Implementing proximity planning under constraint: The case of Kiezblocks in Berlin

• A real-world application of the Superblock model in a German context. • Empirical analysis based on participatory planning workshops and administrative collaboration. • A critical reflection on spatial legitimacy, procedural design, and urban governance. • Integration of citizen input and traffic diagnostics to meet legal requirements for traffic calming. • Comparative insights from London and Barcelona highlight proximity planning as a contested field. This article investigates the implementation of proximity-oriented mobility planning through the lens of the Kiezblock initiative in Berlin. Drawing on empirical data from participatory workshops, spatial conflict mapping, and administrative procedures, the study analyzes how local authorities translate citizen input and observational data into actionable traffic calming interventions modelled after the Superblock approach. The Berlin case exemplifies how participatory planning gains traction when embedded in institutional frameworks and complemented by legal justification strategies under the German Road Traffic Regulations. The findings reveal a hybrid planning logic that combines civic co-production with evidence-based validation to address the structural constraints of German mobility governance. Comparative insights from London and Barcelona further contextualize the Kiezblock experience, highlighting four key dimensions of contestation: procedural legitimacy, social equity, institutional embedding, and symbolic scale. Across all cases, proximity planning emerges not as a technocratic optimization tool, but as a politically contested process shaped by competing imaginaries, administrative limitations, and divergent stakeholder interests. The article concludes that successful proximity planning requires not only spatial and participatory innovation, but also adaptive governance frameworks capable of navigating institutional inertia and managing urban conflict. By triangulating citizen knowledge with observational evidence, the Kiezblock experience highlights transferable governance principles that may inform proximity planning in other contexts facing similar regulatory and institutional constraints.