From Kiezblock Planning to Urban Life: Urban Vibrancy in Bergmannkiez
Authors
Möller, Caroline Marie ; Joos, Joy Alina
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-03
Abstract
This thesis investigates how the concept of urban vibrancy is understood and implemented within neighbourhood-based planning approaches, using the Bergmannkiez in Berlin as a qualitative single-case study. Contemporary models such as the 15-minute city, Superblocks and Kiezblocks aim to reduce car traffic and reframe streets from mere transport corridors into multifunctional public spaces, yet they often remain strongly mobility-focused. The project therefore asks whether urban vibrancy is explicitly addressed as an independent planning objective or mainly treated as an assumed side-effect of traffic interventions. The analysis applies a theoretical framework structured around four dimensions of vibrancy: social interaction and public space, physical space and design, functional and economic diversity, and identity and emotional well-being. Empirically, the study combines planning document analysis, semi-structured expert interviews, street-intercept interviews with residents, and systematic on-site observations. The findings indicate that Bergmannkiez was already vibrant before traffic-calming measures were implemented, suggesting that urban vibrancy develops over time through historical and social processes and cannot be produced solely through top-down planning. While traffic reduction plays a central role in the transformation, it is primarily prioritised because it is easier to measure, fund and communicate politically than broader, more diffuse objectives related to vibrancy and everyday urban quality. The thesis concludes that traffic-calming can be an important starting point for creating more liveable neighbourhoods, but that urban vibrancy must be consciously and directly incorporated into planning through targeted measures that foster social encounters, spatial quality, diversity and local identity, rather than being presumed to emerge automatically from mobility-focused interventions.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan begrebet urban livlighed forstås og omsættes i kvartersbaserede planlægningsindsatser med udgangspunkt i Bergmannkiez i Berlin. Udviklingstendenser som 15-minuttersbyen, Superblocks og Kiezblocks søger at reducere biltrafik og omforme gader fra rene transportkorridorer til multifunktionelle offentlige rum, men fokuserer ofte primært på mobilitet. Projektet problematiserer, om urban livlighed i denne sammenhæng formuleres som et selvstændigt planlægningsmål eller blot opfattes som en forventet sideeffekt af trafikale tiltag. Med en kvalitativ enkeltcasestudie-tilgang analyseres Kiezblock-initiativet i Bergmannkiez gennem et teoretisk rammeværk bestående af fire dimensioner: social interaktion og offentlige rum, fysisk rum og design, funktionel og økonomisk diversitet samt identitet og følelsesmæssigt velbefindende. Empirisk bygger studiet på dokumentanalyse af planlægningsmateriale, semistrukturerede ekspertinterviews, kortere gadeinterviews med beboere og systematiske observationer på stedet. Resultaterne viser, at Bergmannkiez allerede var et livligt kvarter før de trafikale omdannelser, og peger på, at urban livlighed udvikles historisk og ikke kan skabes udelukkende gennem topstyret planlægning. Trafikdæmpning fremstår som en central drivkraft, men prioriteres især, fordi den er lettere at måle, finansiere og kommunikere politisk end bredere mål for livlighed og hverdagskvalitet. Specialet konkluderer, at trafiksanering kan være et vigtigt udgangspunkt for mere levende kvarterer, men at urban livlighed bør adresseres eksplicit gennem konkrete planlægningsgreb, der aktivt styrker sociale møder, rumlig kvalitet, diversitet og lokal identitet frem for at antages at opstå automatisk som følge af mobilitetsorienterede indsatser.
[This abstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]