Fourth Nature on Display As I've written earlier, Berlin is a uniquely green city - without a doubt one of the greenest large cities in the world. This green reality has arisen through a long history of enlightened city planning, high level urban ecological understanding and, rather perversely, the incredible destruction of the Second World War and the city's subsequent political division. In this posting I will write about a particularly German notion of urban green space, one that is occupying a more and more central role in the green identity of Berlin and that has arisen from Berlin's unique attributes and history. I will start with a bit of a history.
At the end of World War II Berlin found itself in an odd situation. It was a divided city, ultimately between an East German controlled East and a West German controlled West. This division separated the city not only politically, but also in terms of ecological study and practice. The universities and practitioners in the western part of the city gradually became more and more detached from those in the eastern part, especially after the wall went up. What's more, with the erection of the wall and strict travel restrictions, ecologists in the West were deprived of access to Berlin's green hinterland, the countryside surrounding Berlin, their traditional area of research. This left ecologists and natural scientists with a greatly restricted area for research and ultimately redirected a group of them to the variety of open spaces within the city itself that supported nature. Berlin had a large number of new habitats for these researchers to examine: large tracts of empty land left over from destroyed buildings (rubble fields, really) and abandoned industrial infrastructure which were gradually being recolonized by vegetation and wildlife.
At the end of World War II Berlin found itself in an odd situation. It was a divided city, ultimately between an East German controlled East and a West German controlled West. This division separated the city not only politically, but also in terms of ecological study and practice. The universities and practitioners in the western part of the city gradually became more and more detached from those in the eastern part, especially after the wall went up. What's more, with the erection of the wall and strict travel restrictions, ecologists in the West were deprived of access to Berlin's green hinterland, the countryside surrounding Berlin, their traditional area of research. This left ecologists and natural scientists with a greatly restricted area for research and ultimately redirected a group of them to the variety of open spaces within the city itself that supported nature. Berlin had a large number of new habitats for these researchers to examine: large tracts of empty land left over from destroyed buildings (rubble fields, really) and abandoned industrial infrastructure which were gradually being recolonized by vegetation and wildlife.
The old Baumgarten villa To learn about this 'new' object of ecological study, I paid a visit to Dr. Ingo Kowarik, a warm and welcoming ecology professor at Berlin's venerable Technical University, TU. I visited him at his office in the Ecological Institute of the university in the upper-class Berlin district of Steglitz. The physical appearance of the Institute, I must say, embodies much of the charm that characterizes Berlin itself today. It is not a shiny, meticulously maintained facility, but instead a lovely old, somewhat timeworn former villa. The gardens around the villa also reflect the condition of much of Berlin's green space. There are no manicured gardens, but simply an un-fussily managed yard with lawns, bushes, trees and a few flowers. It seems to benefit from a kind of benign neglect that gives it a cozy and welcoming feeling, Berliners today seem to have a view of urban nature not as something pristine and manicured but instead a bit more messy and accessible, I think.
Simplified chart from a paper by Dr. Kowarik. Dr. Kowarik acquainted me with the details of the early history of the novel urban ecosystems that have arisen on rubble fields and old industrial sites, calling them collectively 'Nature of the Fourth Kind.' This term positions these ecosystems in a conceptual framework devised by Dr. Kowarik. The framework contains four types of urban ecosystems and ranges from "Nature of the First Type' to 'Nature of the Fourth Type' as outlined in the chart above. The lower the classification number, the more 'wild' and similar an ecosystem is to the region's original, pre-human ecosystem.
Südgelände railyard in 1935 An excellent example of 'Nature of the Fourth Type' and its integration into Berlin's green infrastructure is the Natur-Park Südegelände. This park has been developed on the site of a huge abandoned railyard, previously the largest in the city. After the war and the division of the Berlin, the yard fell into disuse. Over time vegetation grew on what had once been a very inhospitable surface of gravel, cement, and rail ties. A whole ecosystem, including grasslands and groves of trees, evolved and was discovered by local environmentalist who lobbied for the site to be protected. They won their battle, and today this popular park, full of biodiversity, is one of a handful of 4th Nature protected areas in the city. More parks of this type are now planned, including one on the area of what used to be the Nordbahnhof, the North Train Station. Some may see a similarity between 4th Nature parks and the High Line Park in Manhattan. The difference is that the vegetation in 4th Nature parks sprung up naturally, without direct human involvement. It evolved on its own, creating an ecosystem over decades.
Below are some pictures from the Natur-Park Südegelände.
Professor Wiedenmann: Part of Berlin 'Ecosystem' A key lesson from my ongoing research project in many cities around the world is the incredible difference helpful local contacts make in understanding complex phenomenon, such as the urban environment. A fine example is the ecologist Dr. Gottfried Wiedenmann who works at the Natur-Park Südegelände (see picture at left). Dr. Wiedenmann generously gave me time and shared his deep knowledge of the history of Berlin's ecology and its 4th Nature sites. It transformed my thinking about this topic. It also reinforced my belief in the underlying strength and depth of Berlin's network of urban greening specialists.
The lessons of 4th Nature parks for rust-belt cities in the US, and other declining industrial cities, are great. Berlin makes me think a lot about Detroit (which in some ways resembles Berlin after the war), and I imagine there must be a huge potential for 4th Nature parks in that city.
More sharing of best practices like this are required throughout the world, but especially in the developing world where cities have limited space and resources. 4th Nature parks use abandoned land that is often unsuited for other types of development and are relatively inexpensive to develop and maintain. This is just one great innovation that I've learned about in Germany.
The lessons of 4th Nature parks for rust-belt cities in the US, and other declining industrial cities, are great. Berlin makes me think a lot about Detroit (which in some ways resembles Berlin after the war), and I imagine there must be a huge potential for 4th Nature parks in that city.
More sharing of best practices like this are required throughout the world, but especially in the developing world where cities have limited space and resources. 4th Nature parks use abandoned land that is often unsuited for other types of development and are relatively inexpensive to develop and maintain. This is just one great innovation that I've learned about in Germany.
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