During the tempestuous postwar years, Berlin was a city divided. Occupied by Soviet powers in the East and western Allies in the West, the city was split into separate states, and in 1961, the Berlin Wall was built between the two. Nearly thirty years later, Berlin's reunification process began with a loosening of The Wall's border restrictions in 1989, followed by eventual demolition in the early 1990s. By that time, the urban schism between East and West had become striking – The East, capital of Soviet East Germany, saw the erection of mass housing blocks lining wide avenues with little character. The West, on the other hand, stood as an exclave of capitalist democracy, representing a juxtaposition of individualism against communist ideals. Coming to terms with a convoluted past therefore stands at the center of Berlin’s urban identity.

Berlin has since evolved to become an increasingly integrated city, in that citizens are taking an active part in its development. The multimodal transportation system (underground and elevated metro, tramlines and buses, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian priority) further emphasizes the now-seamless passage between the former East and West. In addition, the city has undergone a kind of cultural renaissance, leading to the creation of engaging public spaces at the hands of local communities.

The capital of one of today’s global superpowers, Berlin is still very much a city in the making. Last year, its citizens voted against the city government’s proposed master plan that sought to develop Tempelhof Airfield, a former airport and currently one of the largest open spaces in Berlin. With this in mind, Make City Festival – supported by an initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research – explored new ways of thinking about the ever-changing city.

In its inaugural year, Berlin’s Make City Festival invited the greater public to participate in the process of rethinking and reshaping the city. The Festival, which ran from the 11th to the 28th of June, hosted a broad range of events that engaged the community in the collective enterprise of reinventing a city for all. It drew on the case of Berlin, but also welcomed discussion of other European cities to understand how different places are devising new ways of city-making. Through events organized in four main formats (the Festival Centre, city tours and open houses, exhibitions and panels, and studio talks), Make City addressed the impact of urban participation in the development of Berlin.

The Festival followed three main themes: Urban Commons, Urban Open Source, and Urban Living & Working. The Czech Centre in Berlin’s Mitte district held the main events that included exhibitions, talks, and workshops over nine days. Built in what was then East Berlin, the Centre offered an ideal ground for discussion on how to design the Berlin of the future, adapting structures from the legacy of a fragmented city into an inclusive environment for all.

The emphasis placed on the Urban Commons was evident throughout the Festival, highlighting different strategies for approaching the issue. Actors of Urban Change, hosted at the Aufbauhaus in the Kreuzberg district, focused on the influence of culture in devising sustainable strategies for urban change. Bringing together examples from across Europe, the panel discussion revolved around participatory planning, and stressed the importance of long duration proposals as opposed to short-term interventions.

Kaja Pogačar, of Slovenia, talked about the experience of Maribor as the European Capital of Culture in 2012. She lamented that while the event had injected new life into the city, it served more as an alibi, the effect of which rapidly faded, rather than providing long-lasting urban transformation. Talking about the citizens’ attempt to revitalize Varvakeios Square after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Loukas Bartatilas highlighted the city’s effort to “organize all the grass-roots movements in the city to allow them to communicate [and collaborate…] to start thinking about a long-term perspective.”

Francesca Ferguson, CEO of Make_Shift (the entity in charge of organizing the Festival) emphasized the importance of Urban Open Source, “with a focus upon participation, social networks, petition and protest [as tools that can open] up city spaces to completely new forms of use.” Designing the Urban Commons, this year’s Theatrum Mundi open competition, illustrated various proposals for the future of commons at the center of public life in London. Commons Economy Generator, by Ludovica Rogers, recognized the flaws of having a rigid system within a capitalist economy to optimize a digital network of resource sharing. Also using a digital platform, The School of Losing Time, by Angela Osorio and Chiara Basile, proposed an online system by which to engage in shared leisure activities. Also present at the London Festival of Architecture, the showcase of projects at Designing the Urban Commons suggested a new way of understanding collective spaces, highly relevant to Berlin.

Finally, other events revolved around issues in Urban Living & Working, with great attention given to affordable housing. The implementation of the rent-control legislation by the Berlin government in early June demonstrates the city’s concern with remaining diverse and accessible to its citizens. The exhibition Affordable Living explored various approaches to providing “housing for everyone.” By optimizing costs and benefits, the focus was placed on creating residential value in the city center by improving quality of living in affordable spaces. In addition to this, several Make City Open guided tours explored areas of Berlin where affordable housing and workplace initiatives have emerged in recent years.

The Make City Festival, which came to a close last weekend in conjunction with the Chamber of Berlin Architects’ annual “Day of Architecture”, brought up fascinating discussions on the innovative possibilities for the city’s development. The highly engaged audience demonstrated the ownership Berliners take over the future of their city, and set a precedent for other European cities to follow suit. Most venues were open only for the duration of the Festival, but it is worth visiting the ones that will remain open until later this fall. Radically Modern, open until October 26th at the Berlinische Galerie , showcases urban planning and architecture in Berlin during the 1960s, when the Wall was first erected, while Michael Beutler’s sculptures on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (until August 23rd) engages the surrounding context to exploit the potential of unused urban spaces.