Case Studies  The Berlin Case Study: The Socially Integrative City.Wrangelkiez, Boxhagener Platz, Ostkreuz

Annex

A1. Division of competences between Senate departments and districts of Berlin

A2. Set of indicators for the city monitoring system*)

Source:  *) As suggested in the report on Socially Oriented Urban Development: Own illustrations based on the report Sozialorientierte Stadtentwicklung (IFS/STERN 1998)

A3. Area types according to selectivity of migration movements in Berlin residential areas

Source:  Own illustration based on the classification of the report Sozialorientierte Stadtentwicklung (IFS/STERN 1998)

A4. Examples of Local Economy Strategies

Management of Incoming Investment – Reducing Vacancies in Commercial Areas

In November 2002, about 230 commercial units were vacant in the Neighbourhood Management Area Boxhagener Platz. There are many reasons for this vacancy: The structural changes in trades and crafts, the bad state of repairs and unsolved questions of ownership of certain buildings, or even exaggerated rental fee demands by house owners. Especially the empty shops on the ground floors of buildings are seen as signs of economic decline by the residents of the area. These general conditions require special strategies in order to use these available sites as a potential for local economic development. Since 1999, the Neighbourhood Management Boxhagener Platz is realising an integrated management of incoming investment that consists of several interlocking modules:

Trade Unit Exchange – Information System on Available Trade Units

The internet address www.gewerberaumboerse.de provides companies, start-ups, projects and administrations that are interested in starting a business in the Neighbourhood Management Area Boxhagener Platz with continually updated information about available trade units. The data base of this information service contains details about location, size, equipment and rental fee demands of the individual units.

The data base is linked with other neighbourhoods in the District of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, so that potential investors are provided with detailed information about more than 1,000 locations to choose from.

In the area of the Neighbourhood Management Boxhagener Platz, about 30 business start-ups are supported by the Trade Unit Exchange each year.

Development of Trade Unit Uses Specially Adapted to Their Neighbourhood

Supported by the Neighbourhood Management Boxhagener Platz, several cooperating partners developed uses for certain empty buildings that have a specific connection to their neighbourhood. Some examples for projects that have been realised or at least planned:

Lovelite: A venue for music and concerts as well as for art exhibitions on the premises of a former garage. In winter, it is also used as an indoor- playground by parents from the neighbourhood.

Gründerbox: based on the concept of 'managed workspace', an empty office building and its communication infrastructure can be shared by business start-ups at a month's notice.

Friedrichshain macht Schule: Local protagonists developed concepts for turning two vacated school-buildings in the area of the Neighbourhood Management Boxhagener Platz into trade and job training centres. So far however, the realisation of the project failed due to the high costs of repairing and refurbishing the buildings.

Business Location Management for Traditional Market Places and Shopping Streets

            Marketing the Weekly Market at Boxhagener Platz

The weekly market on the Boxhagener Platz has been existing for almost 100 Years. More than 120 traders from Berlin and its hinterland come here every Saturday and Thursday. The market is equally important as an employer and for the supply of the residents.

In a joint effort. the District administration, market organisers and the neighbourhood management team have upgraded the area used by the market; a public toilet has been installed, and great efforts have been put into a common marketing.

As a result, some more traders, especially with ecological products, have been attracted to the market.

            Marketing the Shopping Street Frankfurter Allee

The Frankfurter Allee is one of the busiest shopping streets in the East of Berlin, but  nevertheless it is suffering from dramatic structural changes. Most of the business is being done in integrated locations like shopping malls. On the other hand, most of the retail shops run by their owners are likely to bust, especially as the number of customers passing by is declining with increasing distance to the 'Ring Centre'.

Because of these general conditions, a pilot scheme has been initiated in order to improve the image of the Frankfurter Allee as a diversified shopping street. This business development measure is projected to continue until June 2003. It is being financed by the Technical Aid of the ERDF.

In order to improve the image of the Frankfurter Allee as a shopping street, information and marketing measures for customers and businesses are being taken, as well as measures for the improvement of the urban environment in the street.

Labour Market Integration for Young People

            Jobbox – Services for Business Start-ups, Job Training, and  Job Placement

In an outstanding model of cooperation, a number of services by various companies and organisations have been combined under the umbrella of 'Jobbox'. In this one-stop agency, especially young people have access to comprehensive services for business start-ups, job training, and labour exchange in a central location of the area.

