In recent decades, nature has been systematically pushed out of our cities. The reasons for this are diverse and have evolved over time.
Many people have followed this trend, voluntarily or involuntarily, into the surrounding countryside. For those who have stayed behind, this has resulted in dissatisfaction: more and more sealed, noisy, hot and dusty districts, a lack of identification and a significantly lower quality of life. It therefore makes sense to do everything we can to bring nature back into the city as much as possible.
What if we put gardens, parks, urban forests, tiny forests and different landscapes at the center of our thinking and planning and let the city, the streets and the buildings develop around them? In this way, we could set new standards for Berlin’s ecological transformation process.
Let’s start this “experiment” at Holzmarkt and create an urban garden there – a real laboratory for the CO2-neutral city.
In 1685, Berlin was looking for new settlers. They needed wood as their most important raw material. For this reason, a timber yard was created at this location, which gave the street its name; the timber yard belonged to the magistrate and was used to store timber, both municipal and royal. The lumberyard was abandoned in the 19th century.
Today, Holzmarkstrasse is a noisy and unattractive thoroughfare with no quality of stay or character.
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