About Billy by Oto Novacek

BILLSTRASSE: A PLACE OF ARRIVAL AND EMPOWERMENT

ABOUT BILLY Visit Billy online.

AUGUST 2016

Billstrasse: A Place Of Arrival And Empowerment HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany M.Sc. Urban Design Urban Design Project 2: Parapolis (Upgrade) August 2016 Lecturers: Prof. Bernd Kniess Prof. Dr. Alexa FĂ¤rber Marieke Behne Dominique Peck

Editorial Billstraße_a place of arrival and empowerment

Nearly every large city nowadays has a district or quarter where foreigners or migrants form the majority. Too often, though, they are perceived as a nuisance even when only little might actually be known about the local everyday practices. As a consequence, politicians and urban planners run the risk of making uninformed decisions that have a severe impact on the lives of many.1 It is simply false to assume that such places are the mere sum of its parts as they, in all reality, come with great enabling powers and equip particularly migrants with various means to live an active life and, thereby, to fully arrive in countries like Germany.2 In general, migrants have different means to self-induce their individual arrival, Billstrasse presents itself as one option. Amidst warehouses, secondhand shops, and an overall outlandish air Billstrasse provides what is missing in the urban fabric. You might have heard from it, many people in Hamburg have not. It forms a place of arrival and empowerment and as such, we propose, it should form the basis for further decision making in future urban developments. After having heard a lot, but not quiet enough, about this ominous street in the East of Hamburg in the context of a previous urban design project we decided to pick up the research and to delve deeper into the everyday practices of Billstrasse.3 Particularly, the local informal economies had caught our attention. So, in the course of five months, we collected data by repeatedly going into the field, speaking to several informants, making detailed and lengthy observations, interviewing a number of stakeholders in and outside of Billstrasse, reading up on existing literature and participating in its daily urban choreographies. We soon wondered why and how the informal practices that we encountered have come about and why they seemed to accumulate, out of all places, in Billstrasse. It appears that the mélange of informality paired with migrants represents more than just a means of income. In fact, it endows migrants with a certain level of agency which empowers them to pursuit a better life. Billstrasse, thus, fulfills a variety of functions that can be summed up in the term “arrival”.

to arrive; to reach a place, to come into existence, to be born, to achieve success or recognition, to reach the shore after a voyage.4 For anyone who arrives in Hamburg, Billstrasse offers the chance to live a life that is self-induced and dignified because it can open the doors to upward social mobility. This way, Billstrasse presents itself as a potential solution to the problematic question as to how to deal with the challenges that come with the increasing migration flows in Europe. Only in 2015, over 60.000 refugees arrived in Hamburg alone, of which around 22.000 stayed.5 So, how can migrants reach a status where they can be perceived as equal by society and, thus, truly become part of a parapolis as outlined by Markus Terkessidis?6 Billstrasse responds with bottom-up self-empowerment as opposed to top-down programs who seek similar goals but apply a different approach. The benefits of a bottom-up approach are found in one’s ability to take something into one’s own hands. To lead an active life can, therefore, be perceived as a recipe for self-empowerment that fulfills most people with great satisfaction and can be associated with the feeling of arrival. With this publication, we want to stimulate the debate on what role places of arrival and empowerment play in European cities and how they can contribute to the overall urban fabric. Perhaps, Billstrasse could function as an exemplary role model for other places in and outside of Hamburg as we can learn from Billstrasse to what extent it is important (or not important) to create places that provide opportunities of arrival and empowerment for migrants of all sorts. The learnings from Billstrasse can then be used as a blueprint on a local or even global scale, either as a means to detect or to create places of arrival. So allow us to introduce to you: Billstrasse a.k.a. Billy. Note: Some of the information in this publication is highly sensitive and should be treated with utmost discretion. All names mentioned in this issue have been changed in order to protect the identities of our informants unless consent was explicitly given. We have also altered the exact position of selected locations.

produced by

Rebekka Keuss (26) Half German, half Taiwanese. People tend to ask her where she is from which has often served as an ice breaker. With a B.A. in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology, she has a natural interest in different ways of living which she likes to explore on lengthy stays abroad, such as Ecuador and South Africa. Generally, she is drawn to the global South because she feels those are the areas most misunderstood.

Oto Novacek (24) A Slovak „Ausländer“ in Hamburg. He has already finished his B.Sc. in Architecture and Urban Planning. During his studies, he took part in several projects revolving around participation and subaltern urbanism, for example, in Slovakia, Turkey, Germany and Belgium. While trying to understand simple life, he mainly focuses on self-development and participation as a tool for urban transformation.

Her first contact with the field of research involved the search for a bike and a photographer friend who took tons of images.

His first contact with the field of research involved an older lady running a snack bar or „Imbiss“. In hardly understandable German she encouraged him to try to speak German as well.

// German. Taiwanese. Anthropologist. Food enthusiast. Language acrobat. Passionate cyclist. Realistic and naive.

// Slovak. White. Communicative. Just right. Short hair for all days to come. Sometimes joker. Smiling.

Jonas Becker (27) During his B.Sc. in Urban Planning he has participated in various projects on unique urban obscurities from Israel and Ethiopia over Finland to Portugal. While he is trying not to infect himself with worm diseases in the field, he is especially interested in the transformation processes of urban life in conflict areas. His first personal contact and step into the field of research involved bargaining over a half-broken bike with one of the shop keepers. He eventually got it for 13 Euros. He likes coming back for Iranian ice-cream which has somehow become a tradition.

// German. White. Talkative. Tall. Currently with long hair. Appears younger than he is. Smiling.

TABLE OF CONTENT INTRO

DERIVE THIS IS BILLY

8 8 10 10

ANALYSIS INITIAL SITUATION SPATIAL DIMENSIONS APPROPRIATION GERMAN BUREAUCRACY TRANSFORMATION SHOPS PRODUCTS

14 16 20 22 25 24 30 44

TABLE OF CONTENT

TRADING

47 46

WORKING AS A DAY LABORER HOUSING FOOD & THE COMMUNITY PEOPLE

49 50 57 56 68 79 78

CONCLUSION LEARNINGS URBAN DEVELOPMENT A PLACE OF ARRIVAL AND EMPOWERMENT SCENARIO

NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY

92 94

80 82 84 88

INTRO

Derive - A First Impression Of Billstrasse

Leaving the city center on your bike heading East, you ride along the Elbe river and pass large grey highways which are busy with all kinds of traffic, polluting the air and making it hard to hear the music coming from your headphones. More and more concrete, brick and steel crosses your view and you only meet very few people on your way to your final destination: Billstrasse. Once you enter Rothenburgsort, things start to calm down a little bit. The roads become smaller, you can see trees again, there are people using the boardwalk, you might even pass a small park, a church, a few shops and a metro stop. The people you meet on the street look like they work as craftsmen rather than as lawyers and brokers and, judging from the words you catch, they might not be German at all. Either way, this place feels different than other places in Hamburg’s city center and this is where you will find Billstrasse. You will most likely enter Billstrasse from its West entrance, passing a fairly large intersection where cars, trucks and buses wait for the green light. When you get there during the day you will think that it looks like any other street in an industrial area and you might wonder why there are so many pedestrians around, clearly heading towards or coming from Billstrasse. The condition of the street and its boardwalks on both sides look run down in comparison to other streets in Hamburg but you see many, many cars in Billstrasse. They are either parked in seemingly random locations or drive past you at a frightening speed, causing a lot of noise due to the cobblestone below them. You cannot make out the end of the street, it is simply too far away. What you can see, though, are the many signs in unpretentious designs, screaming for attention off the warehouses’s walls that you pass while you walk down Billstrasse. Many say “Import Export” and something something. You see lots of pallets, tires, containers and, in general, industrial material lying around. The boardwalk is lined with people of non-German origin, some wearing traditional clothing that stem from African or Asian cultures. If you are white you might feel out of place as you get the impression to be part of a minority group in this street. You will hear only very little German spoken around you and some of the products sold here might look foreign.

When you walk further and look behind the walls of the properties to your right and left you will come across very unfamiliar sights that are very hard to compare to any other places in Hamburg if comparable at all: there are old sofas and tables lined up in front of the entrances, fridges, used mattresses, washing machines and stacks of bicycles piled up on top of each other, old radios, carpets, porcelain sets and paintings assembled on giant shelves. All of these objects are on display for sale. It appears you can buy anything here. But you will not only find secondhand goods in Billstrasse. Also brand new products are sold here, especially electronics and kitchen utensils, many labeled with “Made in China”. Most of the shops are located at the West entrance of Billstrasse. The further you walk down the street the more scattered the shops become while there are fairly long stretches with no shops in sight at all. Instead, you walk by warehouses, office buildings or simply empty or vacant plots. Inside the shops that you enter it does not always seem clear who is the owner, who is merely working there and who is just another costumer. You will either have to wait until you are approached by the owner or ask your way around. The whole street has a bazar-like or flea market atmosphere, naturally you are prompted to practice your haggling skills, but beware, the shop owners know how to haggle, too. After a while, if you are on foot, you start to tire out. It is a very long street, incredible straight and seemingly endless. You might want to take a break and you head directly for the only option in Billstrasse that looks somewhat like a café. You sit down, have coffee with some pastry for a fairly cheap price and decide to return to the beginning of the street. To save yourself some time and to give your feet a little bit of rest, too, you decide to take the bus back, even though you would get off after only two stops. As you wait for the bus, you sit down on one of the large rocks placed next to the bus stop (while wondering how and why these rocks were placed there in the first place). They feel nicely warm from the sun. The bus arrives soon after and it is not difficult to find a vacant seat although the bus is not particularly empty either. The bus takes you back up the road within a few minutes what took you at least half an hour to walk down. Then you are off to the city center again, leaving the otherworldly sphere behind you as you approach Hamburg’s inner city again.

