TOM 11 2025

T
TOPS
M
OF THE MONTH
TOMO
RETAIL REAL ESTATE
TOPS
OF THE
MONTH
Essential News About The Players In In
The Retail Real Property Estate Market In in Germany
THE HOTTEST DEALS +++
INTERVIEWS +++ STATEMENTS
+++ PARTICULARS +++
ANALYSES +++ PROJECTS
presented by HI-HEUTE.DE
November 2025
The GRAI is currently positive. Photo: AdobeStock / HyperlapsePro
Significant upturn in
the European retail segment
Continent remains the world‘s most attractive retail market
In the third quarter of 2025,
the Global Retail Attractiveness
Index (GRAI) published
by Union Investment
and NIQ-GfK confirms the
continuing positive trend in
European retail markets. The
EU-15 region clearly leads the
global ranking ahead of North
America and the Asia-Pacific
region.
Despite a tight labor market and
varying national developments,
consumer confidence and retail
sentiment continue to rise, consolidating
Europe‘s position as
the world‘s most attractive retail
market. The EU-15 Retail Index
reached a new high of 116.6
points, underscoring the region‘s
strong performance.
The Global Retail Attractiveness
Index (GRAI), which summarizes
consumer and retail confidence,
unemployment rates, and
retail sales, shows that Europe
remains the most resilient retail
region with a score of 116.6
points, significantly outperforming
North America (97.54
points) and Asia-Pacific (96.3
points). Despite global challenges
such as inflation, labor shortages,
and fluctuating demand,
Europe is managing to maintain
stability and keep consumer loyalty
high.
„The improved sentiment in retail
investment is reflected in the
new high of the EU-15 index,
which exceeds the value from
the first quarter of 2018 for the
first time. However, developments
in Europe vary from
country to country, with differing
labor market data having a
particularly dampening effect.
For experienced asset and investment
managers, this presents
attractive opportunities for targeted
purchases and sales of retail
real estate,“ says Roman Müller,
Investment Management Retail
at Union Investment. Overall,
the GRAI shows that European
consumers remain engaged, retailer
confidence is growing in
key regions, and the retail sector
is gaining momentum – positioning
the European retail industry
not only for stability but also for
active growth in 2026.
Although the EU-wide total value
sends a clear signal of growth,
national developments paint a
differentiated and dynamic picture
within Europe. Particularly
striking is the sharp rise in consumer
confidence in Southern
and Eastern Europe, especially
in Spain (+18.2 points), Poland
(+6.6) and the Czech Republic
(+6.8). Spain has recorded the
largest increase in Europe, indicating
a recovery in household
confidence and consumer spending
after a period of stagnation.
Denmark, Finland, Austria, and
Sweden have the lowest scores
in the Retail Attractiveness Index
among the 15 markets surveyed.
Austria continues to suffer from
high inflation, while the three
Nordic countries are severely
affected by the Ukraine crisis.
With scores of 91.9 (Denmark),
95.5 (Finland), 98.6 (Austria)
and 98.9 points (Sweden), they
are well below the EU-15 average
of 116.6 points.
France, Germany, and the Czech
Republic are facing challenges.
France recorded the sharpest decline
compared to Q3/2024, with
consumer confidence falling by
10.8 points and an overall loss
of 4.1 points in the Retail Index,
reflecting ongoing macroeconomic
uncertainties. Germany
and the Czech Republic also
recorded slight declines in retailer
confidence of 1.2 and 1.4
points, respectively, compared
to the previous year. In contrast,
the United Kingdom shows the
largest improvement of all European
countries covered in the
survey, with an increase of 8.7
points in the current Retail Index.

Page 2 T O M
ANALYSES
November 2025
Germany‘s most expensive shopping streets – here Kö in Düsseldorf – are in the middle of the global rankings. Photo: Pixabay
What makes the world‘s
most expensive shopping streets
Cushman & Wakefield: Germany remains in the middle of the pack
London has climbed to a new
top position in global retail:
according to the latest retail
report “Main Streets Across
the World” by Cushman &
Wakefield, New Bond Street
is now the most expensive
shopping street in the world
for the first time. With a price
jump of 22 percent to €20,482
per square meter per year, it
overtook the previous leader,
Via Montenapoleone in Milan,
and Upper Fifth Avenue
in New York.
