Three days is not a lot of time for a city as varied and colourful as Berlin. Designing the itinerary meant choosing things to focus on and creating a good mix between introducing the team members to the various districts affected by gentrification as well as attending theatre productions interested in interrogating what it means to live in Berlin today. To this end, we attended three-different theatre productions, each dedicated to highlighting a different facet of Berlin life – from a post-migrant novel adaptation at the Maxim Gorki Theatre, to a choreographic exploration of German pop culture at the Hebbel am Ufer, to a musical celebration of Turkish-German friendships – with a healthy amount of 90s nostalgia. Conjuring a vision of Berlin as a place of (dis-)connection, each of these productions – in its own way – asked how a city like Berlin can negotiate differences in experience while fostering a feeling of belonging.

This question of how to make a city approachable and equitable for all those living in it, was also taken up by the special exhibition Wir bleiben at the Humboldt Forum. Wir bleiben (We are staying) is a temporary addition to exhibition “Global Berlin”, which traces the multiple histories and cultures of the city. It’s a smaller exhibit dedicated to the recent developments of gentrification in the city and the social activists and artists, who are trying to fight for a fairer more equal life in the city by means of protest, collective organising, and artistic engagement. Through interviews and documentary videos, the exhibition documents their struggles for affordable living space and shares their hopes and dreams for a better Wohnungspolitik (rental politics) in Berlin.

Outside, in the city, we explored those districts particularly affected by gentrification: Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, and Neukölln. Strolling through the various Kieze (neighbourhoods), allowed us to see gentrification first-hand. Whether it was the difference between Oranienstraße and Bergmankiez in Kreuzberg – with one trying to hold re-developers at bay and the other having been transformed by national and international tourism, or the lure of Warschauer Straße on a Sunday morning, where locals and tourists can browse fleamarkets, go bouldering, or watch the party-goers dressed in leather and black either headed to the clubs or spilling back out onto the streets of Berlin after a night of dancing. Aided by a teaching resource for A-level geography students, which prompts students to observe the various states of gentrification in Prenzlauer Berg, we observed the various states of re-development – from graffitis to luxury renovation, from Eckneipe (corner pup) to trendy café, and from Straßenköter (mutt dog) to designer puppy.

No city-trip is complete without immersion into the local cuisine. Berlin’s multiculturalism is also reflected in its culinary offerings – as are the social and economic distinctions personal food choices produce. Trying our way through the various offerings, meant experiencing Berlin’s fusion of cultures in yet different ways: whether it was with the hour-long queue at the legendary Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab, a veggie-option of the Turkish classic (which we decided to forgo in favour of a more traditional Currywurst with a shorter waiting time) or the Aperitivo hour – complete with DJ-set – at the swanky museum bar on the area that used to be the Tacheles (a well-known artist squad forced to close in 2012). Nibbling and sipping our way through Berlin’s cuisine not only let us experience these different environments (and the people who frequent the various restaurants, bars and cafes), it also let us observe the multiple stratifications (between what’s considered local or foreign, traditional or a newer trend, and affordable and more expensive) that are produced by and markers of the performances of affluence driven forward by gentrification.