Berlin is a vibrant city with low living costs, good job prospects and easily obtainable work permits for foreigners, in an international comparison. This acts as the perfect attraction for expats from all over the world. Well educated Europeans in particular, now moving to Berlin, are a major driver of growth. Today, nearly one out of five is a foreigner and over 39.000 students from all over the world study at universities in Berlin. The internationalisation started long before: In 1955 Germany and Italy signed the first recruitment-agreement for migrant workers and similar followed with Turkey and Greece. This brought hundreds of thousands of valuable workers in times of economic boom. Today, foreign communities add to the cultural and especially culinary value of the city.
The majority of German universities are tuition free. In contrast to other countries, only one-third of all students end their studies in debt.
Recruitment-agreements in the 1950’s and 60’s helped Germany build up a multinational workforce.
English, as a business language, is highly beneficial for international teams — also when you need to order a chai latte.
The Döner Kebab has become a fundamental pillar of the city’s cultural identity.
The lax enforcement against the illegal use of empty lots in Berlin opened up space for artists and musicians. In dark corners, old fabric halls and abandoned basements a club scene grew. Today, Berlin is world famous for dark techno and lax drug policies. The party easily lasts throughout the whole weekend and the club won't be abandoned till Monday morning. But before hitting the dance floor Berliners enjoy pre-drinks in one of Berlin’s famous Spätis. These late-night shops are open around the clock, stacked with beer and tobacco and often provide benches for immediate consumption. If you make it past the bouncer, the night is yours to roam.
Don’t regulate opening hours of clubs and bars. There is no limit.
Unhalted. La Dolce Vita flows through the city like a wave of pure emotion.
Don't worry, just put it in your pockets.
Like Lady Justice the Späti does not judge you by appearance or status.
Bumm bumm tzz bumm bumm tzz.
Berlin, German capital and political centre, seat of parliament and government, of institutions and organisations, international city of encounters and culture, media city, place of German, European and international history. Berlin, centre of attraction for visitors from Germany and all over the world. More than 180 museums, large exhibitions, music events, but also countless pop culture events like Venus Berlin, first of May vandalism or any of the glorious events at Messe Nord/ICC put Berlin on the map.
Berlins museums exhibit a huge collection of stolen attractions like the impressive gate of Babylon.
Nobody thought Bonn could get even more boring.
Germany is currently one of the international front-runners. Let's see how the next election goes.
It’s not a joke, it’s the right to make one.
Green urban areas make up for noise and air pollution and help to balance the urban temperature. 34,3% of Berlins area are public green spaces, even 59% when including privately owned green spaces. 2,500 public parks offer places of retreat to the population. The Tempelhofer Feld is one of the cities most acclaimed green spaces, it is among the biggest inner city parks worldwide and outranks the Central Park in New York. There have been several plans to develop the area ever since it stopped acting as an airport. 2014 a majority accepted a referendum on Tempelhofer Feld to keep the park undeveloped. Since this day hipsters and young families patrol happily over the old Wehrmacht airport.
Trust your inhabitants rather than controlling them. Let the hippies run loose.
On average there are 8 trees per kilometer. And on average two in front of your window.
Parks and gardens, city squares and green spaces of different sizes and design qualities from different eras characterise the image of your city.
A lost shoe or old mattress makes every street feel like home.
S-Bahn Berlin covers 15 lines on a 330 kilometer long regional network with almost 170 train stations. The so-called Ringbahn circles the city centre in approximately 60 minutes (equals 6 beers on average). With its 10 lines, the U-Bahn Berlin runs along a network of 173 stations. There are 300 bus lines connecting the suburbs with the central city, S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations, during daytime. M11 to M85 run 24 hours a day, seven days a week in ten minute intervals. Night buses operate all night and replace the main U-Bahn connections during non-operating ours. This vast network creates a near perfect opportunity to skip the car. But beware to meet the Kontrollettis if you skip the ticket — BVG's paid thugs.
All subways run through the night on weekends allowing the party scene to thrive. During weekdays the subway is replaced by a night bus.
61,27% of Berlin’s underground network is accessible to wheelchair users. In Paris only the M14 is accessible for wheelchair users, which equals to 2,98%.
Instead of investing millions into your infrastructure, just hire us to rebrand your mediocre service.
80% of Berliners have a public transport station within 5 minutes walking distance. 20% don't.
Delays and weird people you meet in public transport are a great conversation starter at work.
Ever since the reunion of East and West Berlin, a lot of prominent spaces have been neglected by investors or were left untouched by the state. Artist collectives, nightclubs, and left-wing political groups took up residence, marking the city's foreign appeal, as open-minded, artsy and rebellious. Even though land prices are rising to unknown heights and squatted houses continue to disappear, alternative housing projects are still something that can be found in the streets of Berlin.
§13 of the German Constitution guarantees the inviolability of the home. Only a pipe bursting or a fire would leave a tenant helpless. But that is due to the force of nature right?
Sell the city-owned plots in a time of need to seek core investments of global companies. A deal that certainly comes with a low risk of blowing up in your face.
Centralized cities are just so limited. Ever tried monogamy? It sucks.
Freedom needs air and not every squatted house needs to be cleared. Alternative projects create value for the whole neighbourhood.
Berlin struggled a lot. After its near-total destruction in 1945, it lost 30% of its population and was only partly rebuilt. 1961 the cold war split east and west and manifested in the Berlin wall, that separated friends and families for decades. In the 80s West Berlin became an island of freedom, excluded from the rest of Germany. A vibrant art community flourished, as living in Berlin counted as war service inhabitants were omitted from compulsory military service. After the reunification in 1990, the now unleashed culture of East Berlin joined with the west in a trance of love. The vast amount of vacant warehouses gave space to the newly liberated — dancing to techno. And they still do.
Nothing can be more refreshing than a new start.
Do you fancy a wall? Don’t worry, you can reunite later and commercialise the whole story.
With our proven toolset and process our designers, planners and architects will help you with the transformation process. B-Lab has been reinventing various cities and urban areas around the world for decades. We are a team of urban future experts with more than 20 years of experience shaping social change. No other intention guides our process except to offer the best possible support in creating the most profitable vision of what is to become.