Karow Kreuz Klub

Europan 17 Living Cities Competition, 2023 · Winner · Berlin, Germany

Data Unfolding

We mapped the barriers fragmenting Karower Kreuz and traced how the crossing railway, the roads and sparse urban development disrupt both human connectivity and biodiversity.

Research

Nature first. We studied existing biotopes and how to connect them, identifying endangered and target species, their ecological needs, and the habitats required to attract and sustain them.

Then we analyzed the site’s spatial character and existing programs to identify what was missing from the neighborhoods and where development could activate underused or disconnected areas.

System

We organized densification in four phases:

1. additional dwelling units (ADUs) and plug-in units

2. revisiting infrastructure by planning an inhabited railway station integrating a pedestrian and cycling ring above the tracks; coupled with densified department stores

3. mixed-use development along existing urban edges

4. a green orchard deck above a tunneled section of the highway, combining landscape restoration with new housing

Application

A pilot program of additional dwelling units and plug-ins tests neighborhood densification through small-scale interventions. Residents organize as a club, with subscription tiers linking access and participation to landscape activation, habitat care and shared responsibility. Alternative ownership models, from fractional ownership to rent-to-own, offering different pathways to housing and collective stewardship.