ABSTRACT
Despite its frequently noted ‘exceptionalism’ (for a discussion see Cochrane and Jonas 1999), Berlin’s development after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall exemplifies many of the main trends shaping contemporary cities. In line with tendencies commonly associated with the dynamics of urbanisation under contemporary globalised capitalism—variously referred to as post-industrial, postmodern, post-Fordist, or more derogatively, as ‘neo-liberal urban restructuring’—Berlin’s economy has shifted away from manufacturing towards service and knowledge-based industries (Krätke 2004; Cochrane and Jonas 1999; Ward 2004). City politics has become the politics of growth and entrepreneurialism (Mayer 2006) while growing social inequality, poverty and the spatial segregation of poor and migrant populations have led to patterns of polarisation and deprivation previously unknown in Germany’s old and new capital (Häußermann and Kapphan 2000). While scholarly attention has focused on these and other related developments such as the physical reconstruction of the ‘New Berlin’, much less attention has been paid to other aspects of Berlin’s transformation from a divided into a united city. One such area is the role played by tourism in the city’s restructuring over the last two decades.