THIS IS BILLY General Information

With a population of 1.7 million inhabitants and an estimated number of 1.9 million in 2020, Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and, as such, it attracts all kinds of life forms.1 The city of Hamburg boasts with various different environments and ways of living - just as any city of a certain size in the world does. Often, certain environments repeat themselves within one city and thereby draw a kind of pattern in the urban fabric. Billstrasse, however, represents an anomaly in Hamburg‘s urban fabric. It appears to be an oasis where a number of certain actors and settings create an ambiance that is one of a kind, potentially even beyond the borders of Hamburg. Billstrasse, however, represents an anomaly in Hamburg‘s urban fabric. Located in the East of Hamburg, in the Rothenburgsort district, Billstrasse sits in a commercial industrial and warehouse area.2 Only few green spaces exist although the Elbe river is not far away, the train and metro tracks to the South of Billstrasse separate it from the closest residential area. The street itself is a predominantly linear road of about 2.5 kilometers. At first glance, Bill-

strasse seems very disorienting, chaotic and difficult to categorize, yet, if one takes a closer look at the hustle and bustle going on the street, in the shops, and behind the walls, one quickly understands that in particular the economic structures found at Billstrasse are highly organized, interconnected and ‘thick’. Within the past decades, the transformations of Billstrasse have also been strongly tied to the local businesses and their developments. Currently, Billstrasse houses a number of shops and companies more often than not related to the import and export of secondhand goods. In addition to that, for a number of years now, a strikingly high number of foreigners, in particular of Afghan and sub-Saharan descent, have begun to mingle in Billstrasse in order to pursuit a variety of activities. For many of them, Billstrasse represents a space where they can satisfy certain needs that cannot be catered to elsewhere and/or otherwise. It is a place that equips its predominantly male users with a certain agency in various ways.

Intro

Historical Background Rothenburgsort used to be a workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; housing quarIn the aftermath of the war, Rothenburgsort was declater with tenement houses. The built environment was red an off-limit zone but soon after small businesses further very much determined by the various crafts and production plants began to repurpose and, thus, practiced by its inhabitants. All of this was destroyed revive the area again. This, however, did not happen during World War II in 1943 when air raids decimated according to a large-scale urban redevelopment plan, the number of local residents significantly and left the rather the area appeared to have been forgotten or to the city centre (3 066m to Jungfernstieg) area in an irreparable condition. neglected by the public authorities. It had merely been agreed upon that the area was not to be rebuilt as a mixed use area for residential and industrial purposes but it should exclusively be used for commercial and office buildings only. Today, both the heterogeneity of the buildings and the diversity of appropriations thereof make up Billstrasseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique character.3

HamburgRothenburgsort

Billstrasse

Housing a

totothe (3066m km totoJungfernstieg) the city city center centre (3 Jungfernstieg)

Billstrasse

Housing areas

Industrial areas

EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENTEXCHANGE EXCHANGE Ironically, righttonext to CynicallyI am I amlocated right next entrance of Billstrasse. Those who are allowed to work Billstraße. If I can impart jobs to inBillstraße Germanythe visitarea me, will the others to in benefitgo more Billstrasse. future.

Here you people who are Here, one are can meeting meet people in search of quick way of finding asearching quick wayfor to finding a temporary job. a temporarily Located next to green Right next tojob. a few green spots and some spot andallsome German, benches, sorts ofbenches, people from various Europeanen and here refugees from countries sit or stand during the day various areopportunity sitting in and in order tocountries wait for a job standing at day-time for a mostly job Billstrasse. offer in Billstraße.

S21 - ROTHENBURGSORT METRO STATION - ROTHENBURGSORT the citywithwith IConnecting connect Rothenburgsort the restthe of south-east it will take a person to go to the city. It only takes 6 minutes from here central six minutes. The close to get to station central station. Thanks to the connection is a leading argument for good infrastructure the city is developing the city to develop further housing and more housing and is trying to attract more industry to projects this area.in the south-east. industrial

AFRICANCULTURAL CULTURE CENTER CENTER AFRICAN Tugged A bitaway between hidden secondbetween hand shops, visitors arevisitors always are second-hand shops welcome to relax, eat, or to chat. always welcome to relax, eat or Run by a 50 year old connect. Runned by lady a 50from year old Ghana, theGhana culturalcalled meeting pointthe lady from Erika is mainly meeting frequentedpoint by African cultural is mainly workers. Augustworkers 2016 it and attractedSince by African has movedFrom to another location investors. August 2016inthe Hamburg. ACC will move to Altona.

HIGH-RISE BUILDING HIGH-RISE BUILDING My roofallows allowsyou you to overview My roof to overview the entire area of Billstrasse and the complete area of Billstraße. beyond. Even Ithough represent of Even though am a Ilandmark a landmark in inside this neighborhood, I the hood my is very parceconsist of various shops on ground led into various functions as level, some artistic showrooms in shops on the ground level, artistic the second/third floor and apartshowrooms in the second or third ments in between. My functions floor and living in between. vary a lot.

WASIM‘S SHOP WASIMS SHOP I am located between various My shop is in shops between various secondhand whoofdisplay other outdoor shops. Im originally their products outdoors. My from Afghanistan B-Proowner is from Iranand and sell he sells ducts, mainly kitchen accessoires B-Grade products, e.g. kitchen toutensils, customers bigger sclae or in hisinshop but mostly online. online.

Intro

RENOVATED HOSTEL RENOVATED BUILDINGS The house is sited in the centre of The building is located in the center Billstraße and is one of the unique of Billstrasse and is one of the few brick houses in the street. Entebrick houses in the street. By the ring the building shoes, a smell of entrance, a pile of shoes, smells of cooked food and private stuff is cooked food and a few private obgiving the visitor the an impression of jects give visitors impression to an university dormitory. There be inside a dormitory. A number of seven rooms in the second rooms on the second floor canfloor be inhabited by two persons rented out for 300€/month,each eitherfor 300€/month. individually or shared.

industries industry second handshops secondhand new products shops logistics logistics housing housing

food food places research places of places research impressions impressions

PUBLICSPACE PLACE PUBLIC I ama green area area in thein Easter part part of I am small green the Eastern Billstraße. Normally I would be a recreof Billstrasse. Under other circumstances, Iational could be a recreational spot next toand Dat spot next to ‚Backhus‘ Sparhus and Schlemmerkiste now I I ‚Schlemmerkiste‘ but at the but moment am a public because am merely more used as toilet a public toilet there du to are public toilets in Billstrasse. the not lackenough of restrooms.

ASIF‘S SHOP ASIF MySHOP father and I are running a My secondhand father and shop. me Our are range running a second-hand shopeverything for electronics and includes almost but we we mostly are fulfilling our dreambicycles of our own sell electronics, and business. though furniture.Even We work hard the and working long conditions are bad, allows us hours but thisa isbithow ouritfamily can former to develop ourself haverefugees a good life.

VOLVO VOLVO amone oneofofthe thelarger newer bigger compaI Iam companies located sitting on more wirderplot place. innies Billstrasse. I sita on a bigger than most others do.

ANALYSIS Initial Situation

WEST

commercial hubs - open to the public

EAST

warehouses, ofďŹ ces and logistics - not open to the public

housing

food and culture

Officially set in an industrial area, the official uses of Billstrasse are strictly business-related. Only a few decades ago, the street used to be dominated by the wood industry, however, its last offshoot, Theodor Nagel GmbH & Co. KG, closed its doors in 2011 after dubious trading of protected types of wood was discovered in the company.1 Only one wood workshop has remained in Billstrasse, namely Penting HolzmĂśbel und Design, a small business that produces custom-made furniture.

traded in Billstrasse. Also shops that sell brand new products, often produced in China, have settled down. Furthermore, there are shops that have specialized on selling B-Grade goods, some selling them in not only in their shops but also online. Though there are only few in number, consumption places have set up their shop in Billstrasse as well, i.e. in general food places in the shape of snack bars and restaurants. They mostly cater to the local work force, costumers and visitors of Billstrasse.

Today, Billstrasse houses a number of different companies of various scales, from small businesses to wholesale dealers. The sale of secondhand goods that range from small objects and collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s items to large utility objects is the most prevalent business on Billstrasse. Fittingly, a number of logistics companies are located within the same street of which some benefit from the export of the secondhand goods sold virtually next door. But there are not only secondhand goods

Finally, there are number of places where people can find permanent or temporary housing. There are a few places where one can rent a room. They are often booked on a monthly basis, especially by construction workers and service technicians. But also students have an interest in these rooms. Being located in an industrial area, permanent housing is usually strictly forbidden, nonetheless, a number of people have moved into apartments on Billstrasse.

Parallel Street to Billstrasse (Grossmannstrasse)

Analysis

Rhythms Of Billstrasse Although Billstrasse is technically and legally not a shopping street as, for instance, Mönckebergstraße, Große Bergstraße, or other shopping streets in Hamburg, it attracts crowds of people according to the opening times of the local companies and shops as it is the case in predominant commercial areas. This leads to the fact that Billstrasse follows very different rhythms. From Monday to Saturday most of the shops open from around 9 AM and the last shops close around 7 PM so this is when most visitors and workers flock to Billstrasse. They dominate the street as pedestrians or using vehicles, create a lively, market-like atmosphere that is accompanied by the sounds of conversations held in foreign languages, hardworking laborers and other vehicles passing by. Outside the commercial hours of Billstrasse, i.e. mostly during nighttime, the street is deserted and, therefore, appears empty and hollow. The traffic calms down tremendously and the area is covered in silence compared to the level of noise during the day, mostly caused by the passing vehicles. Billstrasse becomes a very quiet place and might appear slightly frightening in the dark at night. One of the few places that remain open after working hours is the Schlemmerkiste (see chapter on FOOD & THE COMMUNITY) as it is has become a meeting place for the Nigerian community to share food, drinks, and to have conversations. Once the shops and companies close, however, almost everyone leaves Billstrasse and the road becomes a deserted industrial area only to be revived again when the first companies and shops open again the next day unless it is a Sunday (on Sundays the shops and companies remain closed). The bakery company Dat Backhus,

Billstrasse

Noise Pollution on Billstrasse (>55 dB)3 Noise Pollution on Billstrasse (>55 dB)

Daytime Daytime

Nighttime Nighttime

Source: GeoPortal Hamburg

which has its production plant on Billstrasse, already opens their local shop Dat Sparhus at 4 AM and, thus, revives the street slightly with its employees and customers in the early morning hours again. As Yvonne Siegmund already stated in her work Rothenburgsorte nobody ends up being in the Rothenburgsort district by accident. One does not simply happen to be in Rothenburgsort but one always comes with a specific purpose because otherwise one has no reason to be there - so her argument.2 Billstrasse presents itself as a place where her theory is applicable, as well, particularly with regard to the rhythms encountered in this street. Different people are drawn to Billstrasse for various reasons, yet they mostly revolve around the businesses found in Billstrasse and, therefore, heavily depend on their opening times.

