the current coalition will continue to rule. In addition, voters in the city’s center favored the Greens.
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However, the issue of what to do about vehicles in Berlin may become politically divisive.
According to political scientist Frank Decker of Rheinische Friedrichs Wilhelms University, “traffic plays a huge part in emissions, and there is an objective need for something to be done, but it is immensely controversial, especially in larger cities.” The federal coalition will need to address this issue as well because it is very difficult to reduce traffic and is likely to lead to several confrontations.
