☀️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!
High: 4°C | Low: 0.6°C
Chance of Rain: 10%
Sunrise: 7:59 AM | Sunset: 3:54 PM
Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Thursday, December 04 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 198 sources so you don't have to.
🫶 Witnessed an act of kindness lately? Berlin can be grey, but the people don’t have to be. Whether it was a stranger returning a lost wallet or a nice chat at the Späti, tell us about a small act of kindness you witnessed lately. Help us brighten the next newsletter by sharing it with the community. Tell us what you saw!
Got feedback? Write us at news@berlindaily.org. Let's dive in.
🇩🇪 Greens focus on affordable rents and better public transport
Berlin’s Green party has presented a 125‑page draft platform for the September 2026 Abgeordnetenhaus election under the slogan “Change politics, keep Berlin.” The program prioritizes housing, including stricter limits on holiday rentals, more support for housing cooperatives, and a “Affordable Rents Law” requiring large landlords to offer a share of flats at lower prices. (Tagesspiegel)
The housing push comes amid sharply rising asking rents in Berlin. The city’s median advertised rent reached 15.74 €/m² in 2024, a 12.5 % jump in one year and an 85 % rise since 2015, according to the Investitionsbank Berlin’s latest market report. New supply lags behind demand, with only 15,965 dwellings completed in 2023 for a population of 3.78 million. (Investitionsbank Berlin)
High rents are straining many household budgets. An analysis of microcensus data found that 43.8 % of Berlin households spend more than 30 % of their income on rent, a level social researchers view as financially risky. Around 220,000 households pay over 40 %, leaving little room for other living costs and increasing the risk of poverty. (Tagesschau)
The program signals that housing affordability and transport reliability will likely dominate Berlin’s 2026 campaign. These issues directly affect daily life for millions of residents. Nearly one in two Berlin renter households already crosses the 30 % rent‑to‑income threshold, underlining how central any effective “Affordable Rents Law” or transit upgrade will be for voters. (Tagesschau)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 97 fewer Kitas since 2023 | Berlin has shut 97 daycare sites from 2023 to 2025 as falling birthrates, higher rents, and child-based funding strain especially small providers. Demand shifts between inner-city and outer districts, leaving some Kitas under 80% capacity and financially vulnerable. A new daycare law from 2026 aims to improve staff ratios, stabilize 2,400 jobs, and enhance parental choice.
🇬🇧 Emergency aid for homeless: Cold weather buses and shelters | Berlin expects freezing temperatures, putting more than 6,000 homeless people at serious risk. Local groups, including Caritas and Berlin City Mission, outline practical help. Residents can offer hot drinks, call the cold weather bus (with consent), or volunteer in shelters. Donations of washed, intact warm clothing, large men’s shoes, sleeping bags, food, and money are especially needed.
🇬🇧 Deutsche Telekom hooks up Berlin data center to local district heating system | The project captures low-temperature waste heat from a Deutsche Telekom data center and upgrades it via a heat pump to supply about 65% of heating for 500 apartments in a 1970s complex. It connects through a 140-meter district heating pipe. The scheme illustrates Germany’s 2023 Energy Efficiency Act push to reuse data center heat nationwide.
🇬🇧 Fraught pension package passes CDU test vote | Young lawmakers in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU had threatened to sink a pension bill that fixes benefits at 48% of average income until 2031, with costs projected at €11 billion by then and up to €15 billion annually afterward. A strong internal test vote eases fears of a coalition collapse ahead of Friday’s decisive Bundestag vote.
🇩🇪 How the “German Stare” throws newcomers in Berlin off balance | Newcomers to Berlin often encounter the infamous "German Stare", an intense, prolonged eye contact that feels aggressive but is culturally benign. Unlike the friendly American smile, polite British avoidance, or respectful Japanese aversion, Berliners utilize a direct, neutral gaze. It’s not a threat; it’s simply a unique form of Prussian observational curiosity.
🇩🇪 Germany's energy transition is in danger of stalling. | German officials warn that climate targets risk slipping without faster action on renewables, grids, and transport. Germany must cut CO2 by 60% and raise renewables to 80% of power by 2030 (it is heading for 60%). Planned reforms include an updated Renewable Energy Act, new funding rules, and Contracts for Difference to stabilize green investment.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Around the World in 14 Films | November 28 - December 06, 2025 | €12 | An indie festival showcases 14 exceptional films from around the world. Filmmakers present world premieres and provoke fresh perspectives (from Cannes, Venice, Toronto and beyond).
🎟️ This weekend: Christmas Market in Alt-Rixdorf | December 05 to 07, 2025 | Free | A historic market restores old-Berlin charm with cobblestones and gas-lamp glow. Non-profit stalls sell handmade gifts and homemade treats. Children enjoy poems, pony rides and roaming costumed figures.
🎟️ This weekend: Christmas Market at the Berlin Animal Shelter | December 07, 2025 | Not yet known | A cozy holiday market benefits shelter animals. Visitors bring gifts and browse handmade goods (and books). Live music and mulled wine boost festive cheer. Children roast stick bread and hear fairy tales.
📚 The December Literary List | Looking for literary events in Berlin? This month’s issue covers 25+ English-language gatherings, including book launches, open mics, and a special end-of-year creative writing workshop. Get the full list from our partner, Berlin Literary Events.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Anyone else not getting applications on WG-Gesucht anymore? | Room listers worry if WG-Gesucht algorithm or market shifts cut applications.
🗣️ Rejections in Teufelsberg | Visitors debate asbestos risk at Teufelsberg, with pragmatic advice to avoid disturbing materials.
🗣️ 📚 Men's Reading Group 📚 | A men's book club in Kreuzberg fostering open, reflective conversations and mutual support.
🙂 The Bright Side of Berlin
Today’s recommendation comes from reader Charlie L., part of a volunteer group that has cleared over 3,000kg of waste from different areas across Berlin:
"We are Litter Pickers Berlin, a volunteer and social action group operating for 2.5 years. We clean all over Berlin, and we decide our next location by group vote. The group is a great way to socialize and give something back to the city. It is also extremely multicultural, accessible and easy to join."
You can find more info on their Instagram page here.
We are collecting stories of positivity, generosity, and unexpected kindness across the city. Tell us what you saw!
💡 Fun Fact: More than 30,000 gas street lamps still light Berlin’s streets – over half of all the gaslamps remaining in the world. The gentle glow of these 19th-century lamps gives many Berlin neighborhoods a nostalgic charm at night.
👋 That's a wrap! Thank you for reading.
Know someone who’d love this? Share the email or send them the URL.