We managed to convince the district of Neukölln not to approve the development plan for the Emmaus Forest site. But now the Senate has taken over the procedure. Building Senator Christian Gaebler (SPD) reaffirmed in the Morgenpost that he would rather grant VONOVIA its condominiums than protect the Emmaus Forest ecosystem.
Read more
We therefore call on you: write letters and emails to Mr Gaebler and the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing, and call them! Make it clear that you consider the preservation of the Emmaus Forest important and that development must be averted at all costs!
Contact details for Mr Gaebler and the Senate Department:
Email: post@senstadt.berlin.de
Phone: (030) 90139-3000
Mail: Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen, attn. Christian Gaebler, Württembergische Straße 6, 10707 Berlin
Here is a sample text you can send to Mr Gaebler (summary of the German original):
Mr Gaebler, stop the development plans for the Emmaus Forest!
Nearly 15,000 supporters of our initiative demand the preservation of the Emmaus Forest as the largest forest in the district of Neukölln and the only forest in this part of the city. The Left, Greens, SPD and CDU in the Neukölln district assembly (BVV) have also spoken out against the planned development under plan XIV-286a. Respect this clear position and stand up for the preservation of the Emmaus Forest!
The 3.8-hectare part of the former Emmaus cemetery that we call the “EmmausWald” has developed over recent decades into an ecosystem that serves as a cold-air corridor during hot summers and stores precious rainwater while drought has long taken hold in other parks. The forest is already a place where city children experience nature and a place of calm for the whole neighbourhood. It is habitat for endangered birds, insects, hedgehogs, squirrels and foxes – all in an area marked by the lowest level of environmental justice.
Of course Berlin needs housing. But the place and type of new construction must be carefully considered. Neukölln is already burdened by traffic noise, air pollution, heat and drought, and is considered “extremely poor in forest” (Berlin Forestry Authority). The forestry authority made clear in its statement: “The loss of this forest area would likely have a particularly negative impact on the urban climate.” Developing the Emmaus Forest and clearing most of its area would effectively destroy the ecosystem. Whether the few “avenue trees” BUWOG wants to leave standing would even survive the immense intervention in their environment (including groundwater lowering) is unclear. What is certain is that the existing ecosystem would be destroyed.
BUWOG plans condominiums because they yield the greatest possible profit. For us citizens of Berlin, facing a housing shortage and rent crisis, these apartments would bring no improvement. For almost a year, 54 high-priced apartments have stood empty in the “Wohnpark St. Marien” opposite the Emmaus Forest. Our neighbourhood has no need for apartments at 23–26 €/sqm cold rent. Finally push forward affordable housing on the brownfield next to the Emmaus Forest. If BUWOG is not willing: public-interest investors and cooperatives are!
When it comes to new construction in our neighbourhood, consider the many already sealed surfaces such as (unused) parking lots, brownfields and commercial areas. NABU Berlin has identified many potential building sites in its study that are ecologically far better suited for housing than the Emmaus Forest with its important functions.
Do not let yourself be harnessed to the cart of the real estate lobby – remember to whom you are accountable: the people of Berlin! We need the Emmaus Forest!
Almost daily we read and hear in the news about the negative effects of climate change. Berlin, too, will have to change rapidly in the coming years to become climate-resilient. We welcome approaches such as the “sponge city” and the restoration law that requires Berlin to increase urban greenery by 5% by 2050. Do not torpedo these approaches by destroying a mature ecosystem! Its function cannot be replaced by a few newly planted street trees! Protect the Emmaus Forest!