Berlin, 20 February 2025: An important milestone has been reached with the conclusion of public participation in the development plan process for Quartier Am Humboldthain (QAH). From 16 December 2024 to 24 January 2025, public participation in the urban land-use planning for the Quartier am Humboldthain took place. At the same time, the joint participation of the responsible bodies took place from 6 December 2024. The parallel participation process is a first in the Berlin-Mitte district and emphasises the aim of completing the development plan process efficiently and with a high degree of planning certainty. Less than two years passed between the decision to draw up the development plan and its publication. The development plan is scheduled to be approved in autumn 2025.
The basis for the rapid progress in the development plan process is the early involvement and ongoing close and constructive coordination with politicians, the administration and the neighbourhood. ‘As the planning authority, the Berlin-Mitte district has provided constructive support for the project. It is an important signal that Berlin is capable of efficiently managing large-scale projects and getting them off the ground. ’, says Lutz Keßels, Managing Director of Quartier Am Humboldthain GmbH. ‘For us, it shows that ambitious projects with an impact beyond Berlin can be realised through trusting cooperation with the district and the state of Berlin,’ adds Dr Markus Vogel, Managing Director of development partner BÜRO DR. VOGEL GMBH.
A look at the statistics for Berlin illustrates the dynamics of the process: according to initial analyses of 679 development plans, there has been no process of comparable size and importance in the past 15 years that has gone from preparation to public consultation in just 22 months.
The current progress in the development plan process shows that projects with city-wide significance can be planned and realised through integrated cooperation between the public and private sectors. The next steps up to the finalisation of the development plan will continue to be closely coordinated with the Berlin administration.
The Quartier Am Humboldthain is embedded in the Humboldthain Technology Park, the most central of Berlin’s eleven future locations, and will be developed architecturally and urbanistically in the context of the city as a whole. On around 235,000 m², the QAH will be home to a primarily commercial, open mix of uses for science, laboratories, offices and production in a flexible structure. Sustainability plays a central role in the development of the future quarter. This is reflected in the DGNB Platinum pre-certification at neighbourhood level.
