Hello and welcome to my blog exploring the urban political ecology of Berlin. Urban political ecology (UPE) is a broad and diverse discipline that explores cultural, social, political and economic factors in ecological issues. In the context of these blog posts, it is utilised as a lens to address specific urban issues occurring in Berlin. I decided to pick Berlin for my investigation due to my interests in ‘smart approaches’ to urban issues, which involve the use of innovative information and communications technology. My visit to Germany’s capital in 2017 further inspired me to investigate further, as I witnessed the ambitious and futuristic aspects of the city.
Despite Berlin being placed at number 63 in the Schroders Global City Index, its potential to establish a global city status has been a common debate since the turn of the century [1]. However, for now it remains as a large city that bridges West and East Germany, which were two distinctly separate countries until unification in 1990. Its economy predominantly comprises of high tech firms which is ideal for public private partnerships, as well as a dominant service sector which mainly include research hubs and creative industries [2]. The political structure of Germany provides significant control to municipal states, which enables more specific governance when tackling urban issues. Its Executive body is the Senate of Berlin, comprising of the governing mayor and 8 senators [2]. The city prides itself for being number 13 in the Quality of living city rankings, which closely links to its notable reputation for having plentiful green space that can make one feel like they are in a village [3].
This blog will begin by looking at Berlin’s smart techniques to address issues concerning rainwater flooding and the management of garbage to promote sustainability. It will then investigate several other urban issues and approaches, including the hot topic of coronavirus and whether diesel cars are appropriate for Berlin. They may often refer to the term ‘metabolism’, which in the context of UPE, is a way of ascertaining the circulation of materials in, out and through the city, and is a process which closely ties in with urbanisation. The materials by which this concept can be applied to are extensive, ranging from water, air, sediment, plastic and waste. The posts will also commonly refer to the various approaches to governance, and will include supplementary videos for you to engage with and develop a greater understanding of the issues explored. Please feel free to leave any suggestions, questions or general comments below the posts.
Here are the references I used:
[2] – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin#cite_note-145
[3] – https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/Insights/quality-of-living-rankings
Urban Political Ecology UCL 