Slogan "Light, air and sun"
This auspicious slogan brought together reform-oriented planners and architects at the beginning of the 20th century. Their goal of "light, air and sun" meant creating a healthy living space in an unconstrained, green environment. This architecture was designed to eliminate the misery in the often crowded, dark and stuffy rear courtyards of tenement blocks. "Light, air and sun" often turns up in discussions about Modernist 1920s housing, and is closely related to models of public parks and reform housing. Many of these ideas influenced the design of the gardens, green spaces and open areas of Berlin's World Heritage housing estates. These estates outdid the New Building standards of other European hubs, thanks to the efforts of landscape architects Ludwig Lesser and Leberecht Migge, who served as chief planners. Both men helped to lay out two of the city’s six World Heritage housing estates, and they ensured that their designs were highly practical – to promote social contact in the community, and to grow fruit and vegetables.
