On Tempelhofer Feld

Tempelhofer Feld, the former inner-city airport of Berlin, has for several years been the stage for an ongoing contestation at all levels of society. The question of what to do with such an immense open space of four square kilometers in the middle of the city has unleashed an unprecedented chain of actions and reactions. On Tempelhofer Feld does not formulate yet another alternative design for the field. Instead, it searches for a nuanced and multilayered interpretation by means of a photographic documentation of the site and conversations with academics and spatial professionals. By going through the field’s recent history, situating it in the context of Berlin’s turbulent past, laying out the socio-demographic situation of the surrounding neighborhoods, focusing on urban development, and discussing master plans that “weren’t meant to be,” On Tempelhofer Feld reflects on the interaction between spatial practice and pressing societal concerns.