transactions. There was no overarching strategy or common procedure guiding land disposition. Land transactions also lacked transparency. Only insiders had access to information about the specific characteristics of land parcels or agencies’ intention to sell them. More than 30 different offices in the state government served as contact points for approving or delaying land sales.

Berlin did have the advantage of a comprehensive Land Register that identified legal ownership of public properties as well as site dimensions. However, the Land Register was not published for public access, and was not organized so as to link economically connected parcels.

**Policy Mandate and Institutional Arrangements.** Liegenschaftsfonds was created by an act of the state Parliament in 2001.  The policy mandate given it by Parliament was to collaborate with state government agencies to identify surplus state property and dispose of it in an orderly manner that supported the physical development plans of Berlin.  The financial goal was to generate revenue from land sales that could be returned to the state treasury.  An initial block of lands was transferred to Liegenschaftsfonds (the Fund) as surplus property to be managed for disposition.  Procedures were set in place for identifying and transferring further property to the Fund, after an updated inventory was completed.

The general policy context was Parliament’s determination that the state government held too much public land. Agencies were required by law to identify parcels not being used for current or planned service provision, and to designate these as surplus properties eligible for disposal.

The Fund is organized as a 100% publicly owned company, with a governance structure similar to private companies in Germany. It has a Supervisory Board appointed by the government. The Supervisory Board is composed of members knowledgeable about real estate and intergovernmental relations.

Two policies built into the Fund’s design distinguish its workings. First, the Fund is mandated to sell property at full market value, except when parcels are being allocated for public use. The latter represent less than 5% of total transactions. Second, the potential for conflict between the state government and local boroughs was recognized and addressed from the outset. Most of the properties sold by the Fund are destined for more intensive development, placing infrastructure and service demands on the boroughs where redevelopment takes place. To protect against overburdening the boroughs, all properties are sold by the Fund are subject to local (borough) planning, density, and zoning restrictions. Further, between 10% and 15% of sale proceeds, depending upon transaction, are allocated to the borough. These funds typically are used by the boroughs to help finance the infrastructure costs associated with more intensive development.

**Inventory.** The Fund has modernized its land inventory and made it accessible to the public.  A user can access by internet a map showing all of the land parcels held by the Fund throughout the State of Berlin.  The user then can zero in on individual parcels to find exact site dimensions, site use, details of buildings on the site, and relation to nearby streets, metro, and other

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