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When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. 1968 IN WEST BERLIN: SPACE, PLACE AND IDENTITY LAURA BOWIE THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY CULTURAL STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 2018 DECLARATION I DECLARE THAT THIS THESIS HAS BEEN COMPOSED SOLELY BY MYSELF AND THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN ANY PREVIOUS APPLICATION FOR A DEGREE. EXCEPT WHERE STATED OTHERWISE BY REFERENCE OR ACKNOWLEDGMENT, THE WORK PRESENTED IS ENTIRELY MY OWN. SIGNED………………………………………………… DATE ………………… ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This PhD journey has been a long yet fruitful one, which would not have been possible without the support of both individuals and institutions. I wish to begin by thanking both of my supervisors; Dr Richard Anderson and Dr Tahl Kaminer whose advice, support, and enthusiasm for my project is so very much appreciated. To Richard, whose shared love of Berlin formed the basis for what followed, whose knowledge, advice and support has been instrumental, and whose comments have always been considered and pertinent. To Tahl, whose knowledge of political theory has been vital, whose interest in activism sparked a shared theme, and whose pragmatism and insight was fundamental to the successful completion of this research project. I would also like to extend my thanks to my two examiners, to Professor Iain Boyd Whyte who has always been so generous, with both his time and his intellect, and whose insight is unparalleled. And also to Professor Caroline Maniaque, for her interest and enthusiasm for my thesis and for her pertinent advice in developing my research. I would also like to thank Professor Tim Kirk and Dr Felix Schulz at Newcastle University who encouraged me to begin the journey to PhD and who shaped the beginning of the story. This thesis would not have been possible without the award of the Principal’s Career Development Scholarship which funded the duration of my studies. I must also thank the archives of the Technische Universität and Frei Universität in Berlin. In particular, the enthusiasm of Klaus-Dieter Betz for my topic back in 2013 which gave me faith that someone outside academia might want to read my thesis. The subject of this thesis is still within living memory and the insights and memories of those active at the time have been inspiring, both intellectually and personally. To Hinrich Baller who provided me with more time and information than I thought possible. To Georg Heinrichs whose recollections of the time-period were invaluable. To Goerd Peschken and Michael Wegener who gave significant insight into the architectural aspects of the time- period. And to Jürgen Holtfreter whose images I now have pinned to my walls. To my friends, who have no idea how important their support has been. To my girls: Hannah, Seema and Sam for reminding me that there is a world outside the PhD room that is full of fun and laughter. To Jess who had done it all before and always had a glass of wine at the ready. To Sarah and Nikolia who shared the journey and remain two of the few who understand what it really entails. To Ronnie and Dean who made all the waiting bearable. To Georgie who has been here from that very first day in Architectural History back in 2005, and to Menia who has been such a tonic in the last few months. To Sarah and Verena who selflessly gave their time and invaluable advice in the thankless task of translation. And to Francesco who always looked after me, who forgot my moods as quickly as they arrived, and whose smile was always waiting for me at the end of a long day. And finally, to my family who have always been supportive and always wanted the best for me. I could not have done this without them. To my lovely Mum who is the only person aside from my supervisors to have read the whole thing from cover to cover, and whose phone conversations were always the perfect remedy to my solitude. To my Dad who has always supported me in every way possible. To my Brother who is always kind and selfless and to my lovely Sister who is travelling on the same journey and shares the knowledge of what we have achieved. I hope to have made you all proud. CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ I LAY SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... III LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION 1 BERLIN, 1968 ........................................................................................................... 