Robert Travers, Head of EMEA
Retail at Cushman & Wakefield,
explains: „The appeal of these
top shopping streets lies in their
unique blend of tradition, visibility,
and cultural prestige. They
are much more than just retail
space—they serve as global
stages for brand staging, architectural
expression, and emotional
customer loyalty.”
Globally, rents rose by an average
of 4.2 percent, with 58
percent of the markets analyzed
recording rental growth. In
America, the increase was 7.9
percent, led by currency effects
in South America. Europe grew
by four percent, with Budapest
and London standing out in
particular. In the Asia-Pacific
region, growth slowed to 2.1
percent.
London remains
the growth engine
In addition to New Bond Street,
London‘s Oxford Street and Regent
Street also achieved double-digit
growth. Budapest recorded
a remarkable jump with
a 33 percent increase in rents on
Fashion Street. Milan and Paris
maintained their relevance
with stable prime rents on Via
Montenapoleone (second place
worldwide) and the Champs-
Élysées (fifth place).
Munich tops the list
in Germany
Germany‘s most expensive
shopping street remains Kaufinger-/Neuhauserstraße
in Munich,
at €3,840 per square meter
per year. This puts it among the
top 20 most expensive shopping
streets worldwide (ranked
14th). Maximilianstraße is also
among the top destinations (ranked
27th), at €3,360 per square
meter per year.
Other top German locations
include Tauentzienstraße in
Berlin, Zeil in Frankfurt, Spitalerstraße
in Hamburg, and Königsallee
in Düsseldorf. Their
prime rents remained unchanged
at €3,000 per square meter
per year, which puts them in
joint 30th place in a European
comparison.
Remarkable
resilience
Andreas Siebert, Head of Retail
Germany at Cushman & Wakefield,
emphasizes: „Flagship
locations are benefiting from
robust economic growth, falling
living costs, and rising consumer
confidence. The importance
of physical retail space—especially
for emotional brand loyalty—remains
high. Our prime
locations in German cities are
showing remarkable resilience
to economic and geopolitical
uncertainties.“
Attractiveness
draws providers
The attractiveness of these locations
is underpinned by low vacancy
rates and strong interest
from national and international
providers. In the past two years,
numerous new retailers—including
Uniqlo, Muji, JD Sports,
Rituals, Lululemon, and restaurant
chains such as Pret A
Manger and Five Guys—have
expanded their presence in central
locations in German cities
or opened new stores.
Lidl has also strengthened its
strategic partnership with Galeria
and is planning new stores in
prominent city center locations
such as Hamburg and Düsseldorf.

Page 4 T O M
TOP STATEMENT OF THE MONTH November 2025
TOP STATEMENT
November
„For me, courage
means putting my
fears aside and doing
it anyway. I want to
try new things, and
I‘m willing to take a
few knocks along the
way.“
Greta Silver (77), who started
out as an interior designer,
later became a model, and is
now an important influencer
and advisor on business and
politics, in an interview with
the German trade publication
DER HANDEL.

Page 6 T O M
ANALYSES November 2025
Global trend: Luxury industry reinvents itself
Experiences replace pure status symbols in popularity
The global luxury market is
showing remarkable resilience
in 2025 – and yet there are
many signs of historic change.
With an expected total volume
of around €1.44 trillion, the industry
remains on course for
growth, according to the latest
study by Bain & Company
and Fondazione Altagamma.
But behind the stable figures
lies a new reality: luxury is increasingly
being experienced
rather than purchased.
Travel, wellness retreats, fine
dining – exclusive experiences
are becoming the new currency
of prestige. What used to be
the “it” bag or designer watch
is now an unforgettable dinner,
an extraordinary trip, or a tailormade
spa experience. Classic
status symbols are losing their
appeal, while luxury hotels,
cruises, and culinary experiences
are booming. In contrast,
the market for luxury cars is
stagnating – with the exception
of high-priced sports models,
which continue to find their loyal
clientele.
Shifting
priorities
Better to go for fine dining than the latest it bag: the luxury market is setting new priorities.
