#266: Build on Tempelhof? Tik Tok cop, Vegan REWE
Remote work here to stay
Dear 20 Percent,
Sometimes you hear about something and rub your eyes and think: “No, that can’t be true. This is the capital of Germany, Europe’s leading industrial nation. They can do normal computer stuff, right?”
This morning I read in Tagesspiegel(paywall) that the Berlin government was delaying the introduction of the Digitale Akte or “digital file”.
“Hmm,” I thought, “surely they’re just updating some old software and it’s taking a little longer than planned.”
I read on.
Turns out that Frank Henkel (CDU), who was Berlin’s interior affairs minister from 2011-2016, launched the electronic file project but only hired two people to implement it. The system is supposed to radically simplify the daily work of 70,000 city employees, the way computers tend to do. Frugal Frank seems to have underestimated the complexity of the project. Hence the current delay.
Shockingly incompetent? Sure. But what’s really shocking is that this story reveals the miserable reality of bureaucrats’ lives in Berlin: While some basic databases exist — like the Melderegister (registry) — departmental databases remain un-connected and a huge number of files are still paper-based.
The rollout of the new centralised digital file system was supposed to be complete by, er, 2023. The deadline has been bumped up to 2025. However, Tagesspiegel quotes anonymous experts who say 2030 is more realistic. Fingers crossed, Berlin!
More news below.
Maurice
PS. Unlike the Berlin government, today’s sponsor, insurance provider Feather, is as digital as it gets and helps expats sort out their pensions in Germany.
Construction in Tempelhof park?
According to a poll conducted by Civey, (paywall) 58% of Berliners favour building flats around the edges of Tempelhof park, as proposed by mayor Kai Wegner (CDU). 33% oppose the plan; 9% are undecided. Wegner hopes to undo a 2014 non-binding citizens’ referendum in which 64.3% voted against construction on the former airfield. Lawmakers then passed corresponding legislation but it can be undone by a simple majority in the Berlin parliament. Building on Tempelhof is a cornerstone of the mayor’s response to the severe housing shortage. Apparently, he’s ignored an internal report from his own administration that found there was enough land to construct 250,000 flats without touching Tempelhof.
Cop can’t Tik Tok
A court has ruled that a Berlin policeman cannot post work-related content on his social media accounts, writes RBB. The cop, who went by “Officer Denny” online, attracted attention in 2022 after he interviewed known crime family boss Arafat Abou-Chaker for his Tik Tok and addressed the gangster with “du” instead of “Sie”, suggesting a certain familiarity. A lower court had forbidden the policeman from this sort of behaviour last year, but the Hauptkommisar appealed. The whole thing begs the question: Why does this guy still have a job in the police?
Vegan REWE?
At the end of last year, the last Veganz supermarket at Warschauer Brücke in Friedrichshain shut its doors forever. Now REWE is opening an all-vegan store in the same space, according to Supermarktblog. The retailer is inspired by the success of Billa Pflanzilla, an all-vegan market in Vienna run by Billa, which REWE owns. The opening date of the Berlin store hasn’t been announced yet.
A brief selection of events this week curated by our friends over at the savvy culture newsletter The Next Day Berlin:
Gossip
Thursday, 21.03, 8 pm. Lido, Cuvrystrasse 7, 10997 Berlin. Tickets: €52.
This concert is the official release party for Gossip's new studio album 🎧 'Real Power', dropping this Friday. It's more pop than their previous albums, but a Gossip concert is always fun. The tickets are sold out, but we suggest trying the waiting list on Dice.
Disco Tehran
Friday, 22.03, 11 pm - 6 am. Gretchen, Obentrautstr.19-21, 10963 Kreuzberg. Tickets: €22.60.
🎧 Disco Tehran is a funky warm dance party and live performance project that connects New York to the era of 1970s discotheques in Tehran. This night explores groovy household throwbacks and rare music from the Asian continent, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.
Nancy Holt: Circles of Light - Experiments with Sound, Image, Objects 1966–1986
Opening: Thursday 21.03, 7 pm. Until 21.07. Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstrasse 7, 10963 Berlin. The opening has free admission.
"Circles of Light" is a comprehensive survey exhibition of Nancy Holt's work. Spanning five decades, it explores the perception of our environment and our place on the planet through film, photography, sculptures, and installations. Holt's innovative approach incorporates natural and artificial light, challenging viewers to rethink their understanding of space and time. "How Love Moves", by Pallavi Paul, is opening on the same day.
For more, subscribe to The Next Day Berlin.
Factoid
According to a study by economics think tank Ifo, Berlin will require 12% less office space by 2030, thanks to more and more people working remotely. “Working from home regularly has become the new normal for around 25% of employees and 69% of companies,” said Ifo researcher Simon Krause.
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Of course the Tempelhof poll could be completely biased but if the berliners are really desperate to the point of changing their minds about building in the park, someone has to remind them that it's gonna be all luxury, speculation-made, apartments, not their dream cheap social housing with a nice view
Germany, the most analog and bureaucratic place I’ve been.