A Study on the Berlin Waterfront Development for Urban Regeneration -Focused on the case of Wasserstadt Berlin-Oberhavel, Berlin, Germany-

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between suburban waterfront und urban regeneration strategies. Specifically, This paper investigates how urban design strategies for suburban waterfront has been conceptualized and realized in a case-based research study of the regeneration of suburban waterfront in Berlin, Germany. Since Germany's reunification, Berlin was faced a wide variety of challenges and has been transformed into a new capital city. First of all, Wasserstadt Berlin-Oberhavel was a key development task for the urban regeneration in Berlin. The Wasserstadt Berlin-Oberhavel project with over 207 hectares will provide new residential urban areas, office spaces, educational facilities and cultural facilities. In details, 3,640 apartments with 12,700 units and around 4,800 jobs will be created. Method: The study consists of five sections. The first and second section are divided into two stages:“waterfront definition in urban design” and “urban design strategy in waterfront”. The third section explores the waterfront development process of Wasserstadt Berlin-Oberhavel. The fourth section aims to investigate the strategies for urban regeneration as well as waterfront development. Finally, the fifth provides some of the key policy challenges for Urban Regeneration in suburban waterfront area. Result: The results showed that urban regeneration strategies in suburban waterfront have a substantial impact on all two dimensions: relationship between waterfront and urban context, relationship between waterfront and natural environment.