Tempelhofer Feld debate is back — this time the numbers may have shifted

Berlin's most politically charged development site is back on the agenda. On 20th May, a private initiative led by architects Hans Kollhoff and Tobias Nöfer presented a concrete proposal for 21,400 homes on the outer edge of Tempelhofer Feld — the former airport site that has sat as open parkland in the middle of the German capital since 2008. The plan envisages developing roughly 100 hectares around the perimeter, with the 200- hectare green core transferred permanently to a charitable foundation and protected from future development. Total investment would run to approximately €9 billion, housing around 50,000 people. Serial construction methods are proposed to keep rents affordable.

The backdrop is the 2014 referendum in which 64.3% of Berliners voted against development. That result was enshrined in the Tempelhof Act, which has blocked the site ever since. What has changed is public opinion — and the severity of the housing crisis. Berlin's rental market remains among the tightest in Germany, with advertised rents rising sharply and affordable supply contracting. A representative survey commissioned by the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, published alongside the new proposal, found that 59% of Berliners now support moderate edge development — provided the central open space is preserved. Notably, 60% of Green Party voters are in favour, alongside majorities across all other parties. "The referendum was yesterday; the housing crisis is today," said IHK President Sebastian Stietzel. "If you want affordable rents, you have to build."