Neukolln Five Senses Survey

I walked around the neighborhood of Neukölln, which is around my community placement (The Coop Campus, formerly known as Die Gärtnerei). My overall impressions of the neighborhood are that Neukölln is a diverse neighborhood that is in the process of being gentrified. It has a few main streets that are very active with cars, bikes and people, but side streets have more domestic living space and quieter businesses, creating a big contrast between nearby sections of the neighborhood.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in to the neighborhood was something that I thought was a bit of a juxtaposition: the neighborhood has a lot of large cemeteries, but people are very active and lively. Sound was the first thing that hit me; the combination of people chatting, cars driving by and birds chirping is something I associate only with Neukölln (as compared to the other neighborhoods I have visited across the world). There were also a lot of children walking around with their parents of playing in parks, on all three of the days I visited Neukölln (Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday). The lively nature of the neighborhood also continues with the smells; the smell of flowers and cooking food, like falafel and donner, is all around. It is partially combined with the expected smells of a city, like car exhaust and trash, but it is much subtler than in other areas of Berlin.

I knew before coming to Neukölln that the neighborhood had a lot of diverse people living there, but the senses that highlighted that diversity were sight and taste. On the same block, I saw signs for donner, falafel, pizza, Vietnamese food, Indian food, and French pastries. Most foods are familiar to me, but when I wandered into the big market a few blocks away from Die Gärtnerei, a lot of ingredients were less familiar.

As for the structure of the community, the biggest natural barrier was Tempelhof Airfield, which borders Neukölln from the south. Neukölln is very urban, most of the living space is apartments that are between or above storefronts. The community is thriving, with people able to walk, bike, drive and take buses and trains all around the area. In addition to all the restaurants, there are general stores, smaller boutiques, bars, kindergartens, parks and churches. It seems to be a community for all ages of predominantly middle class, although people I’ve spoken to briefly in the community say that gentrification is occurring (as Berlin becomes a more popular city). One of the bigger ethnic groups in the area seems to be the Turkish community, but I also saw people of a variety of other ethnicities (white, Asian, African, etc.). There was no evidence of politics that I could see, but from talking to Esther and other members of Die Gärtnerei, there have been roadblocks due to political agendas that have made the expansion of the garden into the community rather difficult. Strangely enough, the neighborhood smells diverse too! Flowers, cooking food and car exhaust.

Finally, the residents seem polite, if not extremely outwardly friendly, and I feel really comfortable in Neukölln. However, I am aware of the fact that I may feel comfortable as a white, middle class American woman in this neighborhood due to gentrification of some of the neighborhood. In comparison to some other areas in Berlin, there is more of a language barrier (as Neukölln is less of a tourist destination), but the shop owners and individuals on the street that I have spoken to are friendly, or at least courteous. Overall, I really like Neukölln, and I anticipate that I’m going to enjoy exploring the area as I continue to work at Die Gärtnerei for the next few weeks.