Heidestrasse was supposed to be “Europacity”, but the new facades actually look desolate. A lively neighborhood with retail stores looks different Photo: Christian Lohse
By Oliver Ohmann
City and trade belong together. In the case of Berlin, trade was one of the reasons why the city came into being around 800 years ago. Berlin’s natives were traders.
“Urban development policy is always also trade policy,” says Nils Busch-Petersen (60), general manager of the trade association. Because: Lively retail ensures lively city centers. The traders are the basic providers of the city’s residents and trading companies are important taxpayers of the city.
In this respect, urban development can have positive or negative effects. Busch-Petersen: “Trade breathes life into the city.”
Keyword traffic. The food retail trade in Berlin requires three million tonnes of goods per year. “We still need functioning commercial traffic and sufficient delivery zones,” said the association boss. In addition, the customer has to go to the dealer, one way or another.
Unattractive measures promote declining location attractiveness and increasing vacancies. There are enough negative examples of failed projects. Nils Busch-Petersen, for example, mentions the desolate development on Heidestrasse at the main train station. New building facades are lined up here. Small shops? None! A lively neighborhood and shopping culture is out of the question.
But there are also many successful initiatives. For example, for the main street in Wilhelmsruh (Pankow) or the Köpenick advertising association’s deceleration plans for Bahnhofstrasse. Last but not least, the Leipziger Straße interest group in Mitte. Here, new uses for vacant ground floor areas are being developed with the owners of the properties.
“Today it is hardly known that Leipziger Straße was once the most important shopping street in all of Berlin,” regrets Busch-Petersen.