Subcultural space through the adaptive cycle – Resistance and commodification in Berlin Kreuzberg SO36

Abstract

Urban transformation is commonly interpreted through processes of capital accumulation, gentrification, and displacement, while less attention has been paid to the temporal trajectories of subcultural spaces and their changing relationship with commodification. This study examines whether Holling’s adaptive cycle provides a useful analytical framework for interpreting these transformations in Berlin’s Kreuzberg SO36. The research combines literature and document analysis with fieldwork conducted during four visits between 2023 and 2025, including systematic site observation and photographic documentation, supplemented by focused microinterviews. Three symbolically significant sites – the Georg von Rauch Haus, M99, and Cuvrybrache – are examined as contrasting trajectories of subcultural spatial production. The findings show that these spaces can be interpreted through different phases of the adaptive cycle, characterized by changing configurations of potential, connectedness, and resilience. The cases further demonstrate that the accumulation of cultural and symbolic value can simultaneously strengthen subcultural spaces and increase their susceptibility to institutionalization and economic appropriation. However, these trajectories are not deterministic: legalization may constrain autonomy while supporting persistence, whereas displacement and redevelopment produce different outcomes. The study demonstrates the value of the adaptive cycle as a qualitative heuristic for interpreting the non-linear transformation of contested urban spaces.