An open space the size of around 400 football fields, and in a central location - but apartments are not allowed to be built there: The debate about the structural use of Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin (the former Tempelhof Airport, which has been used as an inner-city open space since 2010) is a special feature of the Berlin election campaign. In a referendum in 2014, Berliners spoke out clearly against development and in favor of completely preserving the field. But given the high rents and up to 50,000 apartments missing in Berlin, at least peripheral development is being considered again and again.
The actress Jella Haase is now also getting involved in the debate, which is also the topic of the current election campaign (the new House of Representatives will be elected on September 20th). The 33-year-old - a native of Berlin - published a plea ("Save the Tempelhofer Feld!") on her Instagram page for the complete preservation of the open space: "Anyone who knows the field knows how absolutely unique the feeling is to stand there and have room to breathe in a crowded city! Here everyone can come together peacefully and recover from everyday life together in nature."
The “right to clean air in dirty cities” is a “fundamental right,” said the actress, who became known for the film “Fack ju Göthe”. It breaks her heart, Haase continued, “that a freely accessible, democratically organized place in Berlin that belongs to everyone will soon be turned into the backyard of a few.” The 33-year-old did not accept the argument of urgently needed living space. Instead, she claims: “There will be no cheap rents here; the proposal is to build a billion-dollar project here, which will result in overpriced condominiums and speculative properties.” The fact that building on this area could solve Berlin's housing shortage, as the state government says, is "just such a blatant lie," criticized Haase.
Jella Haase posted a video that appeared to have been produced as a team effort and shows her and others relaxing or cycling on Tempelhofer Feld. After just under a week, the clip has already collected 68,000 hearts on Instagram. There is a lot of positive feedback in the comments, but there is also some headwind: "I don't check, does Berlin need living space now or not?" asks one user, while another comments: "Is that absurd... nobody wants to build on the whole field."
The Left and the CDU are still fighting for first place among voters
And these are the positions of the Berlin parties on the topic: The CDU is in favor of developing the edge of Tempelhofer Feld and is relying on several thousand new apartments as well as faster planning and approval procedures to create additional living space.
The SPD fundamentally supports partial development of the field edge for housing, but insists on a high proportion of subsidized and state-owned apartments. The Greens reject any development and want to completely preserve the area in its current form.
The Left also does not want the field to be developed and is calling for municipal housing to be built elsewhere. The AfD basically wants more housing construction in Berlin. The party is also open to developing the area near Tempelhofer Feld.
According to current surveys, the Left and the CDU are in a neck-and-neck race for election victory. Surveys show the CDU between 20 and 21 percent and the Left between 20 and 23 percent. The AfD could end up in third place with up to 18 percent - ahead of the Greens in fourth place with 16 percent. The SPD has ten to twelve percent, the BSW could be tight, the FDP is likely to fail at the five percent hurdle.
