Berlin’s Kreuzberg asks residents to sit out pollution

In the scorching summer sunshine, a few people have taken respite by sitting on the canary-yellow metal furniture dotted along Berlin’s leafy Bergmannstrasse. The new street furniture is part of a government-run test phase to turn the street into a “meeting zone,” aimed at making the street in the city’s Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain district greener by reducing traffic and improving poor air quality. Read more: A day in the life of eco-Berlin Once a quiet street, Bergmannstrasse is now wildly popular among tourists and Berlin newcomers alike. Over the past decade, Berlin itself has grown twice as fast as city planners predicted and between 2013 and 2018 more than 15,000 extra people moved to the district. Today cars, bikes and people jostle for space. But not all locals are convinced the changes will benefit the area. Romina Bassarino from Argentina, one of the people taking a break on the “nice and comfortable” seats, has mixed views. “I think it would make more sense if more people used them — usually they are empty,” said 37-year-old Bassarino, who has been living in the neighborhood for nine years. Romina Bassarino (pictured) likes the changes to the street and hopes the furniture stays Read more: Living next door to tourism in Berlin Other responses range… Read full this story

Berlin's Kreuzberg asks residents to sit out pollution — literally have 293 words, post on www.dw.com at July 26, 2019. This is cached page on SEO. If you want remove this page, please contact us.