Testing the Social Framework for Projects: the social impacts of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg

We test the usefulness of the ‘Social Framework for Projects’ and its eight categories (people, community, culture, livelihoods, infrastructure, housing, environment, and land) by examining the social impacts arising from siting the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in the village of Grünheide, Germany. By creating thousands of jobs, this electric automobile manufacturing plant has brought economic development to a previously disadvantaged region. New roads, cycle paths, and improved train and bus connections have increased accessibility between Grünheide and Berlin, and within the region. However, construction of the Tesla Gigafactory has also had many negative impacts, including destruction of forests and loss of wildlife habitat, concerns about pollution and loss of groundwater, construction nuisance and annoyance, and anger about how the project was approved. Although many potential negative social impacts–e.g. project-induced in-migration (influx) and increased demand on services–have been minimised by facilitating commuting from Berlin, many protest actions against the project have occurred. Overall, we found that the Social Framework for Projects was an effective tool for considering the social impacts of projects. Although the Social Framework was originally designed for use in a developing country context, it can also be used in advanced industrial nations.