Photo: Depositphotos / Y-Boychenko
The market for personal luxury
goods will also remain constant
in 2025, with an estimated value
of 358 billion euros, but will
show a significant performance
gap. Affordable luxury, once a
growth driver, is losing momentum.
The premium segment, on
the other hand, continues to be
driven by consumers with high
purchasing power.
The jewelry industry is one of
the main winners: emotional
purchasing motives and personalized
designs make it the
most dynamic segment. The
beauty segment is experiencing
a strong upswing, particularly in
perfumes, while skin care and
makeup are suffering from increasing
polarization.
In the watch sector, the divide
continues: high-end models are
flourishing, while the resale
market is gaining momentum
due to price pressure and new
trade barriers. Fashion houses
that appeal to young and pricesensitive
buyers are growing at
an above-average rate.
Looking at the global markets,
there is a clear east-west contrast.
China and Europe are recording
declines of up to five
and three percent, respectively.
In contrast, the Middle East is
developing into the most dynamic
luxury region in the world:
with growth rates of up to six
percent, it is benefiting from rising
local purchasing power and
a flourishing tourism sector. Latin
America, Africa, India, and
Southeast Asia are also becoming
noticeably more important
for international brands.
The number of luxury consumers
is falling from 400 million
in 2022 to an estimated 340 million
in 2025. The mass market
for luxury is shrinking – and
with it the willingness to make
spontaneous purchases.
Consumers are acting more
consciously, rewarding themselves
with smaller purchases,
taking advantage of discounts,
and discovering resale as a new
option. However, constant stability
comes from the very top:
big spenders are increasing their
share of the total market to 46
to 47 percent. Their purchasing
power remains the decisive factor
for the industry.
Despite stable market volume,
luxury providers are facing
financial challenges. Falling
EBIT margins of only 15 to 16
percent are leading to significant
losses in value. Brands
are responding with strategic
realignments: they are tapping
into new price segments, investing
in gastronomy, wellness,
and hospitality, and increasingly
relying on digital channels to reach
consumers in an emotional
and targeted manner.
Ethics
and emotions
What will define luxury tomorrow?
According to the study,
the brands that combine experiences,
ethics, and emotion in
their core promise will be the
winners.
Exclusivity alone is no longer
enough—responsibility, proximity
to the target group, and
technological excellence are
what is needed. In a world where
ownership is losing its significance,
a new understanding of
luxury is emerging: one that is
less about what‘s on the shelf
and more about what moves
people, connects them, and
stays in their memories.
T
TOPS
O M
OF THE MONTH
TOM
TOPS
OPS F THE ONTH
OF THE
RETAIL REAL ESTATE
Essential News About The Players In In
The Retail Real Property Estate Market In in Germany
IMPRINT
MONTH
Publisher:
Business News Group GmbH
Address:
Alexanderstraße 16
45130 Essen
Germany
Tel. 0049-201-874 55 28
Web: www.hi-heute.de
Mail: tom@hi-heute.de
Frequency of publication:
monthly
Circulation: approx. 5000 copies
sent by e-mail
Editorial team: Susanne Müller,
Thorsten Müller
Responsible in terms of press
law: Thorsten Müller
Layout: K4-PR, Essen
THE HO
INTERVI
+++ PAR
ANALYS
present
Marc

URBAN CREATORS.
Architecture | Development & Project Management
European Council of Shopping Places (ECSP) Awards: Commendation for Best Renovation/Expansion for centres between 15.000 – 45.000 sqm

Page 8 T O M
ANALYSES November 2025
Food retail remains stable and strong growth
Latest HABONA report once again highlights individual asset classes in retail
According to the recently published
Habona Report 2026,
the German retail sector –
and with it the retail real estate
market – is undergoing
its most profound structural
change in decades. While nonfood
formats are suffering
from online and price pressure,
brick-and-mortar food
retail is proving to be a stable,
high-growth segment that is
resistant to online competition.
The growth of the entire German
retail sector over the last 25
years has been driven primarily
by brick-and-mortar food retail,
while brick-and-mortar nonfood
retail, and fashion in particular,
have been affected by
significant declines in sales in
some cases. Food retail in Germany
has seen additional sales
of around €120 billion, while
brick-and-mortar non-food retail
has lost over €40 billion.