The network, which is led by 'JugendLOK e. V.' is very active in the District's employment alliance and participates in the EU programme EQUAL. 'JugendLOK e.V.' also runs an annual district-wide competition for Start-ups and Business Ideas.

            Year of Voluntary Social Training – Preparation for Job Training

Within the framework of the E & C Programme supported by the National Ministry of Health and Social Security, each year 20 young people are prepared for vocational job training by means of a Year of Voluntary Social Training. After getting used to the working life, they attend several classes teaching technical skills in the area of event management. Especially during the summer, these young people will then support clubs and initiatives in the construction work for neighbourhood festivals.

            Café-Pavilion Boxhagener Platz – Job Training for Young Drug Addicts

In a survey, the reconstruction of the Café-Pavilion at Boxhagener Platz appeared to be one of the main concerns of the local residents. In 2002, 'Karuna e. V.' could reconstruct the Café-Pavilion while preserving it as a historical monument, financially supported by private sponsors and the programme 'The Socially Integrative City'. This café is not only a new meeting point for the neighbourhood, but also offers job training in the area of gastronomy for young drug addicts.

A5. Monitoring and Evaluation

Evaluation of Projects of Neighbourhood Management co-financed by the EU

Each measure in the neighbourhood management areas that is co-financed by the EU, especially through ERDF, is to be evaluated according to these three criteria:

the nature of the project initiator

the correlation of the project to a certain domain

the effects of the project

Evaluation of Areas funded by the Programme 'The Socially Integrative City' financed by the National Government and the City State (Land) Of Berlin

While the evaluation of the use of funds of the EU focuses on individual measures, the evaluation mechanism for the programme 'The Socially Integrative City', financed by the national government and the city state (Land) of Berlin, refers to the respective project areas (more than 200 neighbourhoods all over Germany). This evaluation uses the following indicators:

features of the programme area

features of the integrated operational approach

financing and coordination of funds

organisation and management

activation and participation

public relations

focus of measures and key projects

monitoring and controlling

Analysis of the Targets, Procedures, and Effects of Neighbourhood Management by the city state (Land) of Berlin

Alongside the evaluation of measures co-financed by ERDF and the evaluation of the programme, the city state (Land) of Berlin has implemented its own evaluation mechanism. This is based on three aspects: Analysis of targets, procedures, and effects.

            Target Analysis

The target analysis registers all measures that have been realised in the 17 neighbourhood management areas of Berlin and correlates them to a system of strategic and operational targets. The strategic targets are:

better chances on the labour market

more job training

better quality of housing and urban environment

adequate social infrastructure

adequate neighbourhood culture

better health standards

better security standards and an increase in subjective feelings of safety

more acceptance and a supportive social structure

more participation by citizens and protagonists

Procedure Analysis

Concerning its key questions, the procedure analysis is hardly different from the evaluation of the programme 'The Socially Integrative City'. It focuses on:

cooperation and networking of protagonists involved in neighbourhood management

financing of the projects realised within the framework of neighbourhood management

procedures to combine funding and initiate projects

procedures to activate local residents

Effect Analysis

The effect analysis picks some exemplary measures and looks at them based on the following criteria:

direct and indirect effects

appropriateness and relevance

efficiency

sustainability

multidimensionality

A6. Projects financed by the Neighbourhood Fund

The following approved and realised projects have been important especially with regard to “anchoring” in the area:

Sports for Girls in 'Wrangelkiez'

Allocated: 16,105.69 €

'Sport does not only benefit your own physical well-being, but also offers social contacts and networks. You can meet friends and role models. With the improvement of possibilities for sports and exercise, girls will soon have the opportunity to let off steam inside or outside, for an hour or a day, in their neighbourhood.'

Two swimming classes in the 'Spreewaldbad' have been established, a football ground at the 'Sportplatz Anhalter Bahnhof', and opportunities for Cheerleading and Wendo in a hall at the Görlitzer Ufer.

Furthermore, 'RABIA' and three schools in the neighbourhood have been contacted and a cooperation established. The first sports festival for girls in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, 'Leyla Runs', took place in September 2002 on the 'Sportplatz Lohmühlenende' and in the 'Flatowhalle', including workshops and a street football tournament. It was a great success. The club tries to continue these activities and to offer new ones that are not 'typically female', like boxing. The contacts and implemented structures will be maintained. A second sports festival for girls is planned.

