By Jan Schilde
Berlin keeps growing. But the Senate has missed this development – a reason why the capital is lagging behind. A comment from BZ editor-in-chief Jan Schilde.
Will Berlin soon break the 4 million mark again? The official forecasts say: quite possible. The attraction of our city is still immense. Berlin is growing and this is basically good news.
These forecasts, which among other things serve to set the right political course, have not always been correct in the past. The Senate made many mistakes, closed daycare centers and schools in droves, and sold off housing properties at cheap prices.
This is of course one reason why the city is lagging behind so much today. But even in recent years, when Berlin experienced an unprecedented, visible boom, too little was done in many places and too little thought was given to the future.
Berlin cannot continue to grow if there is a lack of affordable housing, if there are not enough places in schools and kindergartens, if local public transport does not grow with it, if almost every visit to the authorities becomes an adventure.
At least in school building there are good approaches with the modular buildings in fast approval processes. Berlin’s administration simply has to become faster. In its current state, it is not sustainable, not capable of growth.