SPATIAL DIMENSION Moving To, On and From Billstrasse x

The main

4 km to the train station main train station

4km

B75

TRANSPORT / INFRASTRUCTURE In Hamburg, Billstrasse is centrally located and it enjoys various options of public transport. The metro lines S21 and S2 at Rothenburg and Tiefstack station connect Billstrasse with the rest of Hamburg in a quick and convenient manner, though, the coverage is critical around 1 to 4 AM. The bus lines 160, 154 and 160 additionally form convenient alternatives to the metro network and drive directly through Billstrasse itself. The buses stop at the bus stations Billstrasse, Billstrasse 133, Billstrasse 185 and Billstrasse (Mitte) and run mostly during daytime, at night it is similar difficult to catch a bus as it is the case with the metro lines.

In addition to public transport, Billstrasse is easily accessible via car and, up to a certain extent, by foot. The A1 runs in the South of Billstrasse, about 10-15 minutes driving distance, as well as the B5 to the North and the B75 to the West of Billstrasse, both only a 5 minute drive away. The highways quickly connect car drivers with Hamburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall road network. About 4 kilometers separate Billstrasse from the main train station in the city center of Hamburg on foot, which is not an impossible distance to overcome as a pedestrian, although, most people would probably prefer not to walk this far.

As a third option, there is a StadtRAD station (i.e. city bicycles that are open to the public) at the Billstrasse/ Billhorner Deich station, which is also another indicator for Billstrasseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centrality as the StadtRAD network, at the moment, mainly covers highly frequented central spots within the metropolitan area of Hamburg, albeit the network is constantly expanding. In comparison, popular but less central districts, like Blankenese for instance, do not have a StadtRAD station so far.

Analysis

DISTANCES TO POINTS OF INTEREST Rothenburgsort lacks a number of amenities, however, several amenities and points of interest for the actors of Billstrasse lie within close proximity due to its central location. Otherwise, they are well-connected via different means of transport. One of the important aspects is that Billstrasse is easily accessible from where the actors spend most of their time. In most cases, this refers to their homes (e.g. the shelters near the main train station, Veddel, Reeperbahn, Bergedorf or Niendorf).

In other cases, this refers to where the actors work or study (e.g. various construction sites around Hamburg or universities). Furthermore, the centrality of Billstrasse plays a vital role with regard to the secondhand shops in Billstrasse and their trading businesses. Contracted shipping companies and the temporary storage of containers before they are being shipped and exported, as well as local authorities, such as customs, need to be easily accessible and preferably nearby.

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Polyfunctional use Trade in (living & trade) the backyard

Polyfunctional use (living & trade)

Appropriation of public space

Pedestrians and cyclists Business in Parking cellar

Trade in the backyard

Appropriation of public space

Trafﬁc

Pedestrians and cyclists Parking Grocery store

Former ofﬁce building

MOVING AROUND ON BILLSTRASSE

the fewer pedestrians one will encounter. Often, customers simply drive down the road to enter other shops of interest due to the length of the road. Those who do not own a car resort to walking or riding a bicycle. For lack of bike lanes and due to poor road conditions, the cyclists stay on the boardwalks and, therefore, need to share their space with pedestrians. Generally, cyclists slow down to walking pace. Also, in many cases, cyclists do not adhere to the rule of driving on the right During the day, the road is busy with continuous traffic Backyard Former ofﬁce Walkway Street Walkway Former storage Backyard hand side, which, however, does not seem to disturb and it barely ebbs down to zero, nonetheless, this cirbuilding anyone. cumstance causes only very few traffic jams. Every now and then, a vehicle temporarily congests the street by blocking one traffic direction but this prompts others to merely go around the obstruction. Occasionally, some car drivers speed down Billstrasse way above the speed limit, possibly provoked by the length and linear shape of the road. Pedestrians, therefore, prefer to stay on the boardwalk, for fear of being caught in a car accident. Generally, most pedestrians can be located at the Western end of Billstrasse where a number of shops are clustered together. The further East on Billstrasse The road in Billstrasse is fairly wide and measures about 9 meters. The road is lined with a boardwalk of about 2.50 meters on both sides that, from time to time, generously extents to more open space due to parking spaces and extra spaces off the private properties, though, they are also often occupied by parked cars, trucks, products for sale and miscellaneous objects.

PRACTICES IN BILLSTRASSE and SPATIAL DIMENSIONS

Analysis

APPROPRIATION of Public Space x

The products used and/or sold in Billstrasse are often found outside the borders of their original location and, thus, intrude the public space. Regularly, a random fridge, a table, a wheelchair, mattresses and cartons can be found in the most peculiar locations, usually placed right next to the road. They are left there either to be collected at a later point or to remain there until someone else collects them, may it, in the end, be the garbage collectors. The situation strongly resembles those of flea markets or, generally, markets where leftover goods that could not be sold are simply left behind.

large rocks, guard rails, stoops, and outdoor sofas that are actually on display for sale are being appropriated and used as seating devices either for a single person or as a big group. In one instance, unknown persons have appropriated a private space, possibly on the premises of their own (informal) home, and have constructed a dwelling space for their leisure. Clearly, they must have felt the freedom to do so in Billstrasse, knowing that it would not be taken down by others.

The parking situation is similarly arbitrary and, technically, is only allowed on one side of the road, i.e. the side facing to the North. The other side is a no stopping zone so it is not allowed to even pause in that zone with the car, let alone park there.1 Nevertheless, both sides of the road are lined with all kinds of vehicles - parked. In Billstrasse, there are only few designated seating areas, i.e. only at the food places in Billstrasse. Therefore, places of rest need to be sought out in a creative manner, in particular for outdoor seating. As a result,

Analysis

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German Bureaucracy

The responsibilities in each department in the city of Hamburg are clear – at least on paper. From state ministry of urban development and the environment to building authorities, trade and commerce department, social services, customs and police. In reality, it appears to be common practice that if a case is opened - say in Billstrasse - the case might go back and forth between departments before the appropriate authorities are found. Only then, the case is being opened. Why Billstrasse is so hard to control is partly owed to the fact that different departments simply do not have the capacity to penetrate all of the issues that arise from Billstrasse with all of its informal practices. As an example, the informality of work in Billstrasse raises questions and concerns not only with regard to their legality but, more importantly, to the overall work conditions of the informal workers. Matters like minimum wage, safety at work, and protection of labor rights are some of the most pressing topics, yet, who is to address them? Different departments have different responsibilities and, even though, the departments cooperate and exchange information, the current communication practices rather encumber than solve certain issues. The German department structure or German bureaucracy creates a regulatory network whose ability to control is limited. The processes are not transparent enough in order to maintain universal order in all respective fields. This leads to delays while, in the meantime, places like Billstrasse develop and change so quickly that it seems impossible for the departments to keep up with the pace. One public officer illustrates the situation in Billstrasse as follows: “One day, I visited a shop and asked who the owner was. When I came back the next day, it was already someone else’s. Who is to keep up with everything that is going on there and changing all the time?”. These circumstances are one of the reason why places like Billstrasse were able to come about in the first place and how they will continue to do so as long the departments stay at their current level of surveillance and thus enable a number of loopholes. Once Billstrasse is given more attention by the authorities, certain informal practices may no longer be able to live on and could either disperse to other locations in Hamburg or actually disappear, though the latter seems most unlikely. In a sense, the existence of Billstrasse is based on a paradox. While the German legal system drives informal practices up, German bureaucracy indirectly helps to maintain them. For migrants, this means in other words: German bureaucracy might make arrival difficult but it also enables places of arrival. “If we were to control Billstrasse successfully, it would be better if the businesses and people were scattered in different districts because then one department is no longer in charge in dealing with all the people of Billstrasse but, only with one or two maybe. This would definitely increase the level of control”, the public officer explains.1 So, the final question that needs to be asked is, who is interested in a sturdy regulatory network and who is not? Clearly, Billstrasse would lose its function as a place of arrival if informal practices were no longer possible.

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TRANSFORMATION Rapid Changes in Billstrasse x In recent years, Billstrasse has gone through a number of changes at a rapid pace. Within only a few years an area that was largely dominated by warehouses and industries that were not openly accessible from the street transformed into an area where smaller shops took over the space of large properties, subdivided them, and increased the diversity of businesses, e.g. in the shape of housing and gastronomy. In the course of these developments, the number of import/export businesses particularly went up. Further, there were more vacant buildings on Billstrasse a few years back than today, although, some buildings still remain unused. Due to the heightened spatial openness of the businesses in Billstrasse the area is often described as a bazar, a commercial category that is not inherent in German commercial landscapes. Though the bazar-like atmosphere in Billstrasse has existed for a while already in selected locations it is striking how quickly the changes in Billstrasse have taken shape and, thus, expanded the bazar to other parts of the street with all its

advantages and disadvantages. The rapid transformation of Billstrasse is a good indicator for its quick adaptability to current developments though it is questionable whether the on-going developments are also sustainable. Whether Billstrasse can tackle future developments in a similarly resilient manner cannot be determined at this moment, however, the increased number of stakeholders in the overall network of Billstrasse could possibly form the basis for a more powerful and, thus, resilient entity in future developments that is less prone to sudden changes as before.

