Abstract
It is a vain effort to predict political, economic, cultural, and technological developments of the future. A quick look at the past makes that clear. Nevertheless, there are challenges that we know will persist far beyond a decade or century. We are certain that the climate is changing, and we know that the weather in Brandenburg will become warmer and drier. This will affect food production and biodiversity. Structures in industry, agriculture, and energy will have to adapt to new realities, as well as landscape, water, and biosystems will be affected by these changes. Landscape of Differences suggests initiating a long-term transformation process to ensure a resilient and productive future for Brandenburg and Berlin. This transformation creates the framework in which the lives of citizens, including all their social and economic facets, can freely unfold and remain secure in the future. Starting with the Brandenburg ecosystems, it forms the basis for systemic and sustainable change and this process is reflected in four landscapes: water, energy, mobility, and city. The strategy evolves around the concept of a landscape network that suggests guiding urban and rural development. It forms a green-blue grid that emerges from unified groundwater and protection zones. The water landscape penetrates and supports the city and region. A system of green corridors of protected habitats for flora and fauna increases biodiversity. Water bodies and wetlands are further protected; monocultural large-scale agricultural areas are transformed into climate-resilient farms. These are the elements of a circular economy for sustainable, respectful yet profitable land use. Intersections of urban and water landscapes will become a new center that will emerge and grow together. Berlin-Brandenburg, nature, and city are linked to form a landscape of differences of natural and man-made spaces. The existing settlement structure is purposefully densified and transformed in a targeted manner. These hubs become the centers of tomorrow - not overstretched city outskirts, but vibrant centers with a unique quality of life - in nature and with the water. Energy networks are decentralized, solar collectors and wind turbines are integrated into the landscape where wind speed, ground conditions, topography, and settlement structure are the most efficient. The mobility focus is on the transport intermodality and polycentricity, allowing repurpose of gained space into public space. To achieve this holistic overview, a new approach is necessary. We use, what we call, digital urbanism. The method of collecting geospatial data and filtering it, to create a variety of data sets. Using GIS analysis methods and empirical knowledge in urbanism, allowed us to analyze the existing conditions of the region layering different types of information. It builds a narrative that emerges from existing structures and looks at the issues related to the Berlin-Brandenburg context. Overlapping a variety of mobility streams and transport infrastructure with energy stations and urban fabric, suggested the possible locations for a mobility hub. Combining data of the wind speed, terrain, forest cover, and land use, helped to define the most optimal locations for a wind turbine park. Finally, looking at the water protection and flooding areas, water pollution urban settlements, and existing industrial sites, suggested locations for industrial site transformations. However, the project emphasis is not only on the larger scale, regional planning but also includes three specific sites, that represent three different urban nodes within the region: high-density neighborhood in Berlin, a medium-sized town in the intersection of Berlin settlement and Brandenburg, and a rural setting - a regional park. Each of them represents a different set of tools to enable a more resilient way of living in the city and with nature.
