Green Gentrification in Berlin: Who Really Benefits? 

When we think about sustainability, we usually picture things like bike lanes, solar panels, community gardens, or green parks. But what if I told you that some of these “green” projects might actually be pushing people out of their neighborhoods? 

That’s what I discovered when I started learning about green gentrification — and Berlin is a perfect example of how complicated sustainability can actually be. 

Wait, What Is Green Gentrification? 

Gentrification happens when neighborhoods get “upgraded” — more investment, cleaner streets, cooler cafés — but at the same time, rents go up, and many long-time residents (often lower-income or migrant families) get priced out. 

Now mix that with sustainability. Green gentrification is when eco-friendly changes (like new parks or bike lanes) are used to attract wealthier residents, and this ends up pushing out the very communities that lived there for decades. 

In other words: the city looks greener… but becomes less fair. 

Case Study: Wrangelkiez, Kreuzberg 

Let’s start with Wrangelkiez, a district in Kreuzberg known for its diverse community, strong activist history, and vibrant street life. For many years, it was a working-class neighborhood with lots of Turkish and Arab families, artists, and students. 

But recently, there have been “green” improvements: 

• Sidewalks got redesigned with more trees 

• Eco-markets and vegan cafés started popping up 

• Rent-controlled buildings were renovated to be more “energy efficient” 

Sounds great, right? 

But at the same time, property prices skyrocketed. According to Tagesspiegel, rents in Kreuzberg rose by over 60% between 2011 and 2021. Many of the people who helped build the community culture can no longer afford to stay. I read a quote from a woman who had lived there for 25 years — she said: 

“We asked for a clean park. They gave us a Whole Foods and doubled our rent.” 

It’s like the city went green — but not for everyone. 

Tempelhofer Feld: Public Victory or Gentrification Delay? 

Now let’s talk about Tempelhofer Feld — a former airport turned into a massive open public space. It’s amazing. Locals go there to jog, picnic, fly kites, or just breathe. 

In 2014, Berlin voters rejected a government plan to build new apartments on the edge of the park, saying it would ruin the community space. At first, this was seen as a victory for people power and sustainability. 

But here’s the twist: Berlin desperately needs affordable housing. By blocking development, it made housing even more limited — and ironically helped increase rent pressure in nearby districts like Neukölln and Schöneberg. 

So even though Tempelhofer Feld is now a huge green space, the debate continues: 
Is it fair to protect the environment if it worsens the housing crisis? 
Is “green” sometimes just an excuse to avoid deeper problems? 

Who Is Green Urbanism Really For? 

This is the big question that keeps bothering me. 

Berlin has many eco-projects: 

• “Car-free” neighborhood pilots in Friedrichshain 

• Urban gardening collectives in Prenzlauer Berg 

• New energy-efficient buildings in Mitte 

But many of these are surrounded by expensive flats and high-end services. It makes me wonder: are these changes being done with the local community, or for a new one? 

Some NGOs like Kotti & Co are trying to fight this — demanding that urban sustainability includes rent controls, social housing, and real community participation. Without that, green projects might just be a rebrand of gentrification. 

What I Learned 

Writing about this opened my eyes. I always thought sustainability was automatically “good” — but now I see that it’s not that simple. Green improvements can hide deeper injustices if we don’t ask who benefits from them. 

Berlin shows that if we’re not careful, we’ll end up with beautiful, eco-friendly neighborhoods… that only the wealthy can live in. 

Sustainability isn’t just about planting trees or adding bike lanes. It’s also about protecting people, especially the ones who helped make the city what it is in the first place.