Living in urban space - The future of Berlin's squares

Metropolitan talk

immer modern! – immer modern!

Squares are places where traffic stops and urban life gathers.

Berlin has more than 200 of these squares, many of which are magnificent and regularly rank high in online polls of Berliners. Others are less successful, partly because they are characterized by street clashes and the excesses of the car-friendly city. And some, like Walther-Schreiber-Platz, are no longer recognizable. Over the next few years, many of these public urban spaces in the metropolis will be renovated and greened with the help of the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing's squares program, including Gendarmenmarkt and Europaplatz.

The development measure for open spaces around the Humboldt Forum was taken up again by the Senate Building Department in order to generate further developments. This raises many questions: Which design concepts will be applied? How can the quality of the space be improved? What attention will be paid to accessibility? What role does rainwater management play? What are the effects on road traffic?

The event is being held in cooperation between the Architekten- und Ingenieurvereins zu Berlin-Brandenburg (AIV) and the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace as part of the exhibition “Always modern! Berlin and its streets!”, conceived and organized by the AIV.

Moderation: Rudolf Spindler

18:00 - 18:05 Welcome Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director and Chairman of the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace

18:10 - 18:30 Introduction Petra Kahlfeldt, Senate Building Director Berlin

18:30 - 18:55 Presentation / Questions & Answers Sustainable and monument-friendly redesign of the Gendarmenmarkt, Christoph Schmidt, Managing Director Grün Berlin GmbH

19:00 - 19:25 Presentation Questions / Answers The climate-friendly adaptation of the Schlossplatz, Hans-Dieter Hegner, Chairman of the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace, Ellen Kallert, bbz Landschaftsarchitekten Berlin

19:30 - 19:55 Presentation / Questions & Answers The redesign of Europlatz at the main railway station, Alexander Kaczmarek, Group Representative of Deutsche Bahn for the states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Till Rehwaldt, Rehwaldt Landschaftsarchitekten Dresden

20:00 Closing remarks Markus Tubbesing, FH Potsdam

- free of charge

- Registration via

- Location: Room 3, ground floor

- Language: German

Next date:

• Date Wednesday, 25/September/2024 18:00 bis 20:00
• Venue Humboldt Forum
• Address Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte