Nevertheless, even the individual projects had to havesome common ground and, therefore, twelve basic principles of careful urbanrenewal in Berlin-Kreuzberg were fixed after an intensive discussion processwith the people from the area. In 1982/83 these guidelines were approved by theBuilding Minister and the district parliament. The themes were mainly concernedwith planning procedures: the participation of the local residents, the broadagreement between users and planning bodies, the speed of the renewal process,the maintenance of technical standards, the ecological dimension, publicrelations matters, the social dimension , an open decision making, the sourcesof funding. These topics especially applied to the Kreuzberg district.

Berlin-Kreuzberg is a densely populated district offormer West Berlin. Especially the area along the Wall, the former border lineto East Berlin, had been characterised by the existence of old buildingstructure and poor housing standards. Before the fall of the Wall in 1989 theso-called SO36 (a part of the Kreuzberg district named after the old pre-warpost code) had been threatened by demolition plans in order to build newexpensive houses and a new motorway by-pass. However, in the second half of the1970s this policy provoked a growing protest in the district as the number ofpeople, looking for reasonable priced flats outnumbered the available emptyapartments. By 1980, the situation escalated into a squatter movement whichspread from the SO 36 (or Luisenstadt as it was also named in the 19th century)to the city as a whole. In that process empty tenement buildings were occupied,roofs and apartments repaired and made habitable again. Finally, the Berlingovernment was forced to stop the large-scale destruction of that part ofKreuzberg. The programme of careful urban renewal was put into practice. Theprojects should cater for the principles of constructional self-help, co-operativeself-administration, living and working in the same area as well as thereconstruction of the existing buildings at affordable costs.

The planning approach is based on an integrated system ofsmall supply networks within the block structure which comprises blocks as wellas single buildings. The scheme is intended to represent an alternative modelto the usual highly technical systems controlled from a distance. On-sitesupply, use and disposal is more suitable to stimulate the users engagement.The ecological redevelopment of a pilot project consisting of a block of oldbuildings originating from the second half of the 19th century, comprises bothextensive heat insulation measures and an experimental local area energy supplyconcept integrating gas fuel boilers with small-scale combined heat and powerstations and solar technology for part of the electricity production.

The overall co-ordination and research support onecological projects was administered by the urban renewal company S.T.E.R.N.which has the responsibility for the whole area (Block 103 and Block 104). Thesingle ecological produce was planned and implemented by STATTBAU. STATTBAUacted on behalf of local people and was found in 1983 as an alternativeadministrative body for reconstruction. The houses were refurbished at theinitiative of the former squatters and local professionals. The projectincorporated not only ecological aspects but the typical demands for self-determination and low rents as well. However, as the success and economicviability of innovative ecological measures depends to a large extent on theusers themselves, and on their environmental awareness and behaviour, theproject had been designed to take into account the wishes of the inhabitants.

In 1987 an agreement between STATTBAU and the BerlinMinistry for Building had been reached on an ecological pilot project for urbanrenewal which should be implemented within the framework of a joint federalprogramme by the national Ministry of Building and Berlin Land programme onexperimental housing and urban development.

Implementation

In total projects were implemented in 13 buildings with110 apartments and 20 shops the ecological measures had been planned andimplemented according the following themes:

Finance

The total funds for the Block 103 projects amounted to6,300,000 DM for investment in technical measures and planting, 2,450,000 DMfor evaluation and research support, and 575,000 DM for the optimisation ofinstallations.

Detailed figures have been published for three particularareas:

1. Rational energy use

thermal insulation 900,000 DM

heat and hot water equipment 2,850,000 DM

combined heat and power 682,000 DM

solar collectors 961,000 DM

electrical cables 251,000 DM

2. Water saving measures

Water collection system 188,000 DM

Grey water equipment 381,000 DM

3. Green areas

Courtyard greening 338,000 DM

facade greening 124,000 DM

roof greening 312,000 DM