„Food retail is the most attactive
sector for investment among
all types of retail real estate,”
says Johannes Palla of Habona
Invest, publisher of the annual
report. „It offers stable, predictable
cash flows based on food
sales that are largely independent
of economic cycles.”
More space, higher
margins
„Food retail has evolved from
a low-margin basic supply
segment to a high-yield, quality-driven
business model.
This also benefits real estate
– through higher space productivity
and more robust rental income,”
says Palla. In fact, space
productivity in brick-and-mortar
food retail rose by almost 40
percent between 2013 and 2024.
In the non-food segment, however,
it declined significantly
by over ten percent during the
same period. This development
is driven by changing consumer
behavior: when it comes
to food, consumers are increasingly
demanding high-quality,
often higher-priced products,
such as regionality, freshness,
and convenience. In the fashion
sector, on the other hand, the
trend is more toward fast and
ultra-fast fashion. This means
more online purchases, shorter
product cycles, and high price
Food-anchored properties remain an attractive segment for investment. Photo: AdobeStock / Drazen
pressure—and thus lower overall
spending per square meter of
retail space than in food retail.
Despite the effects of the pandemic,
the online share of food
sales remains at only around
two percent. „Germany has a
very dense infrastructure of
food markets, so that brick-andmortar
shopping offers quick
satisfaction of needs with a high
degree of convenience – a clear
locational advantage over e-
food offerings,” says Palla.
Profits in the
surrounding area
For years, people have been moving
out of large cities to the surrounding
areas and rural regions
– and with them, the purchasing
power for food. Between 2019
and 2024, the purchasing power
for food in rural areas rose by
around 27 percent, and in urban
areas by around 20 percent.
This benefits local suppliers and
food retail locations in surrounding
communities as well as in
medium-sized and small towns
in particular. „An aging society,
increasing demands for short
distances, and the shift of the
middle class to the periphery
make local supply properties
in the surrounding areas attractive,”
says Johannes Palla, explaining
this development.
Shopping centers
in transition
Traditional shopping center
concepts with a high proportion
of fashion stores are no longer
working in many places. Instead,
food, restaurants, food hall
concepts, and services are gaining
in importance. In many
centers today, a supermarket is
the central anchor tenant. The
increase in food sales is mainly
due to the repurposing of former
fashion retail space. „Opportunities
are opening up for investors
where shopping centers can
be developed into locations with
a strong focus on food, a high
quality of stay, and an attractive
mix of uses,” says Palla.
Bundle
of experiences
In the seven largest cities, inner-city
footfall has largely normalized
and is already back to
2019 levels. At the same time,
consumer behavior has changed
significantly: city centers are
less frequented for pure shopping
and more for a bundle of
experiences – gastronomy, culture,
services, and everyday errands.
High-street locations and
trophy buildings in the top metropolises
are benefiting most
from this.
The situation is different in
many small and medium-sized
towns, where the decline in
brick-and-mortar fashion retail
is having a particularly strong
impact. With the withdrawal of
fashion chains, city centers are
losing a key tenant group, leading
to vacancies and declining
attractiveness of entire locations.
Increased food
quotas in FMZ
Retail parks have significantly
expanded their sales space in
recent years. Retail parks with
a high proportion of food stores
are particularly successful: during
the pandemic, they benefited
from their role as reliable
supply locations, with many
customers remaining loyal to
these locations and now increasingly
taking advantage of
the non-food offerings as well.
Newer retail parks have aboveaverage
food quotas, and some
smaller properties have established
themselves as fully-fledged
local supply centers.

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Page 10 T O M
ANALYSES November 2025
The German Trade Association (HDE) has examined the retail trade in fresh food. Photo: AdobeStock / Kzenon
Food retailers serve
50 million customers per day
Negotiating partners are mostly large agricultural companies
With more than 36,000 stores
and over a million employees,
the food retail sector in Germany
plays an important
role in supplying the population
with fresh food across
the country. The industry has
50 million customer contacts
per day. This is shown by the
latest HDE retail report on
fresh food.
At the same time, the data from
the study makes it clear that the
influence of the food trade on
pricing in supply chains is not
as great as is often assumed.
