Mediaspree
[2] This association considered its mission to be: to act as a broker for the corresponding spaces and properties of the Spree-zone; to advise resident businesses as well as those interested in relocating there; to develop contacts between owners, agencies and sponsors; and to take steps toward marketing and image-building.
Of particular importance for the region before World War II were the East Harbor, Osthafen (de), opened in 1913 with extensive storage facilities for grains and other goods, as well as the Eierkühlhaus (egg cold-storage warehouse) and the Eisfabrik (ice factory).
The harbor served as a shipping center for goods, and tanks and other munitions were serviced in the former bus garage and present-day event space Arena Berlin (de) in Treptower Park.
[4] The O₂ World arena was constructed by the Anschutz Entertainment Group on the grounds of the former Ostgüterbahnhof (de) (which was the site of the legendary nightclub Ostgut from 1998 to 2003, predecessor to Berghain) and opened on 10 September 2008, accompanied by protests.
The reconstruction of the destroyed Brommybrücke bridge, intended to alleviate the forecasted increase in traffic volume, was abandoned after further protests; instead, only a temporary "artistic footbridge" was supposed to be built.
With this project, both the federal government and the state of Berlin hope to counteract the negative consequences of economic and demographic change by fostering "private investment and sustainable workplaces.
This seven-floor building complex at the Schillingbrücke bridge was completed in the year 2000 and consists of three parts, in which commercial spaces, 20 apartments and the 242-room "Hotel Ibis Berlin City Ost" are located.
The East-Side-Park has received criticism above all for the boat landing for O₂ World, which will require the removal of a 45 m (148 ft) section of the heritage-protected East Side Gallery.
Since July 2002, the German headquarters of the Universal Music corporation has been located at Stralauer Allee 1, in a former Eierkühlhaus (egg cold-storage warehouse), which was built in 1928/1929 and designed by the Dresden's building officer, Oskar Pusch.
The functional and heritage-protected façade of this former refrigerated warehouse features elements of Bauhaus architecture: 25 cm (9.8 in) thick brickwork walls with diamond-shaped decorative patterns made of clinker bricks and molded ceilings.
The former harbor offices of BEHALA at Stralauer Allee 8 were renovated in 2007 and subsequently occupied by A-Medialynx GmbH, a full-range supplier for TV productions and satellite communications technology owned by Helmut Audrit.
The former BEHALA East Warehouse on Stralauer Allee 10/11 was built in 1913 by Friedrich Krause and is listed as a historical monument of turn-of-the-century industrial architecture for its clinker brick façade, pilasters and moldings of limestone.
The building is equipped with a large conference center with modern media technology, catering areas, publicly accessible bookstore by Buchergilde Gutenberg as well as its own landing dock on the river Spree.
In the rental units, which are rented out by Bodenkontor Liegenschaften GmbH, there are various firms and businesses as well as a few social institutions, including the Deutscher Verein (German Association, de).
The wood-plank rooftop terrace and the wooden pier in front of the offices is intended to recall a boat-deck, while an elevated setback is supposed to allude to a captain's deck.
The postal area includes approximately 4.2 hectares (10 acres) of land near the Ostbahnhof station, bordered by the Straße der Pariser Kommune to the west, the railway tracks to the north, Mariane-von-Rantzau-Straße to the east and Mühlenstraße to the south.
For the area surrounding the Postbahnhof, there are plans to create a new city neighborhood of offices, creative businesses, residences, hotels, leisure, dining, retail and retail-related services.
The citizens' initiative "Mediaspree versenken" has criticized the project especially for the dimensions of the structures, the resulting shadows cast on the area as well as the tiny residential section (16.6% of the total floor space).
The property owner and project developer is city.bauten Gesellschaft für Projektentwicklung und -management mbH, and the blueprints are by nps tschoban voss GbR Architekten BDA.
The building was designed by the architectural firm nps tchoban voss and consists of two structures: a traditional substructure of perforated façades and metal cladding is topped by a glass superstructure that cantilevers out over the Spree.
[29] Likewise, criticism is also directed at the privatization of public space and the Stadtumbau von oben (urban development from above), by which the interests and concerns of neighboring residents are not taken into account.
They cannot understand how a 45 m (148 ft) section of the East Side Gallery was removed for O₂ World's projection screens as well as its pier for pleasure boats and water-taxis, despite protection as a historical monument.
It was the view of critics that behind the goal of ensuring long-term and ongoing development towards an effective and attractive business and cultural habitat, hid the implementation of merely private-economy interests.
"), the Bündnis Informationsveranstaltungen für Anwohner (The "Informational Events for Residents" Alliance) organized so-called "neighborhood walks" against the project and led a citizen's campaign for the co-determination of the Spree riverfront.
The entire project is perceived as an investment in the high-end sector, primarily about profitable riverfront development with a privatized view of the river Spree, while the social realm is neglected.
While the district associations for the SPD and the Green Party subsequently demanded that the citizens' wishes be carried out as soon as possible, the Urban Development Senator, Ingeborg Junge-Reyer assured investors that she would protect the Mediaspree plans.
[19] Using the term Kiezspaziergang (neighborhood stroll), numerous demonstrations took place through Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, which provided information on the various stages of urban restructuring and focused on the theme of gentrification.
[45] One year after the referendum, a demonstration was held on 11 July 2009 against the "commercialization and privatization" of the Spree riverfront, organized by the Megaspree-Aktinosbündnis (Megaspree Action Coalition), made up of residents, political groups, and cultural projects.
In September 2008, a special committee was constituted, in which members of various factions and the citizens' initiative "Mediaspree versenken" could discuss possible changes to development projects in light of the referendum.
It feared indemnity claims on the part of investors, should the development plans be altered, and had "grave misgivings" (schwere Bedenken) against the abandonment of the high-rise project at the Elsenbrücke.