Analysis

Billstrasse 2008

Analysis

Zink Power

Paul Widlich

Euro Part Haidary

Said Import / Export

Jonas GmbH

Seaport Logistics

NFZ-Technik

Theodor Nagel Spedition

Bicycles & Used Metals

Media Outlet Shop Chainsaw

S&R GBR Electronics

Carpets and Textiles

Ziems Steel

Dieter Bujack Logistics

UPS Logistics

Wood Storage Otto Wolf Logistics

China Shipping Containers

Sadat Import / Export

Barek GmbH Electronics

Quala Nawi - Electronics Import

Bergen car seller

Farhad Import / Export - Electronics

Bergen car seller Bistro Asia

Upcycling material, Metal, Electronics

Furniture shop

Don Garcia car rental

Storage Place

Billbroker Lunch Restaurant AKTIV Printservice Bur-Spedition

Open air storage

Temporary storage construction

Hotel

Martin Knaack Spedition

Vacant

Hansen Shipping

Geodis Spedition

Schmit & Co GmbH Logistics

RM Logistics

LTG

Kartins Pausentreff

Dekra Insurance

Korner Spedition

Blumbecker Industrial Production

Bargain Trading Electronics

Vacant

Carpets and Textiles

Logistics

Zink Power

Damaged Electronics Shop RIA - Money Transfer

Said Import / Export

Jonas GmbH

Seaport Logistics

NFZ-Technik

Freezers Electronics

Theodor Nagel Spedition

Shops with New Mixed Goods

Second Hand Electronics, Bicycles, etc.

Second Hand Electronics, Furniture, etc. Media Outlet African Cultural Centre

Billstrasse 2015

Analysis

Second Hand Electronics, Bicycles, etc. Renovated Hostel

Storage for Chineese fabricated goods Storage

Steel & Wood Logistics

Office Steel & Wood Logistics

Second Hand Cars

Bistro Schlemmerkiste

Control- & Storagehouse

Online Shop storage - Electronics

Hochhaus - Housing & all goods shops Q+H German GmbH - Electronics

Farhad Import / Export - Electronics

Second Hand Electronics & Mattresses Second Hand Furniture Daoud Import / Export

Furniture shop Second Hand Electronics & Mattresses

Warehouse

Electronics Shop

Restaurant / Hostel BFW - Industy and Development business

Used Mattresses

Second Hand Electronics, Bicycles, etc. Hotel

Polish Logistics Ahmeds Second Hand Shop

ITL Cargo

DAT SPARHUS backery & Bistro

Hansen Logistics

Used Cars

Schmit & Co GmbH Logistics

RM Logistics

Nikolaus Rathmann GmbH Logistics

Open air storage

Temporary storage construction

Volvo

Logistics Workers Dormitory

Mahlzeit Bistro

Hans Gewebe Zentrum

Ernst Kramer Spedition

Blumbecker Industrial Production

Used Cars & Transporters

Second Hand Electronics, Bicycles, etc.

Second Hand Electronics, Bicycles, etc. Renovated Hostel

SHOPS

Selling Goods on Billstrasse x

€

Entering the commercial field in Billstrasse as a researcher and getting in contact with various shop owners appeared to be difficult as many shop owners have a very skeptical attitude towards strangers who ask questions that are not related to making a purchase.

very aware of it. Whether this is a desirable or undesirable circumstance is part of another discussion, yet, it is important not to overlook the role of Billstrasse in the recycling of “the residues of our wealth” (original: “Die Reste unseres Wohlstands”), as a Spiegel report coins it.3 By reusing and repurposing what would end

“I can tell you this much but I won’t answer any further questions because I don’t know where my answers will end up and usually they end up where I don’t want them”,

up being garbage otherwise the products’ lifecycles are prolonged and, at least in this sense, make Billstrasse a vital partner in making local consumption patterns more sustainable.

one of the shop owners comments in a distrustful tone. Their mistrust is not unfounded as the media, particularly the local press, has published a number of articles that leave Billstrasse in a highly undesirable light including headlines like ““Police Secures Stolen Bicycles: Is It Yours?” (original: “Polizei stellt Fahrräder sicher: Ist Ihr Rad dabei?”)1 and “On the Hunt for the Junk” (original: “Auf der Jagd nach dem Schrott”).2 Fortunately, not every shop owner was this skeptical and we were provided with insightful details on some of the processes that underlie the import/export business, although, we are very aware of the fact that we have still not grasped the full picture.

In order to provide a better understand of how the import/export businesses function we have focused on two shops: one that sells secondhand goods and another one that sells B-Grade products.

What many do not take into consideration is that the businesses located in Billstrasse contribute considerably to the overall recycling of used products in Hamburg and beyond. This is a known fact for the shop owners in Billstrasse and the city of Hamburg is also

Analysis

ASIFâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;S SHOP Secondhand Goods

Analysis

Import/Export Business With Used Goods Asif and his family are from Afghanistan as almost all of the other small business owners on Billstrasse are as well. They fled their home country in 1998, Asif was ninve years old when he came to Germany. At the beginning, his parents and him did not speak a word of German. Today, Asif speaks fluently and his father can hold basic conversations. In order to maintain a steady income Asif’s parents first entered the cleaning industry. “Germans would never do these kinds of jobs. Have you ever seen a German cleaning the halls and toilets? No, I don’t think so. They feel above it so they end up not working at all and simply living off German welfare. Then they see us with nice clothes, cars, etc. and they start to complain about us out of jealousy. They think we are stealing their jobs. What they don’t see is how much we had to work in order to lead the life that we have today”, Asif comments. Asif’s family has changed careers several times. They were owners of a grocery shop, an Afghan restaurant (also located on Billstrasse), and Asif was previously the co-owner of a chemical cleaning business. “I had my own business at the age of 21. Can you believe that?”. The Afghan restaurant did not run very well so his father partnered up with another Afghani and entered the import/export business on Billstrasse. Later, he started his own shop, also located in Billstrasse, which was taken up by Asif in January 2016. Asif is the oldest child in the family, his brother and sister (15 and 16 years old) probably will not enter the import/export business as they wish to go to university instead. Although Asif enjoys being his own boss in his own store, he laments that when he worked in chemical cleaning he would start at 7 AM and finish at 3 PM. He would have much more spare time than he does now. But he will continue working for his father’s business. Asif’s shop is located at the Eastern end of the street. No sign indicates the shop’s name and the nature of the business. Simply the entrance that is lined with all sorts of used goods allows passersby to grasp what

Asif is selling on his premises. Some products are put on display in front of the main gate as to attract potential customers. This, however, prompts some unknown persons to associate the site with a garbage dump. As Asif explains in an angry tone when a pile of garbage appeared in front of his shop overnight: “Some people just drop their trash and seem to believe that we take care of it. And this is not the first time this has happened. But this is not a dump. We sell used goods, not trash. I will call the police later and file a complaint”. Asif sells a variety of used goods, e.g. refrigerators, washing machines, bicycles, sofas, chairs, mattresses, strollers, TV sets, carpets and many other things. He receives his goods from different locations in Hamburg and other Northern German cities, e.g. from household clearances, companies and the city itself. Sometimes people try to sell him a single bike, for instance, but he only buys in bulks because he claims to be afraid being associated with stolen goods. Whether the goods he receives are, after all, stolen goods or not he cannot say, just as much as any other customer in other shops would not be able to tell the difference. There are no shelves or other display devices in the shop. The products are placed wherever there is space and clustered together as far as possible, indoors and outdoors. In the very back of the warehouse Asif stores his massive collection of used bicycles. He estimates that he has about 2.000 to 4.000, each has an average value of 20 Euros. Right next to the bicycles, Asif’s workers take defunct products apart and collect valuable materials before the rest is tossed away. The ground, i.e. plain soil, is generally covered with broken pieces of glass and other broken materials. Everyone can enter the space, including the customers, without being stopped by anyone. Asif and his father work in the shop from Monday to Saturday from around 9 AM to 6 or 7 PM. Asif takes care of the daily business, his father simply helps him and has an eye on his shop. Asif has an overview of the sold products, the income and whatever needs to be done so the business continues to run smoothly. He in-

Analysis

structs the workers, talks to the costumers and traders, arranges transport when necessary and helps to load and unload products when a hand is missing. His breaks vary and the workers adjust accordingly. For lunch, he often drives to the nearest McDonalds with his car or he drives to Bergedorf to eat Afghan meals at his home. He also brings food for his workers. Eating in Billstrasse does not seem to occur to him as a possibility. Asif works hard and long hours. Occasionally, he goes to Amsterdam or other Dutch cities to visit other family members and to enjoy a small vacation. For December 2016, during Christmas and New Year’s (which his family does not celebrate), Asif plans a trip either to Cuba or Panama. He wants to be at the beach and see skyscrapers, “I mean proper skyscrapers, not like here in Hamburg. Hamburg cannot offer such views”. Neither Asif’s father nor Asif have received formal education in the businesses they have run or run today. They do business according to a learning-by-doing and trial-and-error philosophy that is supported by social networks they have accumulated over the years during their lifetime. They arrived in Germany as refugees and are now all holders of German passports which,

thus, enables them to actively shape the society they live in. They have succeeded to work their way up, developed personally and professionally and managed to reach and maintain a standard of living they are happy with. Returning to Afghanistan no longer appears to be an option as the social and economic ties in Germany have grown so strong that Asif’s family will further remain in Germany. In conclusion, Asif’s family has successfully arrived in this country and Billstrasse has contributed and continues to do so significantly. Though Asif claims that he could easily set up his shop in another location in Hamburg he seems to ignore what impact his professional networks and the local benefits - may they come in the shape of collaborations, the supply of an easy accessible and interchangeable work force or a local customer base – had and have on running a successful import/export business that ensures his state of arrival in Germany.

Mattresses and furniture piece are stored under the roof (together with all perishable goods).

Ofﬁce for monitoring and organizing the company. Asif took up business from his father in January 2016.

New products are delivered from different suppliers in Hamburg and Northern Germany.

The shop is owned by Asif. His family ﬂed Afghanistan in 1998. Today, all family members carry a German passport.

‘Hot’ pieces are being stored in front of the shop to attract potential customers.

Open-air storage for refrigerators, ovens and washing machines (i.e. weather-resistant goods)

Analysis

re pieces e roof ll s).

Workers from Burkina Faso supposedly earn 8,5 â&#x201A;Ź/hour according to Asif. They work 6 days a week, 9 AM - 6 PM.

Less organized, some products are rotting.

ators, es s)

Around 2.000 - 4.000 bicycles are being stored in the backyard.

Workers take damaged products apart in order to collect valuable materials.