This is because the trade‘s negotiating
partners are usually
not individual farmers, but
highly concentrated large agricultural
enterprises. The flow of
goods in the fresh food sector is
primarily influenced by exports
and thus by world markets.
Global market is
the biggest
influencing factor
„The direct economic link between
domestic agriculture and
food retail in Germany is manageable.
The most important
influencing factors for farmers
and the prices of their products
are the global market and the
processing industry. The fairy
tale of retailers pushing down
farmers‘ prices is over. It is a
myth that does not stand up
to the facts,“ says HDE CEO
Stefan Genth. The HDE retail
report shows that, for example,
only 23 percent of fresh pork is
distributed through food retailers,
and only 12 percent of milk
ends up on retail shelves as drinking
milk. A total of 48 percent
of German agricultural production
goes to fresh foods such as
fruit, vegetables, potatoes, meat,
eggs, and milk for export alone.
„Food prices are determined in
complex negotiations between
all players in the supply chain
and as a result of supply and demand
on the world markets. Climate
change also has a massive
impact on harvest volumes time
and again,” Genth continued.
Exports influence
opportunities
Agricultural products usually
go from farmers to intermediate
stages such as slaughterhouses
or dairies. Global markets
also play a major role. “If, for
example, China suddenly stops
importing German pork, this
creates an oversupply and prices
fall. Exports, with their volatile
conditions, have a massive impact
on farmers‘ earning potential,”
said Genth.
Market-strong
corporations
„Food retail in Germany occupies
an important but not dominant
position in the value chain.
Other players are at least as important
for agriculture. At the
level of the food industry, retailers
are confronted with very
market-strong, often multinational
food corporations,” Genth
continues.

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Page 12 T O M
GUEST CONTRIBUTION November 2025
Rental guarantees –
helpful, but not a comprehensive solution
Guest article by Dr. Rainer Burbulla and Johanna Westermeyer (Langguth & Burbulla law firm)
There have been initial signs
of a “revival” in the transaction
business recently. This
has given “old” legal institutions
a new significance. This
applies in particular to rental
guarantees.
It is not uncommon for not all
of the space in the building to
be constructed (project development)
or in an existing building
to be leased at the time the property
purchase agreement is
concluded. However, when concluding
the purchase agreement,
it is of primary importance to a
buyer that the property is leased
as completely as possible, on a
long-term basis, and preferably
to tenants with strong credit ratings.
If the project developer
or portfolio holder wants to sell
a (commercial) property and
cannot substantiate their asking
price with rental agreements,
they must either accept a reduction
in the purchase price or
cover the rental risk themselves
in the medium term. In the latter
case, they then assume a rental
guarantee.
Different types of rental
guarantees
In practice, different types of
rental guarantees are used:
• Rental guarantee: The comprehensive
rental guarantee includes
a “rental income or rent
payment guarantee” for rental
income and against rent losses.
Under this guarantee, the rental
guarantor guarantees, within
the framework of an independent
guarantee promise, to pay
monthly or annual rent and (if
applicable) ancillary income
for the guaranteed rental space,
regardless of whether it is rented
or not. The comprehensive
rental guarantee thus protects
the buyer against rent and tenant
defaults and, above all, protects
them in the event of the tenant‘s
insolvency.
• Sample wording:
1. The seller guarantees the buyer,
within the framework of an
independent guarantee promise,
a monthly rent of at least ...
euros basic rent per m² of rental
space, i.e. a total of at least ...
euros, plus the operating and ancillary
costs that can be passed
on to the tenant, but at least ...
Dr. Rainer Burbulla and Johanna Westermeyer (Langguth & Burbulla
law form, Dusseldorf
Photo montage: Langguth & Burbulla / TOM
euros per m² (guaranteed rent).
The guaranteed rent also covers
rent losses resulting from the tenant‘s
insolvency.
2. The buyer is obliged to assign
his claims against the tenant
for payment of rent arrears
and damages to the seller in the
amount of the amounts actually
reimbursed by the seller.
3. The net floor space in accordance
with DIN 277 shall be
used as the basis for calculating
the rent-guaranteed areas.
• Rental guarantee: In the case
of a rental guarantee, however,
the rent guarantor only guarantees
that the rental space will be
continuously rented to a suitable
tenant at the agreed rent. The
rent guarantor does not guarantee
the tenant‘s willingness and
ability to pay.