3 SPACE, PLACE AND IDENTITY ................................................................................... 7 SOURCES 9 GENERAL METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................... 11 INTELLECTUAL LANDSCAPE ..................................................................................... 13 INTELLECTUALS REFERENCED BY AKTION 507 19 AKTION 507 ........................................................................................................... 25 SIGNATORIES OF AKTION 507 31 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................... 39 STRUCTURE 39 CHAPTER ONE: THE PRESENT 45 INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................... 47 SECTION 1.1 URBAN PLANNING AND THE FORMULATION OF SOCIETY .................. 57 SECTION 1.1.A POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION PHILOSOPHIES IN WEST BERLIN 59 SECTION 1.1.B THE KEY SITE OF THE MÄRKISCHES VIERTEL (1963-74) 81 SECTION CONCLUSION 93 SECTION 1.2 THE FUNCTION OF COLOUR IN THE CITY ........................................... 95 SECTION 1.2.A GEORG HEINRICHS AND THE MÄRKISCHES VIERTEL’S COLOUR CONCEPT 97 SECTION 1.2.C THE POST-WAR RESIDENTS’ REACTION TO COLOUR 109 SECTION CONCLUSION 115 SECTION 1.3 FUNCTIONALISM UNDER ATTACK ................................................... 117 SECTION 1.3.A THE POST-WAR DISCONNECT BETWEEN RESIDENT AND ARCHITECT 119 SECTION 1.3.B CRITIQUE OF DECENTRALISATION AND THE ZONING OF THE CITY 135 SECTION CONCLUSION 157 CHAPTER ONE CONCLUSION ................................................................................. 159 CHAPTER TWO: THE PAST 163 INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................... 167 SECTION 2.1 ENTANGLED POLITICS IN POST-WAR GERMANY .............................. 175 SECTION 2.1.A ARCHITECTURE AND FORMER POWER STRUCTURES IN WEST BERLIN 177 SECTION 2.1.B PROPERTY OWNERSHIP AS THE POST-WAR IDEAL 191 SECTION CONCLUSION 199 SECTION 2.2 THE POST-WAR PSYCHE .................................................................. 201 SECTION 2.2.A POLITICS AESTHETICIZED 203 SECTION 2.2.B PSYCHOANALYSIS AND POST-WAR URBAN ANALYSIS 219 SECTION CONCLUSION 233 SECTION 2.3 POST-WAR DEMOLITION OF HISTORIC CITY SPACES ........................ 235 SECTION 2.3.A MIETSKASERNEN AND THE CONNECTION TO HISTORY 237 SECTION 2.3.B RECLAIM THE CITY! 249 SECTION CONCLUSION 257 CHAPTER TWO CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 259 CHAPTER THREE: THE INDIVIDUAL 265 INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................... 267 SECTION 3.1 THE CONTESTED VISION OF THE CITY .............................................. 273 SECTION 3.1.A THE CITY AS A THEATRE FOR PROTEST 275 SECTION 3.1.B HOW TO CONSTRUCT A “DEMOCRATIC” ARCHITECTURE 289 SECTION CONCLUSION 305 SECTION 3.2 SOCIOLOGY PROVIDES A POTENTIAL SOLUTION .............................. 307 SECTION 3.2.A “SOCIAL” HOUSING AND THE ROLE OF THE ARCHITECT 309 SECTION 3.2.C SOCIAL THEORY IN ACTION 319 SECTION CONCLUSION 331 SECTION 3.3 FROM THEORY TO PRAXIS ............................................................... 333 SECTION 3.3.A FROM THE LECTURE HALL TO THE STREET 335 SECTION 3.3.B THE DEMAND FOR INTERDISCIPLINARITY 343 SECTION CONCLUSION 361 CHAPTER THREE CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 363 CHAPTER FOUR POST-MORTEM 367 THE AFTERMATH: REFORM OR REVOLUTION? ....................................................... 369 BIBLIOGRAPHY I IMAGE REFERNCES ............................................................................................... XIX ABSTRACT Due to the current politicisation of public spaces and the “reclaiming of the commons”, there has been renewed interest in historical protest movements instigated by the Left and particularly in relation to the idea of reclaiming physical spaces of the city. Literature has tended to focus on global and continental perspectives, with recent publications demonstrating