WASIM‘S SHOP New Products, B-Grade Goods x

€

Analysis

Wasim is one of the few shop owners who does not stem from Afghanistan but from Iran. He sells B-Grade products online on ebay as well as offline in his shop in Billstrasse. In this sense, Wasim’s shop represents itself as one example where not only persons but also products can arrive in Billstrasse. The shop’s building is rather small and compact compared to the large warehouses found in other parts of Billstrasse. The two-story building does not particularly resemble a commercial space. Only a small door that is more often than not closed leads to the sales area which can only be reached after going up a few stairs - very unconventional for a shop that seeks to attract customers from the immediate environment. Since Wasim focuses on online sales this clearly does not bother him so much. Wasim has put up a shop sign at the entrance but it is rather small and can easily be overlooked. Whether it is possible to enter the shop or not is most visibly indicated through a colorful light that reads “OPEN”. The sales area takes up a fairly small amount of space of the building and is restricted to merely one small room while all the other rooms appear to be for private (e.g. as living room, kitchen and dormitory) or “office use”, so the owner claims. In addition to the main building, Wasim stores his products that do not need to be on display in another warehouse behind the shop. This is also where he manages all of the shipping for his

customers on ebay. The sales area is equipped with shelves and cabinets that offer plenty of room for Wasim’s products. All of the products are displayed in their original packaging with the exception of a few pieces that are unwrapped as samples. Other than many other shops in Billstrasse, Wasim does not sell used goods that are collected from various locations and mostly meant to be exported and resold abroad but he sells brand new products that, nonetheless, come with a flaw. Seven years ago, in 2009, Wasim started an online shop on ebay and began to sell B-Grade goods which he exclusively obtains from an Austrian teleshopping company. Kitchen utensils, women’s jeans, beauty products and a variety of electronic gadgets form part of his shop range. Four years ago, he additionally began to sell his products offline in his small shop on Billstrasse, too. In regular intervals, Wasim travels to Austria, fills up a container with his desired products and imports them to Germany in order to resell the B-Grade products for a fraction of the original price either online or offline. “The products are all brand new and fully functional but for various reasons the Austrian company cannot sell these products as A-Grade products anymore, for example, when there has been a mistake in the production. This is why I am able to purchase these products for a fairly cheap price. It is really not a difficult business; I buy the

Wasim is a seller of B-Grade products Products are being stored from Iran. He sells new in shelves in original packaging. products for lower prices both in his shop and on ebay.

OfďŹ ce with big window serves for monitoring and organizing the company.

The living room is equipped Shop is accessible Signs of housing only via stairs. on the second level of with a sofa the building and bookshelves. (e.g. curtains and bunk beds). B-Grade goods for very little money and resell them. Per piece sold I make a profit of about 5 to 15 Euros. If you want you could easily do it as well and make a few additional Eurosâ&#x20AC;?. By importing B-Grade products, Wasim enables flawed products to arrive in Billstrasse and, by doing so, reapplies a certain level of agency to them, which they would have otherwise lost in their original lifecycle. The sale of B-Grade products further enables those who are less affluent to purchase goods they would not buy when sold at original prices. So, whoever is seeking affordable products in Billstrasse does not necessarily have to resort to the purchase of used products but can also take up the option to buy brand new, albeit slightly flawed products. With the purchase of a B-Grade product, which is often hardly distinguishable from its A-Grade original, clients can both, profit from the quality of a new product as opposed to a used one and also create the illusion of having the same financial means as somebody who can afford to buy A-Grade originals. In this manner, Billstrasse provides a means to less affluent groups of people to pursuit and maintain certain social standards they might have difficulty to fulfill otherwise.

Analysis

Oh please, not Germany again! During a project that sought to improve the homes of 60 refugees in Lübeck, a group of students spoke to several refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Surprisingly, most of them just recently started to join German classes in order to learn the language but most of them have been in Germany already for three to nine months. Mostly, they fled their home countries due to wars, conflicts or religious beliefs. Their German was still rudimentary but there were also differences of language skills. Besides that some of the Afghan refugees are still waiting for classes because their home country is not considered a “conflict-area”

anymore. Their everyday routine is unstructured and boring. Some even said that they are gaining weight. The building where they live in looks run down and most of the rooms have to be shared with four to six persons. Two overwrought social workers are at their limits with helping 60 people in matters of health, work, legal papers and other things. One of the residents said: „If there will be a next time, I will have to think twice before I take the risk to flee from Syria to Germany again, knowing about the conditions that we live in here now.“

AAT Trading GmbH U: 83 728 € J: 1600 €

M&M Electronics no information

Ali Restposten Gbr no information

Q+H Germany GmbH (2013) E: 81 000 € J: 4700 €

Hagendorf Planenservice (2015) U: 2 500 000 E: 380 000 Bahra Import / Export No Information

Haidaru & M. N. Import /Export no information

Analysis

income of companies It is hard to estimate what financial share Billstrasse actually has of the city‘s overall turnover but a closer look at the accounting details of selected shops show the varying margins of the small businesses. Since most of the data of the small businesses is not available or hidden, for instance Asif‘s shop, it seems obvious that some of the data provided to the public or the city of Hamburg is not complete. Partly, this is due to the fact that most of the tradings happen between the customers, i.e. are sold without full tax payments. N = Net Income E = Equity

IPN Import Export food E: 31 000 € J: 71 000 €

Farahian Automobile no information

Asif Shop E: 115 000 J: 15 000

Hansen + Schwarz 2015 E: 394 000 U: 1 838 000 Jonas GmbH Metall / 2011 E: 84 000 U: 363 000

Arthur Büttner Ziems Stahlhandel

PRODUCTS

a Variety of Objects and Origins x

â&#x201A;Ź

â&#x201A;Ź Russia Ukraine Poland Turkey

Export Cars Electronics Import Workforce

China Japan

Import Electronics

Afghanistan Iran Nigeria Cameroon Togo Ghana Burkina Faso

Export Cars Import Workforce

Export Electronics Mattresses Clothes Furniture Bicycles Import Workforce

In Billstrasse, the products stem from a variety of sources. Many secondhand shops receive their goods from household clearings all over Hamburg or Northern Germany. Also, some companies redirect their products, which they can no longer sell themselves, to the sellers on Billstrasse. In one instance, a secondhand shop in Billstrasse bought the entire inventory as is from a large hardware company that had gone bankrupt for only as little as 3.000 Euros. His selling price exceeded the original cost price by far.1 The majority of clients in secondhand shops on Billstrasse are traders from

abroad who make bulk purchases in order to export them in containers to their places of origin and to resell the purchased products for a slightly higher price. Most import/export businesses on Billstrasse, technically, do not import anything from abroad and do not directly export their products. Essentially, the shops buy locally and sell locally and, instead, let other middlemen and -women trade their products to countries in Africa, Asia or Eastern Europe. Yet, the name sticks.

Analysis

Many come to Billstrasse in order to find products that are sold for cheaper prices in Billstrasse than in other parts of Hamburg or beyond. For example, when in need of a new washing machine one may deliberate whether to buy a new washing machine for several hundreds of Euros in a store in town, or to buy a used washing machine for about one hundred Euros at a local secondhand shop, or to find a used washing machine in Billstrasse that costs around half of the price, around 50 Euros. Surely, the latter option is the most economic and, therefore, the most attractive for a large proportion of the population, however, it comes with the risks of not having a warranty so if the washing machine one purchases breaks there is no further protection and might end up causing mores costs. Despite the possibility of taking such risks,

Car Tires: 80€/set NEW ca. 250€/set

Billstrasse presents itself as an attractive commercial hub particularly through its low prices. Billstrasse also attracts those who might be more affluent but seek to find products that are difficult to find in other locations in Hamburg. Since a conglomeration of extremely diverse goods finds its way to Billstrasse the chances are high that one, occasionally, discovers rare objects. Treasure hunters and flea market enthusiasts will not find it difficult to experience Billstrasse as a gold mine. Curiously, within the radius of Hamburg city, measurements of nuclear radiation show the highest numbers in Billstrasse and one might righteously wonder how this circumstance comes about and, more importantly, how it was brought to Billstrasse.2

Washing Machine: 40€ NEW ca. 200-300€

Mattress: 5€ NEW ca. 80€

Bicycle: 40€ NEW ca. 300€

Lawn Mower: 20€ NEW ca. 150€

Here is a selection of products sold in Billstrasse. Prices show the selling price in Billstrasse as opposed to their original counterparts sold in shops located in the city center of Hamburg.

TRADING practices in Billstrasse x

â&#x201A;Ź

shop owner

non-electronics

shipping company

technician

Wilhelmsburg

port authority / customs

world

trader electronics

customs

Since the trading business is one of the most prevalent business practices that happen in Billstrasse, it is worth taking a closer look at it. The process of trading occurs as follows:1 1. The trader who is interested in exporting large quantities of goods travels to Billstrasse in order to personally select the products he or she wishes to export. The goods cannot be bought as single entities but must be bought in bulks. Depending on the country of origin different products are in high demand. As an example, in Cameroon it is difficult to sell Volkswagen cars because it is difficult to obtain spare parts for Volkswagen cars there so traders from Cameroon focus their attention on finding Toyota cars instead because it is easier to find spare parts from Toyota in Cameroon.2 Simple as that. There is a strong sense of practicality behind the purchases and less attention is given to appearance, quality or nature of the product. The traderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal seems to be to fill up a container as much as possible with goods that, in the end, will result in a satisfactory profit. It is also common practice to not only make purchases from one single secondhand shop but from various shops on Billstrasse, depending on what the shops have currently on offer. The process of selecting the right products for shipping happens in a quick manner and can change from one second to the other, however, it can take up to a few days.