• Sample wording:
1. The seller guarantees the buyer,
within the framework of an
independent guarantee promise
in connection with the rentable
space (rent guarantee space),
that it will be rented out (rent
guarantee).
2. The seller‘s rental guarantee
is fulfilled in the event of a claim
by payment of a net cold rent of
... euros and by compensation
for any operating and ancillary
costs incurred on the rental guarantee
space (guaranteed rent).
• Initial rental guarantee: The
initial rental guarantee offers the
weakest form of protection for a
buyer. It ensures that the guaranteed
rental space is actually
rented at a specific point in time.
The rental guarantor therefore
only owes the guaranteed rent if
and as long as the first rental has
not taken place. If the first rental
has taken place and rental losses
occur afterwards, for example
due to termination, move-out,
or insolvency of the tenant, the
first rental guarantee does not
apply.
• Sample wording:
1. The seller guarantees the buyer,
within the framework of an
independent guarantee promise,
the existence of rental agreements
for a total amount (excluding
operating and ancillary
costs and VAT) of ... euros per
month. However, this guarantee
only covers the risk of the first
letting.
2. The initial rental guarantee
expires as soon as rental agreements
have been concluded for
a total amount that reaches or
exceeds the above-mentioned
amount; there is no time limit
regardless of this. The initial
rental guarantee does not revive
if the rental guarantee areas
become vacant again, regardless
of the reason.
3. A lease agreement is only
considered to have been concluded
once the first rent payment
has been received.
Structure of the rental
guarantee
When structuring the respective
rental guarantees, it is important
to pay close attention to what is
guaranteed (“guarantee case”),
i.e., for example, what the rental
agreements that the rental
guarantor wishes to conclude
should „look like” (in terms of
rent amount, indexation options,
term, maintenance obligations,
etc.). In this context,
the guarantee agreement often
includes provisions whereby
the seller is obliged to maintain
and repair (preserve) the rental
guarantee areas until the rental
agreements are concluded. Such
provisions serve to ensure that
the rental value of the property
remains unchanged in the event
of vacancy and that subsequent
letting is guaranteed.
The creditworthiness requirements
for the tenant must also
be specified. In practice, it is
not uncommon, especially in
the case of first-time rental guarantees,
for the seller to present
a “lease agreement” and a “tenant”
who becomes insolvent
shortly after the lease agreement
is concluded. This often
leads to a dispute between the
(purchase) contracting parties
as to whether the seller has been
released from his initial rental
guarantee. If the tenant guarantor
is not creditworthy enough,
it is advisable to secure the rental
guarantee, e.g., by means of
guarantees. If the guarantee is
not secured separately and the
rental guarantor defaults after a
guarantee claim has been made,
the question arises as to the seller‘s
liability if he has not pointed
out that the rental guarantor
may be unable to perform. The
latter has been demonstrated in
the past in the acquisition of socalled
junk real estate. In such
cases, property developers often
used undersized subsidiaries as
rental guarantors, which were
only able to meet their payment
obligations under the rental guarantee
for a short period of time
before becoming insolvent.
Conclusion
Rental guarantees offer a suitable
means of protection against
loss of rental income. However,
they do not offer a “carefree
package.” When drafting the
contract, special attention must
therefore always be paid to the
guarantee case, and in the case
of existing rent guarantees, it is
important to check exactly what
is being guaranteed. Otherwise,
rent guarantees often offer a deceptive
sense of „security.”

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Page 14 T O M
MAP OF THE MONTH October 2025
NIQ Retail Centrality, Germany 2025
THE NIQ Map of the Month for November shows
the regional distribution of retail centrality in Germany
in 2025. Retail centrality indicates which regions
achieve above-average brick-and-mortar retail
turnover thanks to inflows of purchasing power, and
where outflows occur. The latest NIQ study for Germany
shows: medium-sized cities, in particular, exert
a strong pull on surrounding areas. With a centrality
score of 226.0, the urban district of Zweibruecken,
driven by its Outlet City, ranks clearly in first place
– well ahead of Passau in second (200.0) and Straubing
in third (195.6). At the bottom of the ranking is
the rural district of Straubing-Bogen with a centrality
score of 61.0.

