The Thai market in the Preußenpark near the underground station Fehrbelliner Platz is on the one hand a special tourist attraction and symbol of diversity in Berlin, but at the same time has been causing trouble for residents for several years. The market consists of about 100 small food stalls where families from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam sell their food on weekends. Originally, Thai families met here to cook together; little by little, an illegal business model developed. The abundant offer ensures a completely overcrowded park, especially in summer. The original sunbathing lawn is largely deserted, the green spaces have suffered greatly. Added to this is the unauthorised sale of food without hygiene controls and without paying taxes.
But it is not only the Thai market that causes disputes between residents and the city administration of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf; drug abuse and “cruising” also discourage citizens from staying in the Preußenpark. The political goal of the district of Charlottenburg- Wilmersdorf is to preserve the park as an intercultural meeting place, but to put the whole thing on a legal basis. In order to be able to implement this innovative approach, students of the master’s course in landscape architecture at the Technical University of Berlin have drawn up drafts and concepts for the redesign of the Prussian Park. On this basis, a master plan was developed and adopted and initially a designated area at the edge of the park was paved to limit the expansion of the market. For the further redesign of the park, it was possible to acquire additional federal funds for the climate-friendly redesign of the park. The redesign is divided into several building blocks:
- Building Block I = Slope Playground
- Building Block II = Redesign of Existing Park
- Building Block III = New Market incl. Multifunctional building
In 2020, the nexus Institute was commissioned to conduct a public participation process for the redesign of the park involving all user groups. The first step was an information event on 28 February 2020, followed by outreach surveys at dialogue points in the park and several expert discussions and interviews. In addition, an ongoing opportunity was created for citizens to participate online. The process was summarised online in another citizens’ meeting. The participation process to date for the redesign of Preußenpark has already shown an increasing public interest in the process. There are active groups and initiatives on site that are particularly committed to the interests of local residents and a climate-friendly redesign. To accompany the further redesign, the nexus Institute 2022 was commissioned to organise a public information event, focus group discussions and an online participation, for which the use of the “Maptionnaire” tool is planned.
The basis for this is close cooperation with the park management (“park runners”) and with the landscape planning office commissioned for the redesign.
Duration: 02/2020 – 09/2023
Client: Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf von Berlin
Team: Prof. Dr. Christiane Dienel (Projektleitung), Sabine Schröder, Nele Buchholz, Eike Biermann