Max Hirsh is a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was a project consultant for CES Berlin for three years and assisted Abby Collins in establishing the office and program. Max returns to Berlin regularly, and is conducting his research on the intersection of geographic and social mobility as well as the role of cultural institutions in urban redevelopment.

What is your favorite line to ride on the UBahn/SBahn? Why?

During the years of division, West Berliners used to complain about "Mauerfieber" -- wall fever, which basically connoted the peculiar sense of claustrophobia derived from living in a city enclosed on all sides by a three-meter-high wall. Transportation and mobility issues became very important, since any changes in the travel rules governing access to and within the city had a palpable impact on daily life. In that vein, the subway served a number of purposes. On the one hand, there were lines operated by the West that ran underneath downtown East Berlin without stopping at the defunct stations along the way. These served as a constant reminder to commuters of the weirdness inherent in living in a divided city. On the other hand, the subway also helped West Berliners escape the dreariness of central Berlin by transporting them to the leafy lakes and forests in the outer districts. A quick dip in the Schlachtensee was definitely one of the most effective cures for wall fever.

What does the Berlin subway represent to you?

I spent a lot of time as a kid riding the subway. It's how I got to know Berlin. That experience has undoubtedly colored the way I approach all cities. The first thing I do when I arrive in an unfamiliar place is memorize the subway map. After that, everything else is easy.

Do you think it is a good idea to take time off, as you did, between finishing your undergraduate degree and starting graduate school?

Definitely! Taking time off helped me to think about the practical applications of what I had learned, and to realize that there are many, many alternatives to school. It was also a great experience to work in Europe and learn how to bridge the gap between the continents in a professional setting. And, last but certainly not least, I met my husband, which I think would have been a lot harder to do if I had stayed in Cambridge.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood in Berlin? What draws you to that neighborhood--architecture, clubs, green space, urban life?

Hmm, that's also a tough question, since there are so many great neighborhoods. But I guess I'd have to choose Schoeneberg, since that's where I lived for most of the past five years. Right off the bat: it's definitely not as hip as some of the districts in the Eastern half of the city. But having spent so much time in Harvard Square, where almost everyone seemed to belong to the the same age group and socioeconomic bracket, it was important to me to live in a very diverse neighborhood. Summer evenings on Winterfeldtplatz, when everyone young and old comes out for their evening stroll, is the best time to observe this. Also, as a foreigner living in the city, it was nice to hear so many different languages (Turkish, Russian, Italian, Arabic, Polish...) being spoken on my walk home from the subway every night.