Public space is a place of transit. But safety and quality of life suffer if the car and other automobile traffic are the norm of transportation. #Kiezblocks is an initiative from Berlin that strives to change the way urban space is used. The initiative suggests designs to reopen public spaces to reflect the diversity of urban residents and more sustainable modes of mobility.
The aim of #Kiezblocks is to establish so called superblocks in cities: opening up public spaces in residential areas by reducing space for parking and through-traffic. Creating one-way streets or installing speed limits prevents car drivers from using specific neighbourhoods as shortcuts, nudging them to stick to the main roads. For the citizens in a superblock area, noise and air pollution can be reduced and public spaces become available for different uses. The streets are safer and more inviting, especially for families, children and older people. In the long term, the initiative seeks to convince people to switch from cars to other modes of transport, such as cycling or public transport. Delivery traffic functions better as well if fewer parking spaces are occupied by private cars. Another element of superblocks are local businesses: Grocery shops, cafés and other daily amenities typically cater to local needs while other shops may draw customers from further afield. If all of these facilities are available without the need for parking, a neighborhood can profit from diverse and inclusive environments for residents and visitors. Public spaces regained by reduced traffic can also be used for innovative seating and play areas, increased greenery, and new types of local town squares to enhance the quality of life for residents. The vision is that neighbours have space to meet each other and strengthen a sense of community as part of daily interactions in safe and inviting public spaces.
#Kiezblock supports citizens who want to change their neighbourhoods into a superblock – or Kiezblock (Kiez is a German word for a community or neighbourhood in a larger city): Usually, superblocks are demanded through residents' petitions, a common means of direct democracy. Thus the idea of Kiezblocks entails to enhance and promoting citizen engagement in city development processes. The initiative published a paper with standards for establishing a superblock In Berlin, and there are around 70 superblocks currently existing or in planning. As a platform, #Kiezblocks connects the city’s superblocks for exchange, learning, and mutual support. Berlin is here just one example, Barcelona, Paris and New York have adopted similar concepts to bring urban live back to the streets. It's not easy to correct urban planning decisions that favored the automobile as the principal means of transport, for decades but the demands of citizens and the need to focus on sustainability make gradual changes in this direction more acceptable and create spaces of experimentation with an urban society of the future (in the present).
You can read more about #Kiezblocks on their website, where you can also find the guide for creating a superblock (in German and English).
(FG)
Literature:
Gehl, Jan; Svarre, Birgitte (2013). How to Study Public Life. Washington: Island Press. https://islandpress.org/books/how-study-public-life
Gehl, Jan (2010). Cities for People. Washington: Island Press. https://islandpress.org/books/cities-people
Foster, Sheila R.; Iaione, Christian (2022). Co-Cities. Innovative Transitions Towards Just and Self-Sustaining Communities. Cambridge, MA.: The MIT Press. https://dx.doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/11702.001.0001 (open access)
Klinenberg, Eric (2018). Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. New York: Crown.