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Page 16 T O M
CITY AND RETAIL November 2025
Berlin‘s Friedrichstraße:
Transformation with a signal effect
New concept presented at the Red City Hall
Amidst the ongoing highly
dynamic debate about the future
of Berlin‘s city center, the
Association of Architects and
Engineers of Berlin-Brandenburg
(AIV) presented a
concept at the Red City Hall
that aims to open up a clear,
realistic, and at the same time
ambitiously designed perspective
for Friedrichstraße,
which has been the subject of
controversy for years.
While retailers, residents, urban
planners, and politicians are still
struggling to find the right balance
between traffic, commerce,
and quality of life, the proposal
by Berlin architect Tobias
Nöfer brings a new perspective
to the discussion—one that is
objective, well-founded, and
immediately implementable.
Friedrichstraße, one of Berlin‘s
most historic north-south axes,
has long since become a symbol:
for the desire to reclaim inner-city
spaces as lively places,
but also for the political backand-forth
in transport policy.
After several changes in traffic
regulations – from a car-free
trial phase to renewed approvals
to the Senate‘s latest decision
to reopen the street completely
– one thing is particularly noticeable
today: the street space
appears worn out, gray, and outdated.
There is a growing call
for a concept that both recognizes
the historical significance of
the location and responds to the
needs of a modern metropolis.
No radical interventions
This is where the proposal now
being presented comes in. Nöfer,
architect and member of
the AIV board, is not focusing
on radical interventions, but
on further development using
the familiar design elements of
Berliner Straße. Wider walkways
replace the existing parking
lanes, classic materials
such as granite curbs, paving
slabs, and small stone mosaics
are retained, and the generous
space creates room for outdoor
Friedrichstrasse in Berlin is set to get a new look.
dining, bicycles, trees, and consumption-free
places to linger.
At the same time, the concept
does not call for a new division
into zones or separate lanes for
individual road users. Instead,
the aim is to create a uniform,
calm traffic flow at speeds of 20
to 30 km/h, which will encourage
greater mutual consideration
and streamline the street space.
Visual motif
A new design element is intended
to create identity and dignity:
a pattern of geometrically
arranged brass stars in the road
surface, inspired by Karl Friedrich
Schinkel‘s famous starry
sky. This gives Friedrichstraße
a visual motif that subtly but
powerfully reminds us of the
significance of this urban space.
The concept also responds to the
challenges of climate change
with pragmatic measures: plant
troughs with small-crowned,
robust city trees such as smallleaved
lime trees are intended to
reduce heat islands, allow rainwater
to seep away, and at the
same time serve as solid, inviting
seating.
Cooperative
parking guidance
system
Another key starting point is
the handling of stationary traffic.
Long-term parking at the
roadside is not only inefficient
at such an address, but also problematic
in terms of design, argues
Nöfer. Instead, he proposes
a cooperative parking guidance
system that makes the numerous
underused underground car
parks in the area visible and intelligently
directs traffic without
creating new restrictions. The
concept is thus explicitly intended
as a contribution to a transport
policy that defuses rather
than exacerbates conflicts.
Urban boulevard
The presentation showed that
this concept is being taken seriously
by politicians and urban
society. Governing Mayor Kai
Wegner spoke of an important
step towards a modern urban
boulevard and emphasized that
such a transformation could
Visualization: Nöfer / Astigmatic
only succeed if everyone worked
together. Senator for Mobility
and the Environment Ute
Bonde praised the proposal as a
valuable contribution from civil
society that would increase both
traffic safety and quality of life.
Representatives of the trade association,
the restaurant industry,
and the residents‘ initiative
“Save Friedrichstraße” also signaled
their willingness to work
toward a constructive solution.
Path to a
new future
Nöfer summed up his motivation
in a sentence that hits the
heart of the current discussion:
Friedrichstraße is a test case
for whether Berlin can succeed
in reconnecting tasteful design,
function, and sustainability—or
whether the city will continue
to run the risk of losing itself in
symbolic politics and short-lived
fads. The concept presented
is a proposal that has the potential
to objectify the debate and
pave the way for Friedrichstrasse
to enter a new urban future.