2. Once the selection of products has been made, the trader makes arrangements with a shipping company who provides containers and handles the overall shipping of the products. The shipping company hires workers who take care of the loading and unloading, i.e. necessary for inspection by customs, although some secondhand shops also offer the service to load their products into the containers, as well, depending on their capacity. 3. Further, the trader has to hire a technician who inspects and marks all approved electronics with a seal for two reasons. For one, the trader has a natural interest in purchasing fully functional goods, though, most traders would also accept damaged goods with the knowledge that the goods can be repaired again in their home country, and then resold. More importantly though, traders contract a technician because otherwise their container would not pass through customs. As a result, the container cannot be exported and the costs accumulate to undesirable numbers. According to the German law it is prohibited for individuals to export not fully functional electronic goods, therefore, it is essential for traders to ensure their functionality in order to pass customs.3 4. After the container has been fully loaded and all electronic goods were inspected and approved by a technician, the trader has to arrange an appointment with customs who personally checks the content of the container before it can continue its journey to its final

Analysis

destination. The inspection by customs can be a simple matter of a few minutes and can take up to a few hours if the container needs to be unloaded and loaded again for a better inspection or when the custom officer finds something faulty with the products. This is a very costly matter because the trader pays the shipping company, the workers, and the customs officer by the hour. Sometimes, however, it happens that customs does not show up for the appointment. Then the container needs to undergo the inspection in the port of Hamburg before it eventually leaves German waters. 5. When customs has no rejections after the inspection, the container with the approved goods is brought to a storage area, e.g. in RotenhĂ¤user End (Wilhelmsburg), where the container joins a number of other containers, waiting to be shipped with the next available container vessel going to the desired country.4 It can take several weeks before the traderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s container finally arrives in the traderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s country of origin.

6. When the trader receives his or her goods from the container, he or she sells them directly to private persons or to other local traders who repair and resell the imported goods from Germany. In this manner, the products from Billstrasse go through the local economy of various countries in the world before they finally loose all of their attraction and become trash and, as such, enter another cycle.

Fatou – A Trader From Mali Fatou comes from Mali and has travelled to Billstrasse in June 2016 in order to fill up a container in order to ship them back to Mali for her own business and for her sister who has remained in Mali. Fatou speaks German fluently, though, she has a thick accent. She smiles and laughs a lot and appears like a happy-go-lucky woman with a slightly flamboyant style. She seems to be in the trading business for a while already as she goes about the business with a certain routine. She also seems to earn well. In order to do business in Billstrasse, she has taken a room in a guesthouse (see chapter on GUESTHOUSE) that is located in close proximity of the secondhand shops where she buys a variety of goods (see chapter on ASIF’S SHOP). Among other things, Fatou purchases 20 refrigerators, 20 carpets, 30 mattresses, a number of plastic chairs and the shop owner convinces

her to even buy more refrigerators from him, explaining that she can sell them for a better price back home than mattresses. With all the electronic goods Fatou is afraid that she will not pass customs, however, who are coming to check her container the following Monday at 9 AM but eventually she gives in to the shop owner and responds: “Okay, I will take the fridges but only the ones from Liebherr”. Two Mali day laborers help Fatou load the container. They work for the Afghan shipping company, also located in Billstrasse, which was contracted by Fatou upon recommendation by one shop owner. A few days a week the laborers from Mali come to Billstrasse in order to work for a “passable” (that is French for acceptable) income from the shipping company. Back in Mali, Fatou and her sister resell the exported goods and can make an agreeable income, too.1

Analysis

WORKING as a Day Laborer x €

€

In the realm of Billstrasse’s secondhand shops different work practices can be encountered of which thus far the shop owner, who works in order to run his import/ export business (virtually all secondhand shop owners are male), and the traders, who purchase large bulks of secondhand goods in order to run their own trading businesses, have been presented. Another strongly represented work force in Billstrasse comes in the shape

also not possible for you to obtain the right to work in Germany. This ban is limited to a period of six months, however, can be extended if your country of origin is considered safe, for example Ghana or Senegal. Then you have to remain in the camp until further notice and are also forbidden to work in Germany. Whether it is

Process of Seeking Asylum in Germany 4

Application for asylum

Registration

Arrival

Transfer to the responsible country

Negative Personal hearing at Bundesamt for immigration and refugees

Not-relevant

Relevant

Deciding of Bundesamt for immigration and refugees

of day laborers. All three types of work are almost exclusively practiced by migrants or people with a migratory background. It appears that the majority of secondhand shop owners are from Afghanistan and the traders and daily laborers mostly come from West African countries. In many cases, the day laborers in Billstrasse are legally not allowed to work in Germany (yet) since many are refugees and still in the process of seeking asylum. According to German law it depends on your status whether you are allowed to work or not in the meanwhile. Due to recent changes in the law, the situation is more lax than it had been before. Once your stay in Germany lasts for longer than three months as an asylum seeker you technically have the right to work in Germany, however, you cannot take up temporary employment, only when you have stayed in Germany over 16 months. As long as you are an asylum seeker who is obligated to stay in an assigned reception camp it is

Positive

Re-distribution in Germany

Dublin Regulation Personal request to Bundesamt for immigration and refugees

Request to deportation

Residence permit

Refused Applicant can appeal court decision Granted

possible to work as a refugee or not generally depends on the assessment by the Foreigner’s Department (original: Ausländerbehörde).1 In the end this means that it still remains difficult to obtain a work permit if one is from certain West African countries - which almost always is the case in Billstrasse. The informal economy, therefore, becomes an attractive option for refugees who do not carry a work permit despite the improved situation in German law since September 2015 compared to its previous legislation. Billstrasse’s unique environment, created by its users, caters day laborers in search of informal work in a very peculiar way. There are not many places, if there are any other at all, which offer the same favorable conditions to find temporary work as in Billstrasse. For one, Billstrasse is easily accessible due to the fact that refugees in Hamburg can use the public transport system for free and, therefore, take full advantage of its infrastructure.

Analysis

Adama - A Day Laborer from Burkina Faso Adama, from Burkina Faso, came to Hamburg in April 2015 as a refugee seeking asylum in Germany. Burkina Faso is not on the list of countries with good chances to a permanent right of residence in Germany. Burkina Faso is not a war zone, it is not Syria, however, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Currently, Adama lives in Veddel and shares his room in a camp with three other people with whom he does not share any strong social ties. Before he moved to Veddel a few months back, he lived in Niendorf in another camp. He says, ever since he heard the word “allemand” (French for German) as a child, he wanted to go to Germany. When he first arrived in Germany – he arrived directly in Hamburg – he did not speak a single word of German. All he could use as a means of communication was his French mother tongue. Today, he can speak and understand a few more words and sentences because he has begun to teach himself German at home. He uses a German book and combines it with German television shows and online videos in order to improve his German skills. He also learned bits and pieces of German in Billstrasse because his Afghan boss Asif (see chapter on ASIF’S SHOP) does not speak French and gives him instructions in German. Getting a “job” in Billstrasse was a very simple matter for Adama. Upon arrival in Hamburg, he began to hang around the main train station and looked for people who could be from Burkina Faso, as well. He quickly found them. “I saw a train filled with many black people inside so I just asked them”. He started to talk with them, found a group from Burkina Faso, had coffee with them and exchanged information. Eventually he wanted to know where he could find some work and somebody told him to go to Billstrasse. When he

arrived in Billstrasse he walked around and ended up asking for work in his boss’s secondhand shop. This is how he got his “job” despite the fact that he was a refugee who is not allowed to work in Germany. Ever since, Adama shows up for work six times a week, from Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 or 7 PM, depending on how much work needs to be done. From Veddel, he takes the bus every morning and evening to get to Billstrasse, changing the bus at Berliner Tor each time. In a way, Adama has found permanent employment, albeit informal, as a day laborer in Asif’s shop. Together with another worker from Burkina Faso, he helps Asif move around refrigerators and sofas, to load and unload trucks, to take apart scrap material and many other things. For his work, Adama wears durable clothing, thick shoes and gloves. His break times vary from day to day and depend on his boss. There are no fixed lunch breaks. For lunch, he receives meals from his boss, including Afghan cuisine to which he had to get used to. For the near future, he wishes to improve his German skills and to get a driver’s license so he can drive a car in Germany. He wishes to do both at the same time and therefore wants to take driving classes in German although there are also schools offering classes in French. When he is not working he enjoys going out, to have drinks and to dance. There is a place in Barmbek run by people from the Ivory Coast where he likes to go on his weekends. He has not seen many other places in Hamburg yet apart from the area of his daily commute to Billstrasse and the immediate surroundings of his current home address because he is most of the time busy with his work. But he seems content. He managed to do what he came to Germany for and why he left his home country: to have the chance for a better future.

Going on long commutes in order to reach Billstrasse is less problematic since at least the costs are covered. Secondly, in Billstrasse, day laborers can mingle in various locations, often appropriating walls, stairs, and other spatial elements as seating alternatives and waiting areas, without anyone asking them to leave again. Nobody seems disturbed by their presence, which is not a matter of course everywhere. Huddled together in small groups, they address passersby in order to ask for work or wait until somebody approaches them and offers them work opportunities. Not all passersby are approached by the day laborers because they carefully select whom they approach in their quest for work. In addition, some day laborers actively walk up to the local shops and simply ask whether there is work that needs to be done. HOW TO FIND A JOB AS A DAY LABORER Path A

According to the nature of the businesses the type of labor can range from moving products from A to B, dissembling goods, fixing broken parts, sorting materials, cleaning and clearing of space and so on. Further, day Worker hang around laborers in Billstrasse in general performBillstrasse low-skill labor that may be physically demanding but does not necessarily require any German language skills, an academic background or any other specific know-how. The entry level to these types of work can thus be Path considered B as low. As such, Billstrasse functions as an easily accessible platform and instrument for a direct source of income that allows day laborers to make money on the spot, paid in full without tax deductions or social secu-

rity cost. Finally, it seems not only less difficult to find some form of informal employment in Billstrasse than in other places but it also enables local day laborers to learn and practice the German language and, moreover, to gain new skills. Through a learning-by-doing approach refugees can get a better understanding of certain processes that may be different in their country of origin and may be particularly German. All in all, the informal employment opportunities for the local day laborers are attractive for a number of reasons but it also comes with its downsides. Day laborers in Billstrasse do not receive any work contracts, are not protected by labor legislations and are prone to earn less than minimum wage.2 It is a simple matter for employers to exploit day laborers without severe consequences while day laborers risk their chance to receive asylum in Germany. What’s more, in Billstrasse she walks to Somebody is of safetyHe the issue is/ not one to be overlooked. Though a well-known hang out looking for the warehousesplace largely appear for laborers and solid enough to last for a worker asks for a worker another few decades before they need to be renovated or torn down only not too long ago, in December 2015, You ﬁnd work for a secondhand shop in Billstrasse made the headlines the moment but in the local newspaper due to a gas explosion after the for less than wagebut it building had caught fire.3 Nobody wasminimum harmed certainly raises questions around general safety measures in Billstrasse. In approaches the end, it is up to each indiviWorker Worker is looking peoplerisk of hisone own is willing to take, under dual to decide what for work nationality ﬁrst what work conditions one is willing to work, and at what price. After all, one is given the ability to decide for oneself due to the fact that places like Billstrasse exist in Hamburg.

