The move of the capital city from Bonn to Berlin in Germany was highly debated in both the daily press and in the academic world after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Germany was reunified and somehow a new country. The building of the new German capital Berlin is also strongly discussed. Berlin became a place for renewal and city development. During the 1990s and in the beginning of the new millennium Berlin went through many different development projects like the renewal of the Friedrichstraße in East Berlin and the development of the new/old government quarter (Regierungsviertel). The Potsdamer Platz is just another place of the places discussed in Germany. The case of Berlin as a new German identity or the face of a newly reunified Germany, features prominently in different academic journals. Despite that is the issue of people’s identification with places and the identity of space along with gentrification and planning are issued in some theoretical discussions through out the academic world. Identity, power and public places along with planning are issues that are very important, when it comes to Berlin and the new Germany. Berlin’s development is very interesting to analyse, because Berlin and the development or redevelopment deals with different aspects of Germany’s history as well as with economic or social aspects. The decision of the German government to move the German capital from Bonn to Berlin was very important for Berlin’s development as the new/old capital city of Germany and the federal government invested heavily on the redevelopment of Berlin (Heineberg 2001: 236-238).
Dealing with 20th-century history is understandably a very sensitive issue in Germany. Berlin has tried to do that in different ways, for example by the exhibitions in the German Historical Museum (see Till 2001 Reimagining National Identiy) or the building of different monuments dedicated to the victims of the Nazi terror or the DDR regime, but they have not been without critique (see Wiese 1998: 145-156 or Marcuse 1998).
The aims of this thesis are to take a closer look at the process of planning a new German capital city and to make sense of a place that is highly discussed in academic articles. I want to find out what plans are behind the new Potsdamer Platz and what was the purpose of these plans. What impression does the place Potsdamer Platz give.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Aim of this thesis
- Delimitation
- Methods and material
- Structure of this bachelor thesis
- Background
- History of the Potsdamer Platz
- Short facts about the Potsdamer Platz today
- The theory behind the global city
- The Potsdamer Platz – a way of pushing Berlin towards a global city?
- Theories of urban development strategies
- The new Germany? – The Potsdamer Platz as a sign of economic power?
- Theories of public space in cities and ambient power at public places
- Privatisation of public space and ambient power at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin?
- Conclusion
- Summary
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This bachelor thesis analyzes the development of Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz, a major urban redevelopment project. The primary objective is to investigate how planning decisions at the local, national, and global levels shaped the space and its current character. The thesis aims to understand the intentions behind the planning and to determine whether the Potsdamer Platz embodies a new face of Germany in a globalized world.
- The Global City Aspect of the Potsdamer Platz
- The Role of the Potsdamer Platz in Economic Development
- The Impact of Privatisation on Public Spaces
- The Influence of Neoliberal Planning Strategies
- The Relationship between Development and Public Space
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter outlines the thesis's aims, limitations, methodology, and the structure of the research.
- Background: This chapter provides a historical overview of the Potsdamer Platz, tracing its development from the 18th century to the present day. It highlights the site's significance as a major commercial and entertainment hub in Berlin, its destruction during World War II, and its subsequent redevelopment after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- The Theory behind the Global City: This chapter defines the concept of a global city and its key characteristics, drawing on the work of Saskia Sassen and others.
- The Potsdamer Platz – a way of pushing Berlin towards a global city?: This chapter examines whether Berlin is a global city and whether the Potsdamer Platz was designed to contribute to its global aspirations. The chapter analyzes academic perspectives on Berlin's economic development and compares those viewpoints with empirical data.
- Theories of Urban Development Strategies: This chapter introduces the theory of Large-Scale Urban Development Projects, exploring its relationship to gentrification, neoliberal planning, and the creation of new urban spaces.
- The New Germany? – The Potsdamer Platz as a sign of economic power?: This chapter investigates whether the development of the Potsdamer Platz aimed to showcase Germany's economic power. The chapter examines criticisms of the project, especially concerning the role of Daimler Chrysler and the concentration of economic power in Berlin. It analyzes the extent to which neoliberal influences shaped the project and examines the extent to which the Potsdamer Platz reflects a new face of Germany.
- Theories of Public Space in Cities and Ambient Power at Public Places: This chapter explores theories of public space, focusing on the concepts of privatization and ambient power. It examines the work of Don Mitchell on the right to the city and the privatization of public spaces in the United States, and the work of John Allen on ambient power, which he develops through the example of the Potsdamer Platz.
- Privatisation of public space and ambient power at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin?: This chapter analyzes whether the privatization of public spaces can be observed at the Potsdamer Platz, focusing on the Sony Centre and the Arkaden shopping mall. It investigates whether the Sony Centre exhibits ambient power, as theorized by John Allen. The chapter uses empirical data from interviews, observations, and plan analysis to assess the effectiveness of the theoretical frameworks.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The keywords for this thesis are: Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, urban development, global city, neoliberal planning, privatization of public space, ambient power, economic power, Germany, urban planning, public space, social space, Large-Scale Urban Development Projects.
- Quote paper
- BSocSc Till Koglin (Author), 2007, Berlin's Potsdamer Platz - Planning in a local, national and global context, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/74969