Berlin set to get new neighborhood in the far west

Plans for a new urban district in western Berlin are moving forward. (stock photo)

The Berlin Senate is moving forward with plans for the new "Stadteingang West" neighborhood, which is expected to be home to around 5,000 people in the future. This was announced by Christian Gaebler (SPD), the senator for urban development.

At least 2,400 new apartments are to be built on a site covering approximately 45 hectares in the far west of the city, between the Westkreuz and Grunewald S-Bahn stations. The Senate approved the master plan for the project at its most recent meeting.  

Freight yard as suitable site for Olympic Village

The centerpiece of the new urban district is the former Grunewald freight yard. The new construction project is to be undertaken by Howoge, the state-owned housing company. The urban district is still a long way off. According to Gaebler, further development is planned for the next ten years. The site of the former freight yard would also be an ideal location for an Olympic Village, Gaebler said - in the event that Berlin were to become the host city for the Olympic or Paralympic Games. A great deal depends on this for the further planning of the construction project. The bid for the Olympic Games could certainly inject momentum into the development, Gaebler said.

Highway planning opens up areas that were previously difficult to access

The idea is to use some of the apartments to house athletes and then rent them out later. A key factor behind the plans for the new urban district is the highway project to rebuild the Funkturm interchange (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf). This will make it possible to develop areas that have previously been difficult to access.