A 600 meter long section of the Hallesches Ufer on the Landwehr Canal in Berlin-Kreuzberg is to be converted into a promenade for pedestrians and cyclists. The “blue-green promenade on Hallesches Ufer” project is being funded with almost three million euros as the “National Urban Development Project 2022”. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of Building on Thursday morning.

According to the district office, the section is between Köthener Straße and Möckernstraße – i.e. between Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Park and Möckernbrücke.

The shore “is to be remodeled for pedestrian and bicycle-friendly use. The federal program for national urban development projects is providing funding of 2.95 million euros for this,” said Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD).

The member of the Bundestag for Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain-Prenzlauer Berg Ost and parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Building also referred to an inspection order for the project, which the district assembly (BVV) resolved in June 2021.

In it, the district office was commissioned to examine “to what extent the “north side of the Hallesches Ufer can be redesigned as a car-free park promenade by shifting traffic to the south side of the Landwehr Canal” (at that time still between Wilhelm and Lindenstraße).

In addition to relocating car traffic, the test also involved the partial unsealing of the north side of the bank: the blue-green park promenade for pedestrians and cyclists is to be created there. There are also plans to stay by the water, for example seating such as benches.

In all measures, the involvement of local residents, coordination with the BVG (“to take the bus routes into account”) and the redesign of the area for the new location of the Berlin Central and State Library should be taken into account.

The project is part of the potential analysis “More green for Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg” prepared by the district office in December 2019, which shows strategies and measures for greening the entire district.

District Mayor Clara Herrmann commented on the announcement by the Federal Building Ministry: “I am pleased that our project is being funded as a national urban development project and that we can show how our cities should look everywhere in the future. Many thanks to the federal government for this support.”

The climate crisis can be felt strongly in the city center: “Heat and drought have serious consequences in the densely populated district. We therefore urgently need to rebuild the city in a climate-resilient manner, unseal it and continue to advance the mobility transition.”

The Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building has selected a total of 18 “National Urban Development Projects 2022”, which will be funded with a total of around 75 million euros. 79 communities across Germany had applied.

Within the framework of the federal program, projects with “particular national visibility”, “very high technical quality” or “with high innovation potential” are funded. In recent years, among other things, the outside staircase at the Humboldt Forum and the realization of a test section of the cycle track on and under the U1 in Kreuzberg have been funded.