New Center System in the Berlin Metropolitan Area under the Age of Urban Shrinkage

Abstract

Population densification and retreat from suburbs are becoming popular tactics to adapt to shrinking metropolitan regions. Nevertheless, strategies dedicated to the subcenters have been neglected, constituting a policy blind spot. In reality, local governments try to establish and maintain a place as a partial center within an area from the viewpoint of activation. However, a high probability exists that such a scheme can engender inefficient activities throughout the area in the future. Therefore, if reduction in the number of central areas is intended for the future, then an important issue is how such places should be “carefully selected” and what kind of central places should “be selected” from the viewpoint of the local government. Nevertheless, almost no urban area has experience in “carefully selecting” central places. In the Berlin metropolitan region, a project was undertaken to considerably reduce the number of central areas in the metropolitan area.This study specifically examined the Berlin metropolitan region, which has reduced its number of subcenters. Particularly, Hennigsdorf is the only municipality that has been permitted as a new subcenter under this plan. Details are as listed below.1) In Hennigsdorf, no large-scale urban renewal project that requires assignment of a new central place has been undertaken.2) Fundamental structures of cities and facilities are satisfied when railroad stations constitute a definite central place. Many businesses can be located within walking distance in the central and neighborhood areas of the station.3) Use of automobiles is completely suppressed, favorable spaces for walkers are thereby obtained and low-cost, high-quality, medium-rise housing complexes are provided through renovations.Consequently, Hennigsdorf presents no particularly strong principle except that “city planning is not influenced by automobile traffic”. This case demonstrates that realistic consideration of daily life circumstances is a necessary condition for envisioning the central area of a future city.JEL Classification: R14, R52