Berlin-Potsdam, Germany

Berlin and Brandenburg, two of Germany’s federal states, share a historically and geographically intricate relationship. While Berlin is a densely populated and rapidly growing European metropolis, Brandenburg is a sparsely populated region dominated by agriculture and forestry. The legacy of 20th-century border demarcations still manifests in spatial inequalities, yet since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, there has been a concerted effort to promote spatial integration. Today, the two regions are often presented as a unified metropolitan area, although challenges such as urban-rural disparities and infrastructure needs remain.

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Berlin must decide how it wants to grow

Berlin’s rapid urbanisation is placing immense pressure on the housing market, with demand for affordable living space continually rising. The political goal of constructing 20,000 new residential units annually has driven expansion even into the surrounding hinterland. However, this often comes at the expense of climate protection, as it relies heavily on concrete and new construction. Although timber construction is gaining traction, it primarily addresses single-family homes, which cannot adequately meet the city’s housing needs, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the current construction agenda. Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies that tap into the potential of the existing building stock, integrate circular building practices, explore densification solutions, and utilize the urban mining approach to reimagine resource use.

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Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin sold much of its municipal land, while Brandenburg privatised large portions of its forests. Today, approximately 100,000 private owners control 60% of Brandenburg’s forests, resulting in a fragmented landscape that reflects an individualistic approach to land ownership. This fragmentation underscores the lack of integration between the forestry and construction sectors, complicating efforts to create a cohesive strategy for sustainable development.

However, Brandenburg’s pine-dominated forests—comprising 70% of the region’s forest cover—present a crucial opportunity. If managed properly, these forests could play a pivotal role in the region’s shift towards sustainable construction, helping to meet housing demands in a more regenerative and environmentally responsible manner. Current initiatives, such as converting forests into climate-resilient mixed forests, increasing the cultivation of industrial hemp, and rewetting peatlands, demonstrate the region’s politically supported commitment to both climate protection and a forward-looking construction strategy.

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ReBuilt builds on these efforts by identifying levers to strengthen the links between forestry, agriculture, and construction. By promoting regional value chains and the use of regenerative materials, ReBuilt aims to support and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable built environment in the region.

The Berlin-Brandenburg region offers significant opportunities to leverage its natural resources and innovative capacity to better integrate and circulate materials within the built environment. This approach could alleviate housing pressures in Berlin while also addressing the fragmentation of rural Brandenburg, ultimately positioning the region as a model for regenerative urban-rural connectivity. However, the key challenge is determining how to fully utilize the vast forests and farmlands while scaling up efforts to reduce reliance on timber as the primary nature-based material.

Key opportunities include:

• Pine as a Catalyst: Native pine offers significant substitution potential. Due to its regional availability, it can play a central role in the material transition over the next 20 to 30 years. Establishing a local, short-distance timber value chain is essential.
• Maturing the Fibre-Crops Market: Growing interest in innovative land management practices, such as paludiculture and agroforestry, is fostering synergies between land uses. As Germany’s largest hemp-growing state, Brandenburg is well-positioned to enhance its contribution to regenerative construction materials.
• Learning from Southern Germany: Levering the experiences of southern Germany, which has made strides in developing expertise, funding programs, and adapting building regulations, can help the region maximise its potential for regenerative construction.

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