Schumacher Quartier is a large new residential district being developed on the site of the former Tegel Airport as part of the broader Berlin TXL redevelopment in Berlin, Germany.16 Conceived as a sustainable and socially mixed neighbourhood, it will provide over 5,000 apartments for more than 10,000 residents, significantly contributing to Berlin’s housing construction and urban development strategy.136
The project is located in the eastern area of the former airport grounds in the district of Reinickendorf and forms one of the core components of the Berlin TXL masterplan, alongside the Urban Tech Republic innovation park and a major landscape area.245 Overall responsibility for the development of Berlin TXL, including Schumacher Quartier, lies with the state-owned Tegel Projekt GmbH.29
Schumacher Quartier is planned as a socially inclusive area with housing for all age groups and income levels, with a particular focus on low-income households.136 Half of the planned homes will be built by municipal housing companies, with around half of these in the rent-controlled segment.169 Additional plots are reserved for housing cooperatives, building groups and special housing forms such as student and intergenerational living.19 Approximately 35–40% of apartments are intended to be in the subsidised rent sector, and about 10% are planned for students.9
The urban concept combines residential buildings with local retail, social infrastructure and public facilities, including a planned education campus with two schools, sports and youth facilities, and six daycare centres.3 Construction is to follow a resource-efficient approach with a strong emphasis on timber and hybrid timber construction, low-emission recycled materials, renewable energy, sponge-city rainwater management and low-car mobility concepts.23 Around 30 hectares of public green spaces, playgrounds and urban squares, plus direct access to the Tegeler Stadtheide recre