PCs for Senior Citizens’ Leisure Centre

Allocated: 15,328.53 €

'The visitors of the senior citizens’ leisure centre in the Falckensteinstraße 6 would like to by an "electronic brain" in order to learn text processing, designing calling cards, sending e-mail, et cetera. Cooperation with the Bethanien Computer Club for People Aged 55 and Above – an internet café – is intended.'

Meanwhile, 6 PCs have been installed in respective workplaces. The cooperation with Bethanien is up and running.

Enabling Children to Participate in the Development of their Environment

Allocated: 17,400.00 €

' "We are taking a close look at our neighbourhood" will be the motto of a survey among pupils between 6 and 14 years of age. It will aim at establishing the needs of pupils in the domains of school, family, leisure time, and public space. At the same time, the children are to become aware of their own needs, and to learn how to have a critical look at their environment. The applicant will also attempt to accompany the children for a longer term. The results of the survey will be made available for certain institutions (like "Sozialraum IV" or "Jugendpräventionsrat").'

When carrying out the survey, contacts and discussions with the children were important for the following work. Spaces of fear and of pleasure have been identified in the 'Wrangelkiez'. It became clear that conflicts are an important issue for the children, but that the majority does not know how to deal with them, and that this is one of the reasons for feeling queasy at school. Therefore, a children's working group and a consultation hour have been implemented. Here, the everyday life of children can be addressed, for example to develop solutions for situations of conflict, develop leisure time activities, learn to live together, discover the housing environment, and visit other organisations. About 150 children visited the project in one year. Activities on the street established contacts with parents and neighbours and reduced initial mistrust and prejudice. The survey also intensified contact with the two elementary schools.

Benches in the Sorauer Straße

Allocated: 2,045.17 €

There had been a demand for benches in the front of the house entrances in the Sorauer Straße 7, 8, and 9. They were to invite people to take a rest and talk to their neighbours. The project has been realised during spring 2002 in cooperation with the civil engineering authorities. The benches have been well used during the summer, contacts in the neighbourhood intensified, and new small projects projected and realised. They were financed by the annual 'action fund'. Likewise, the tree-trunk discs in the Sorauer Straße have been replanted and taken care of.

Refurbishing the Toilet in the 'Kurt-Held-Grundschule'

Allocated: 21,474.26 €

Responsible and caring parents applied for the refurbishment of the girls’ toilet in this elementary school. By the end of 2001, refurbishment of the toilet was complete. The great commitment of the parents resulted in the additional refurbishment of the boys’ toilet, financed by the district's maintenance fund.

Film and Art Festival on Watching Television

Allocated: 10,634.87 €

The film festival took place on September 08 – 14, 2002 in the Lübbener Straße. For one week, each day from noon to midnight, films, performances, and lectures were offered to the public for free. The events had been heavily advertised by 'b_books' in various media, and as 'b_books' have an extensive mailing list and a good network, all events were well frequented. The programme included some world premieres, or films that were hard to get and therefore seldom screened. The festival focused on a number of topics, and the audience could get an impression of the national and international film business. Some of the topics were: Television theory, Cyberfeminism, Turkish Hip-Hop culture, American films of the 70s, Eastern Europe, et cetera. At many events there was a lot of discussion between participants and the audience. The hall on the street, in which the festival took place, invited many people to spontaneous visits. 'b_books' plan more festivals of this kind.

'Looking through the Window' – Cooking with Neighbours

Allocated: 7,147.35 €

'The association "Brücke Europa-Afrika e. V." will organise cooking events, at which the residents prepare meals typical for the countries of their origin. Neighbours come by and learn about the preparation (recipes will be handed out). Folk music, if possible performed live, will accompany the evening. Readings and photo exhibitions are also planned. The aim is to present the cultural diversity of the neighbourhood and to initiate exchange through cooking.'

During 2002 there have been seven cooking events. Neighbours from Syria, Brazil, Kosovo, England, West Africa, Germany, and Italy have prepared food typical for the countries of their origin. In the early afternoon, foodstuff and drinks were bought and brought to the neighbourhood centre 'Centrum', and the room was prepared and decorated. The evening's host and his/her helpers then began preparing the meals. In the evening, 40 to 50 people came for dinner. Some people were well known from former events, some were new. The dinner was accompanied by stories and a photo exhibition about the respective country. A vivid dialog between neighbours has developed. It is being discussed to continue these events.

From here on Further: Recommendations for the Future     References