Archive: The Capital City of Berlin - Documentation

The previous chapters have already sketched the way: the capital resolution creates political clarity and the goals are established for the accommodation of the constitutional authorities in an organised, urban-constructional development. After this there is the decision for the legal procedure of construction planning, known as "Development Measure". This instrument allows the desired goals to be quickly and effectively realised. Urban-constructional and architectural competitions are announced in order to be able to find the optimal solution amongst a variety of approaches.

But the plans are by no means completed at this point. The conditions necessary for building are now created in further steps:

1. The urban-constructional and legal frameworks are defined by local plans.
2. Each individual piece of property is tested to see if is available or how it can be made available.
3. The underground must be appropriately prepared for all building activities and infrastructural measures.
4. Demolition measures are necessary in various places in the area of development. This means tearing down existing buildings in order to clear the building area.
5. In some cases operations must be shifted and residents "moved".
6. The process is accompanied by a permanent actualisation of the measures being taken and time plans.