Radbahn funding and network support.
Transformative Coalition
10 Weeks | Berlin
Radbahn is a citizen initiative that aims to transform the space underneath Berlin’s overground into a bike lane and innovation corridor, connecting the East and West of the city.
We supported the visionaries behind this idea by connecting them with the decision-makers and helping them secure the funding needed to get a pilot up and running.
Context
A group of citizens (Reallabor) got together to repurpose the public spaces underneath one of Berlin’s main U Bahn lines. They set out to create a hybrid space that combines a bike lane with vegetation and public infrastructure, dreaming of an inclusive new mobility corridor and public park.
Our Role
We leveraged our city network to create a transformative coalition, bringing together the right funding strategy and political buy-in. At the end of this process, we helped the team secure over €3 million, and get the city’s approval for a pilot segment.
Results
The Rabdbahn project is now a reality, and the first segment is being used as a pilot and testbed for various cycling path coatings, lighting and signaling technologies, bicycle guidance systems, biodiversity initiatives, street furniture, and public infrastructure such as bike parking areas and service stations.
9km project
Total project length — From Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain
€3.3M raised
Nationale Projekte des Städtebaus Funding
Pilot segment
A testbed for new technologies and designs
Reallabor:
A real-world testing mindset.
Learn more about the visionary team behind this project.
“Urban Impact has supported us with hands-on advice and networking on how to push Berlin’s Radbahn project forward. Thanks to their support, we now can count ourselves lucky to have been awarded funding from the German federal government—bringing the actual implementation of Radbahn significantly closer to reality.”
— Matthias Heskamp, 1st Chairman of paper planes e.V.
From Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain
Learn more about the master plan for a 9 km long cycle path, leading from Bahnhof Zoo in the West of the city to Oberbaumbrücke in the East.