OVERHEARD IN BILLSTRASSE Time: Afternoon Place: Inside the African Cultural Center (ACC) Characters: Ghanaian woman (G), French-speaking West African man (M) The French-speaking West African man approaches the Ghanaian woman who has just sat down at a table in the African Cultural Center with her Ghanaian girlfriends to have a casual chat. They do not understand each other’s languages yet carry a business conversation. G [communicating in French and through gestures]: Do you have some work I can do for you? M [replies routinely and in German]: I do not have work for you today but tomorrow you can come to my house and help me empty my basement. There is a lot of stuff that needs to be moved out. M [understands that she has work for him tomorrow and nods his head]: Okay, thank you. G [stops the man from leaving]: Hey, come to the Horner Rennbahn station tomorrow at 9 AM and meet me there. Do you have a phone? [holds her hands to the ear, gesturing to hold a phone] M [takes out his phone and gives it to her]: (silent) She types the name of the station and the number nine into the man’s phone. Thank you. [leaves the room] She turns back to her girlfriends and starts chatting in Twi. She will later give him 30 Euros for a day’s work.

Social Work is about Mutual Trust Karl Pfeiffer is in the middle of his 30s and a successful business man. He has studied Social Work and Economics and is responsible for a couple of kindergartens in Hamburg which are especially focusing on migrant kids from difficult backgrounds. During our interview, he explains that he is highly interested in helping and being involved in the process when refugees are arriving. He, therefore, also set up kindergarten which is aimed at refugees. He tries to educate both the children and their parents, for instance, by offering German classes for the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s mothers right in the morning hours after they have dropped off their kids in the kindergarten. Another initialising moment was when one of the mothers asked for a job at one of his kindergartens because she did a similiar work in her home country. The process of employing a refugee, explains Pfeiffer, depends on several legal forms as a host country, status of asylum and other formalities. Another important issue is that every social worker in Germany needs to have a clean record and a certificate of good conduct in order to prove this. These le-

gal frameworks are almost in every case impossible to be fulfilled by refugees from countries like Iraq or Syria where often even strict forms of punishments are happening in schools. In this context, Pfeiffer wondered: â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Would you give your child to someone unkown to you to take care of him or her? What if this person was someone from a different cultural background and who has fled a war zone and might possibly traumatized?â&#x20AC;&#x153; In order to solve his inner conflict between his concerns and his wish to offer a job opportunity for a refugee mother Pfeiffer decided to offer her a three-months paid internship as a start. This way, the mother can work, earn a little bit of money and build up a certain level of mutual trust. Pfeiffer afterwards wonders whether it was so smart to expose the children to so many changes in the teaching stuff but quickly puts down these thoughts because he believes that is more important to giving refugees new chances right now.

My father is the owner of this middle size secondhand shop but I basically run it. We sell electronics, bikes and many other things. My father used to have a similar shop on Billstrasse with my uncle but decided to have his own.

My name is Asif and my family is from Afghanistan. I live in Bergedorf. It takes me only 15 min to get to Billstrasse by car.

ASIF

Homes (e.g. Bergedorf / Veddel / Reeperbahn)

Asifâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shop

My name is Adama, I am from Burkina Faso and I work as a day laborer at Asifâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shop. I have a colleague from Burkina Faso and we both live in Hamburg. I live in Veddel and he lives near Reeperbahn.

ADAMA

Shelter near the Main Train Station

ERICA

Public Spaces in Billstrasse

My name is Erica and I am the owner of the African Cultural Centre. Daily laborers come to my shop to hang out and to get food. Many live in the shelter near the main train station. Because the shelter is closed during the day, they need to spend their time elsewhere.

Analysis

I employ several day laborers, mainly from Africa, on an informal basis.

I used to own my own shop for chemical dry cleaning with another partner when I was only 21. Then, I had plenty of free time. But my father asked me to take over his business. Now, I can afford more things but I also need to work more - much more.

Bergedorf / Veddel / Reeperbahn

Working here is tought but it is okay and we get to make money. We usually work from 9 AM to 6 PM, six days a week. It’s mainly manual work that we do, like carrying things, load and unload goods or repair them. Even though my colleague is from Burkina Faso, as well, we don’t hang out really.

Schlemmerkiste & African Cultural Center

Billstrasse is generally a good place to to find temporary jobs, especially if you don’t have a work permit, such as refugees. In order to get a job, day laborers hang around Billastrasse at particular spots. One is in front of my shop.

I don’t have any particular dreams. Even though my situation improved here in Hamburg, I still can’t afford to plan too much in advance. Right now, it is important to me to support my family back home. I can imagine starting my own business one day but who knows.

Shelter near the main train station

Snack bars in Billstrasse do not only serve as food places but also as a place to socialize and to exchange information. You can just chill and meet others while having something to eat or you can find jobs here.

HOUSING

Apartments, Rooms For Rent, Guesthouse x

€

It is no secret: the housing situation in Hamburg is tense. To find affordable options in a central location can strike as an impossible task for nearly everyone. Alternatives that offer affordable rent prices in a central location are in particular high demand. One of the reasons why housing in Billstrasse is so attractive? Because it can fill exactly this particular niche: affordable rents and centrality. Though set in an industrial area1 where it is legally forbidden to have residential dwellings2, Billstrasse accommodates several housing options that cater different needs. Some places openly offer rooms for rent (“Zimmervermietung”), others do it secretly behind hidden walls and at least in one case it appears that regular apartments are being rented out in

the disguise of an office building. In addition, a number of shops appear to accommodate living and sleeping areas on their premises where it is unclear whether they are being used privately or commercially. Several signs of habitation (bunk beds, curtains, mailboxes with a number of handwritten names etc.) indicate that these spaces are probably used as something other than, as officially claimed, office space. Analysis

APARTMENTS One of the tallest buildings on Billstrasse stands out not only due to its height but because it houses, in addition to commercial businesses, proper apartments. The ground and second floor are reserved for shops but the other eight floors comprise two apartments on each level, making it twelve housing units. The apartments facing to the East are slightly larger than the ones facing to the West. The apartments itself have large panora-

mic windows that face to the North and South, allowing daylight to enter generously and offering good views of Billstrasse. In the hallway, there is a large spiral staircase, a small, slightly outdated elevator that provides space for up to two people and a number of personal belongings accumulate in the hallway, such as bicycles, mattresses and used trash bags that need to be taken out.

Hans has a German background and Hans is not in touch with his studies at the University of Fine Arts neighbors who live in the other apartments. in Hamburg (HFBK). He has lived in the apartment with his girlfriend for over 2,5 years.

Hans’s apartment measures about 70m2 and costs 580 €/month, i.e. 8,5 €/m2 in comparison to Hamburg’s average rental price of 11,23 €/m2.

Traces of living can be found on each ﬂoor in the hallways in front of the apartments (e.g. bicycles, clotheslines, trash bags, etc.).

Eppendorf 41m2 - 66m2 12,06€/m2

Winterhude 41m2 - 66m2 12,06€/m2

Barmbek 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2

66m2 - 91m2 12,75 €/m2

66m2 - 91m2 12,75€/m2

66m2 - 91m2 12,57 €/m2

Eimsbuttel 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2 66m2 - 91m2 12,57 €/m2

Eilbek 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2

Altona 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2

66m2 - 91m2 12,57 €/m2

Billstrasse* 70m2 8,28 €/m2

Mietenspiegel Hamburg 2011-2014 *Interview with Hans on 27.05.2016

One of the inhabitants is Hans. Hans is in his 20s, he has a German background and he studies at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg (HFBK) with a focus on music. He moved to Billstrasse two and a half years ago and shares the 70m2 apartment (one of the smaller ones) with his girlfriend. They monthly pay 580 Euros including all expenses, that is 8,29 Euros/m2. In comparison, the average rental price for Hamburg is 11,23 Euros/m2, excluding all expenses.3 “But it is not legal to live here”, Hans explains his living situation. He does most of his grocery shopping either in Billstrasse or at the closest supermarket but he seems to get everything he needs right in front of his house. Every now and then

Veddel 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2

Rothenburgsort 41m2 - 66m2 11,79 €/m2

66m2 - 91m2 12,57 €/m2

he strolls through the secondhand shops and has a look at the offered products. One time he found music equipment that he bought for a fairly cheap price and resold on ebay with a significant margin because he, as a musician, knew exactly how valuable the equipment really was. “If you have the right know-how you can find real treasures here in Billstrasse. But it takes time and you need to have a good eye”. Hans likes the fact that he cannot only live at an affordable price with a good value for money in Billstrasse but he also enjoys the peace and quiet there. “Sure, during the day it is very loud when the cars and trucks

Analysis

WG in Billstrasse/Rothenburgsort mit Industrieromantik - WGs in Hamburg-Rothenburgsort

