Berlin is considered the sanctuary for subculture in Europe but the German capital's development initiatives are threatening that honorary designation. City officials have turned to foreign investment and costly building projects as a way to clean up neighborhoods in the former East Berlin as locals protest and rising rents push them out.

One of the great draws of Berlin is its thriving arts and underground music scene. But increasingly, locals grumble that the German capital is going the way of Times Square. The latest battle is over a massive media building complex on the Spree River, which will force popular alternative hotspots to close to make way for office buildings and condo complexes. That is in spite of the fact that nearly 90 percent of the neighborhood residents voted against the project in a recent referendum; that the city's housing is plentiful and relatively cheap compared to other European capitals; and commercial space remains vacant at an astonishing rate.

Slug: Berlin-development

Date available for assignment: now

Time period for assignment: 6 days

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