Tuesday, November 18
On Monday, the Berlin Senate has presented plans to transform Friedrichstraße between Unter den Linden and Schützenstraße, removing street parking and significantly widening pavements in a bid to revitalise the struggling commercial district.
The redesign will maintain car and bicycle access with speed limits between 20-30 km/h, but redirect vehicles to underused underground car parks. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) emphasised the concept would be implemented alongside residents and business owners, though no timeline or cost estimates have been provided.
The street has been at the centre of political disputes for years. A pedestrianisation experiment between 2020-2022 was overturned by a court ruling, and a subsequent 500-metre closure by Green Transport Senator Bettina Jarasch in January 2023 sparked massive protests before being reversed by the current CDU-SPD coalition.
Friedrichstraße ranked among Germany’s ten most dangerous streets last year, recording Berlin’s highest number of traffic accidents with injuries. The area suffers from high vacancy rates and business closures, including the departure of Galeries Lafayette luxury department store in summer 2024.
The Greens praised the plan as a “welcome turn towards sensible urban development,” though noted no funding exists in current budget drafts. AfD leader Kristin Brinker criticised the lack of a comprehensive concept for the Gendarmenmarkt area and questioned whether construction would increase footfall.
