Vision Berlin-Brandenburg 2070

Concept

Looking back at the urban visions formulated over the past century, one might think the future can be mapped out decades in advance. Axial grids are drawn, development zones allocated and filled with perimeter blocks. Satellite towns are outlined, high-rise clusters designated. Research hubs are identified, new transport systems anticipated. 

These visions often resemble science fiction – somewhere between Jules Verne and utopian projection. At times, they extrapolate from the present (“the stone city – the Western European model”), at others, they imagine complete rupture (“no more cars, drone mobility – cities will dissolve…”). 

In our view, neither approach meaningfully engages with what Berlin might be in 50 or 100 years. Nor do they adequately reflect the complex dynamics of urban development. Rather, they mirror the concerns and aspirations of their own time – more trend than foresight. In response, we set ourselves a different task: not to extend axes or define construction zones, but to question what a vision for the city can and should be. 

As part of the Berlin-Brandenburg 2070 Vision Competition, we developed an alternative narrative. One that doesn’t claim to predict the future, but instead sketches what Berlin and Brandenburg could become. A narrative that opens up possibilities—without fixing outcomes.