Berlin: A City of Experimentation, Transformation and Communal Resilience
By Alice Priori, the Art of Hosting facilitator and the co-founder of CitizensLab e.V., a Berlin-based organisation driving deep systemic change across Europe
Berlin has long been a city of experimentation, transformation and social innovation. From its history as a site of radical political movements to its present-day reputation as a hub for startups, activism and cultural exploration, Berlin fosters an environment where alternative ways of living, working and organising emerge. The city's identity is deeply tied to its ability to evolve, allowing diverse communities to challenge norms and create new paradigms of engagement.
However, despite this rich history of openness and reinvention, recent developments have raised concerns about the city’s commitment to cultural diversity and freedom of expression. In December 2024, the Berlin Senate approved a €130 million reduction in arts, culture and diversity funding for 2025, amounting to a 12% budget cut that threatens the survival of numerous cultural institutions. Spaces like the Oyoun Cultural Centre, which had been a critical hub for intersectional and decolonial perspectives, were forced to shut down after their funding was abruptly terminated. Simultaneously, increasing censorship and political repression—particularly targeting Palestinian solidarity movements—have led to the silencing of artists, termination of contracts, and even bans on demonstrations, as documented by Archive of Silence, which amplifies silenced voices. As cultural spaces shrink and dissenting voices are silenced, the city risks dimming the very spark that has long fueled its spirit of resistance and reinvention.
The Role of Civil Society in Rebuilding the Social Fabric
In an era dominated by individualism and consumerism, civil society in Berlin plays a crucial role in repairing the torn social fabric. This requires more than one-time gatherings or short-term projects—it demands sustained efforts to build trust, relationships and networks of solidarity. A systemic approach is needed—one that brings together diverse sectors and actors to co-create ideas, prototype solutions and explore regenerative ways of living.
Building stronger relationships across multiple levels is essential for lasting transformation. By fostering nested systems of collaboration, local changemakers can create ripple effects, strengthening communal spaces and grassroots initiatives in neighborhoods and beyond. At the same time, these local movements must stay connected to broader European networks, ensuring that struggles for justice, inclusion and democracy extend beyond national borders.
Just as fractals—patterns that repeat at different scales in nature—demonstrate how small shifts can trigger profound transformations, so too can localised acts of resistance shape broader movements. By nourishing spaces for exchange, reflection and action both locally and at the European level, we keep the European project alive—not as a bureaucratic institution, but as a living web of friendships, strategic partnerships and collective action that transcends nation-states.
Expanding Our Capacity for Complexity
To foster belonging and ensure all voices are heard, civil society must engage in conversations that embrace complexity, paradoxes and deep listening. This requires moving beyond transactional engagements and practicing relationality, as discussed in Joyful Militancy, where relationships are not just a means to an end but the very foundation of social transformation. It is through this practice of deep connection that resistance can be both fierce and joyful, breaking away from rigid activism that replicates the very systems of control it seeks to dismantle.
Stories play a powerful role in this process. They allow us to hold multiple truths, to learn from one another’s lived experiences and to cultivate empathy across differences. A thriving civil society is one that embraces these diverse narratives—not as isolated struggles but as interwoven threads in a larger fabric of collective liberation.
Berlin offers inspiring examples of this relational work in action. Initiatives like S27—Kunst und Bildung provide creative spaces for young people from diverse backgrounds to critically engage with social issues through art. Refugio Berlin, a co living and community space in Neukölln, challenges exclusionary housing policies by bringing refugees and locals together. Additionally, the Casino for Social Medicine serves as a collectively run bar that doubles as a social clinic, offering performances, mutual aid and a space for community engagement. These projects remind us that systemic change isn’t just about policy—it’s about how we live, relate and organise in daily life.
Hospicing the Old, Making Space for the New
One of the most important tasks of civil society today is hospicing the dominant systems that no longer serve us. This work is about recognising that many of our institutions—governments, corporations, even NGOs—are still structured around mechanistic, extractive ways of thinking. Instead of resisting their collapse, we must support them in composting what is obsolete, learning from past failures while making space for new, regenerative models to emerge. We also have to unlearn the internalised entitlement, the hostility to differences, the dependence on institutionalised violence and exploitation, so we have to unlearn white supremacy and privilege.
Berlin is already a laboratory for these regenerative experiments. The Regenerative Cultures Community of Practice, initiated by CitizensLab e.V., explores how diverse actors of change—artists, activists, researchers and grassroots projects—can integrate a living systems worldview, challenge power dynamics, decolonise the self and cultivate cultures of care in their work. Similarly, Collective Care Berlin focuses on embedding a culture of care within activism, countering burnout and exhaustion with practices that sustain long-term engagement. These initiatives demonstrate that the future is not just something to fight for—it is something to live into, day by day. What we are after is a process, “the growth of creativity, struggle, experimentation, and collective power”.
A Commitment to Cross-Pollination and Collective Action
Berlin’s civil society stands at a crossroads. To keep the city a space of radical imagination, solidarity and transformation, we must strengthen networks, deepen relationships and nurture regenerative cultures. That’s why CitizensLab e.V. is excited to collaborate with the emerging Berlin Hub, initiated by the Civil Society Forum. As a network rooted in cross-sectoral collaboration, CitizensLab brings together diverse communities—cross-pollinating ideas, building alliances and co-creating meaningful change. Through this partnership, we aim to cultivate spaces where activists, artists and engaged citizens can come together— through storytelling, performances, interactive workshops and participatory formats that foster collaboration and collective action.
Yet, the paradox of urban life remains: while cities like Berlin bring together diverse communities, they also produce deep fragmentation and isolation. Gentrification, economic pressures and political repression threaten the very spaces where social movements take root. In response, civil society must continue creating spaces of resistance and renewal—where activists, students, cultural workers and grassroots organisers can connect, exchange knowledge and build shared struggles. Transforming cities into living ecosystems of solidarity requires long-term commitment, deep collaboration and a willingness to challenge dominant structures.
This is the vision behind the Berlin Hub—a space for co-creation, reflection and action. By fostering dialogue across movements and sectors, it will help weave stronger connections between communities and amplify grassroots efforts.
In this moment of crisis and possibility, the role of civil society is clear: to resist, to reimagine and to regenerate—ensuring that Berlin remains a beacon of communal resilience, experimentation and transformation.
This text represents the author's views and may not reflect the position of the Civil Society Forum e.V.