Urban Option Areas

study on the investigation of puplicly owned left over properties

"Urban Option Areas" - this is the name of a new study on the topic of public welfare-oriented real estate policy in Berlin, which was prepared by raumlaborberlin and the Studio Commissioner for Berlin with the support of the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing.

The present study on the investigation of puplicly owned left over properties for the implementation of innovative uses is a continuation of the discussions of the Round Table on Real Estate Policy and the result of the urban policy commitment of Katalin Gennburg (Die LINKE). The study was prepared by raumlaborberlin and the studio commissioner at the kulturwerk of the bbk berlin. It is a continuation of the joint publications ArtCityLab 1 and 2. The aim of the study Urban Option Areas is to develop new areas for uses oriented towards the common good (for art, culture, but also social, educational and special housing). At the centre of the study is a transparent and sustainable approach to Berlin's properties. One result of the study is the changed view of Berlin's real estate and urban development policy on properties beyond a primarily economic exploitation logic. This new view manifests itself in the introduction of the concept of Urban Option Areas as a way to tap future spatial potential in the city and to sensitise real estate policy to sustainable and innovative uses in order to open up broader perspectives in the development of urban areas. In the context of a development that is designed for ecological transformation and social sustainability, Urban Option Areas constitute a new concept for the support of a common good-oriented production of space.

Urban Option Areas are the result of a comprehensive evaluation process of municipal properties, which transfers state-owned properties into public welfare-oriented uses on a case-by-case basis. The search for urban option sites requires a targeted approach in the exploration of state-owned properties and demands a consistent expansion of the operational possibilities for evaluation and allocation. The consistent adoption of the user perspective in the development of sites, even outside of established processes and procedures, enables the adaptation of unused properties. For Berlin, Urban Option Areas are an alternative instrument for the sustainable acquisition and use of urban space, an upcycling of land.