St Thomas Friedhof (now Anita-Berber-Park), Berlin, Germany, October 2016
A disused cemetery turned urban wasteland, St. Thomas Friedhof used to be a favourite spot for dog walkers wishing to give their dogs the possibility to roam free, off the leash, in the city (something that is prohibited by law in most of Berlin). In the planning consultation process leading up to the wasteland being redeveloped into an official park in 2017, the dog walkers formed a citizens’ initiative to make sure that the rights of their canine friends were not infringed upon. Consequently, the resulting Anita Berber Park is an experiment in blurring the lines between a public park and a so-called “Hundeauslaufgebiet” (a formal dog walking area), whilst also attempting to retain and encourage the urban biodiversity thought to be flourishing in the area.
St Thomas Friedhof (now Anita-Berber-Park), Berlin, Germany, October 2016
A disused cemetery turned urban wasteland, St. Thomas Friedhof used to be a favourite spot for dog walkers wishing to give their dogs the possibility to roam free, off the leash, in the city (something that is prohibited by law in most of Berlin). In the planning consultation process leading up to the wasteland being redeveloped into an official park in 2017, the dog walkers formed a citizens’ initiative to make sure that the rights of their canine friends were not infringed upon. Consequently, the resulting Anita Berber Park is an experiment in blurring the lines between a public park and a so-called “Hundeauslaufgebiet” (a formal dog walking area), whilst also attempting to retain and encourage the urban biodiversity thought to be flourishing in the area.