On 11 January 2013, the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment presented the draft of the new Urban Development Plan (StEP) Housing. The plan responds to growing housing pressure in the capital and defines where construction is to take place over the next twelve years.
The numbers at a glance
Across 25 individual projects, approximately 38,000 new apartments are to be built across Berlin. The projects are spread across the entire city and staggered in time. Smaller schemes such as Gleisdreieck, Oberspree, Karlshorst and Johannisthal/Adlershof are to be completed by 2016. The bulk of construction activity is scheduled for the period between 2017 and 2025.
The smallest project comprises 430 units in Spreestadt Charlottenburg. The most controversial: 4,700 apartments on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld, which are already facing opposition from citizens' groups.
The largest project locations
According to the Senate, the largest development sites by area are at Oberspree, in Lichterfelde Süd, in Buch, at Gleisdreieck and in the historic centre around Alexanderplatz. These projects will not only create new apartments but also change the infrastructure and character of entire neighbourhoods. How market trends develop in these areas, however, depends on whether the projects are actually realised.
Still a draft
At the time of its presentation, the StEP Housing is a draft that may still change during the consultation process. The Senate is therefore holding back on details about individual sites. The plan is due to be adopted in 2013. For owners of neighbouring existing properties and for investors who want to evaluate locations early, it is worth looking at the borough data for Mitte and Lichtenberg, where several of the planned projects are located.
