Welcome on the internetsite of the neighborhood management of the Berlin inner city area Flughafenstrasse.

Area profile

The neighborhood "Flughafenstrasse" is located in the north of the district Neukölln and bound by Hermannstrasse to the west, Karl-Marx-Strasse to the east and the premises of the former Kindl-Brewery to the south. In the north, it almost reaches the Hermannplatz. It is densely developed with old, mainly residential buildings and only few public green and open areas.

The connection to the public transport system is very good with the two underground lines U7 and U8. The Karl-Marx-Strasse with its "Neukölln Arcades", as well as the Hermannstrasse, offer good and diverse shopping facilities of supraregional importance.

Public buildings include the nearby town hall of Neukölln, the center for adult education, the music school and the Helene-Nathan-Library, which are of cultural and social significance beyond the borders of the neighbourhood. A high proportion of the neighborhood residents is unemployed - often for the longer term - and is poorly qualified, so that their employability on the primary labor market is considerably limited.

The favorable geographical situation of the area is outweighed by the scarcity of green and open spaces, which are often objects of vandalism and not very clean. The majority of the families living in the neighborhood is socially disadvantaged. Substance abuse and an infamous drug scene around the underground stations and the nearby park area "Hasenheide" have contributed to the negative image of the neighborhood. Various different nations live together in this area, however, there is still some potential for improvement in the fields of neighborhood relationships and communication.

The prevailing issues result in high fluctuation and social segregation. Based on the situation, the area was designated as a Neighborhood Management area in 2005.

Selection of projects carried out to date

The work in the area around Flughafenstrasse focuses on the fields of education and neighborhood relationships. Children and youth, being the future of the neighborhood, benefit from enhanced educational and recreational facilities established under the program.

Within the focus area of education the Albert-Schweitzer-Secondary School was reorganized to become the first all-day secondary school of Berlin. Integration is a cross-cutting issue as 85% of the students are immigrants of the first or second generation, of Turkish, Eastern European or Asian origin.

The school is of prime importance for the area, not only because it offers the general qualification needed for university entrance and thus better job prospects to its students, but also because the school infrastructure, such as the gymnasium, classrooms and the entry hall are utilized by other institutions like sports associations, the adult education center and other partners from the cultural field. As such, the school enables and enriches recreational activities and neighborhood life. Projects in the field of education also include the establishment of the first parent-child-meeting center at the "Käpt´n Blaubär"-playground and the auto-didactic center "Selbst-Lernzentrum" in the Helene-Nathan-Library.

To improve and strengthen the profile of the education at the "Flughafenkiez", the various educational facilities have formed an educational association. The first joint activity aiming at improving the educational image of the area was the publication of the educational guide "Bildungswegweiser Flughafenkiez".

Model projects for strengthening the co-operation within the neighborhood included for example the "Neighborhood Committee Flughafenstrasse", in which residents with and without migration background are equally represented. In the field of residential commitment, the cultural project "Rroma Aether Klub Theater" is exemplary. It is the only theatre initiated by Roma ("gipsy") migrants which is staffed by an ensemble of most diverse social and ethnical backgrounds, forming a unique cultural blend.

In order to create more public and green space, the "Sasarsteig" was redesigned, now providing recreational areas for children attending the nearby Neukölln Protestant School and all the other children of the neighborhood. Where the Erlanger Strasse corners the Reuterstrasse the public "square at the linden tree" ("Platz an der Linde") was created to improve the quality of the stay in the area and encourage communication. The redesign of the only larger square in the area, "Boddinplatz", is underway and discussions are currently being held with residents to enable them to contribute their ideas and ensure their long-term commitment for the square.

Neighborhood management team