12.08.16 15:37

Unsere helle 3-Raum Wohnung ist knapp 85qm groß. Wir besitzen eine voll ausgestatte, geflieste Küche; WC und Badezimmer sind zwei separate Räume. Dein Zimmer wäre auf der Südseite, was bedeutet, dass Du tagsüber viel Sonnenschein für Dich hättest. Lage Das Prachtstück befindet sich maximale 4 Minuten Fußweg entfernt vom Hamburger Bahnhof „Rothenburgsort“. - 2 Stationen bis Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (Anbindung an alle anderen S – und U Bahn Linien) - 3 Stationen bis Hamburg Dammtor (Universität Hamburg/Anbindung an die 5er/4er/109er Busse etc./S-Bahn 3/31/ etc…) - 4 Stationen bis Sternschanze Tagsüber ist die Billstrasse viel befahren, es wird gehandelt, getauscht, verpackt und sortiert. Der Trubel legt sich gegen Abend, weil alle Händler ihre Läden schließen - die Orientteppiche werden ausgeklopft, die zu verkaufenden Lampen und Kronleuchter verstaut, und die Schätze der einzelnen Läden versteckt - eine Stille macht sich breit. Abends und Nachts herrscht hier absolute Ruhe. Hier eine 5-minütige Dokumentation über unsere Billstrasse in Hamburg-Rothenburgsort https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unu-pnLSngc WG-Leben Miri ( 24 ) und Jonas ( 22 ) haben die WG letztes Jahr im Sommer gegründet. In liebevoller Klein- und Großarbeit wurde sie renoviert. Groß investiert wurde in tollen, dunkelbrauen Laminat im gesamten Wohnbereich (außer die Bäder + Küche, diese sind gefliest), eine neue Toilette, Küchenausstattung, Farbe etc. Zu tun ist hier also nicht mehr besonders viel. Miri studiert Philospohie und Jonas ist Programmierer. Wir sind seit ca.seit 2 Jahren befreundet, wohnen seit Juni zusammen und haben einen geregelten Tagesablauf. Beide sind viel unterwegs. Gerne hängen wir an kalten Tagen abends in der Küche rum, trinken ein Bier, oder Wein - oder beides - und tauschen unsere Impressionen aus den verschiedenen Welten gegenüber einander aus. Sobald das Wetter es zulässt, klappen wir die Liegestühle auf und machen es uns auf unserer großen Dachterasse (über 150 qm) gemütlich. Wir laden dann gerne Freunde zum Grillen ein und starten unser OpenAir Kino - kostenfrei, selbstverständlich. Wir suchen Dich als neues Mitglied für unsere kleine WG-Familie. Du bist irgendwie Anfang, Mitte, Ende 20 und siehst das Zusammenwohnen nicht nur als reine Zweckmaßnahme? Dann hoffen wir, dass Du neugierig geworden bist und freuen uns über deine Nachricht! Gespannte Grüße Miri & Jonas mehr

Kontakt Diese Anzeige ist momentan deaktiviert. Daher ist eine Kontaktaufnahme nicht möglich.

Ad by two students for a shared flat in Billstrasse on wg-gesucht.de5

http://www.wg-gesucht.de/wg-zimmer-in-Hamburg-Rothenburgsort.5410849.html

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drive on the cobblestones but after 6 PM it is completely different. Then it is super quiet, you really hear nothing”. Also he likes the fact that he is not bothered by anyone in Billstrasse. “Nobody really cares here what you do. I could never imagine living somewhere like Schanze4 where there are always so many people”. Yet, going to Schanze is only a matter of a few minutes from Billstrasse. Whether he knows anything about the small makeshift patio in front of the house that was recently set up as a space for get-togethers or about the young couple who parked a bus in front of the house over weeks in order to repaint and refurbish it and are now travelling around with it? Hans says that he does not really know his neighbors so the questions remain unanswered but he must have noticed it at least and, thereby, both acknowledges and fosters the freedoms provided by Billstrasse either through a general lack of interest or a mutual respect. Clearly, Hans is happy with his choice of moving to Billstrasse. And he seems not to be the only one. Another student of the University of Fine Arts also lives in the same building and a number of other shared flats can be found in Billstrasse.

ROOMS FOR RENT

Analysis

Fairly in the middle of Billstrasse one will find a recently renovated two-story building that stands out in the street due to its appearance: dark red/brownish clinker bricks, a flat roof and white lattice windows. It looks very appealing and small compared to the majority of warehouses and office buildings in Billstrasse whose architecture is purely functional. To the right and left of the mentioned building are two single-story warehouses whose facades facing the street are in the same style. All three buildings belong to the same landlord, are protected monuments6 and have only recently been renovated. As a result, the constellation has a homogeneous look. The buildings to the right and left house secondhand shops while the building in the middle offers rooms for rent on its second floor, though, there is no sign indicating the nature of its business. It seems that the construction process has not finished entirely yet.7 Naked walls, provisional doors and chipped wood on the floor indicate that the renovations are still going on, nonetheless, all eight or nine rental rooms are already inhabitable and occupied. Every now and then delicious smells stream from the kitchen through the small and dark hallway, slightly muted world music is coming from behind a few doors and loud telephone conversations can be overheard, too.

A set of stairs right next to the main entrance leads to the rental rooms upstairs. All of the furnished rooms were, at the time of research, fully booked for a more or less lengthy period of time. A fairly modern kitchen is shared with the other guests as well as the bathroom. The kitchen is equipped with a small table, some chairs, a black chandelier and a window that overlooks the backyard of the secondhand shop next door. One of its guests is Piotr. Piotr is originally from Poland, roughly in his 50s, and speaks fluently German, though with a slightly Southern accent. It seems he spends a considerable time of his life in Germany. He has booked a room in Billstrasse because he works on various construction sites around Hamburg and, consequently, needed a place to stay while he is finishing the assignments. He did not personally seek out the location, the room was arranged for him and he merely agreed to pay the rent. 300 Euros per month costs a room like his, which is the same price another guesthouse at the Western end of Billstrasse asks for their rooms. “That’s cheap right?”, Piotr comments. When we met Piotr he had already stayed in Billstrasse for a while and had only a few days left in Hamburg before he was going to go back home to Poland. “I know everyone who is living here, we all know each other. We meet in the kitchen, cook, and chat. They are all foreigners, none of them is German. One is from Bulgaria, another one also from Poland, there is someone from Ukraine and yet another from Afghanistan and so on”.

Piotr’s room measures around 13m2 and is equipped with two single-beds, a shelf, a few drawers, a small table, a refrigerator, a TV, a few hangers, curtains and Wifi. He could share the room with another person to lower the costs but he chose to take the entire room for himself. He does not carry a lot of personal things with him, the wardrobe looks rather empty and most of his belongings fit on top of a table so he does not really use

Shared kitchen is equipped with a small table, some chairs, and a black chandelier. It servers as a space for social activities.

his shelves. A stack of instant noodles, beers and chips readily wait to be consumed on top of a drawer. When Piotr comes home from work he often watches TV and then goes to sleep, as he says. The rooms for rent are owned and run by its Afghan landlord who also runs the secondhand shop next door. The owner, therefore, has three sources of income: he can rent out space on his property, he sells secondhand goods in his shop and, since recently, he has entered the hotel industry. One of his neighbors on Billstrasse explains: “He does it like the place at the end of the road (see chapter GUESTHOUSE). While he is still in the process of registering for a permit for his hotel business he is simply starting already. He is making money right away”. What is located in the ground floor of the building remains unclear.

Bathroom with shared showers and a washing machine.

Piotr is a construction worker from Poland who spends a considerable amount of time working in Germany.

Piotr’s room has ca. 15m2, costs 300 €/month and is equipped with a refrigerator, TV, WiFi and basic furniture. There are several signs of temporary living (e.g. instant noodles , largely empty wardrobe).

Analysis

GUESTHOUSE

The guesthouse is located at the Eastern end of Billstrasse, virtually next door to one of Billstrasse’s secondhand shops. Large signs on the building say “Rooms for Hire” (original: “Zimmervermietung”) in four different languages (i.e. German, English, Russian and Polish) and provide a telephone number. Online, it says that the name of the place is “Mathias Room Rentals” (original: “Mathias Zimmervermietung”) but the name does not visibly show up anywhere from the outside. The entrance is located in a small concrete courtyard which also functions as parking space for the owner of the place. The entrance area is equipped with a stoop and a gabled wooden roof, a bench, trashcans with attached ashtrays, palm trees as well as a few flowers to make the place more inviting. The entrance hall and living room area is furnished with a somewhat royal yet kitsch interior. Crimson and gold are some of the dominant colors. The guesthouse also has a small backyard which is accessible through large glass doors in the living room. The garden is fenced in with a wooden fence in order to provide privacy for the guests and to shut the view from the secondhand shop next door. In the garden, guests can make use of a large barbecue grill, a seating area and a few sun loungers. The rooms itself are simply furnished with a single bed, bedding, a shelf, a small table, a chair and a TV. There is a shared bathroom and a small kitchenette can be used, as well. The Wifi is for free, towels can be rented for an additional charge. A private room costs 35 Euros/night and 25 Euros/night when shared with another

person. For long-term stays (longer than 10 days) the price goes down to 20 Euros/night. According to the owner, many of his guests are service technicians but also students use his guesthouse as an affordable accommodation option as well as traders who come to Billstrasse for their export business only for short time periods. One of the guests in the guesthouse, presumably from Eastern Europe, has lived there already for over a year. She speaks only very little German and it seems that she works for the owner, though, it is not clear in what way exactly. Mathias, the owner, roughly around 40 years old, comes originally from Afghanistan and has opened the guesthouse in Billstrasse around eight years ago. “It is not the only hotel that I have, I own another hotel near Hannover”, he adds with a smirk. Mathias is tall, charismatic, eloquent and speaks very good German without an accent. From his appearance it is difficult to tell that he has an Afghan background, presumably most people would think him to be German. His businesses seem to run well (he owns three luxury cars among one is a black Ferrari). According to one of his neighbors, he is not married and leads a promiscuous lifestyle as he has been sighted with various changing partners in regular intervals. His professional background is not entirely clear and it appears doubtful that he can lead his lifestyle simply on the basis of the income of two hotels, as he claims, of which one is a budget guesthouse on Billstrasse, yet, it seems that he managed to find a way to make high profits despite the struggles he must have had in the past as a migrant or refugee from Afghanistan.

Analysis

Ofﬁce for monitoring and organizing the guesthouse.

Mathias is the owner of the guesthouse.He owns a Porsche and a Ferrari. Originally, he comes from Afghanistan.

Female ‘‘guest’’ called the owner ‘‘boss’’.

The living room is furnished with highly ornamental interior.

Rooms with shared bathrooms. Prices range between 20 to 35 €/night.

The garden is fenced in order to provide privacy for the gues

Shared backyard is equippedwith a BBQ grill, a few chairs, a table and a crosstrainer.

My name is Hans and I have lived in the apartment for about 2,5 years already, together with my girlfriend. We pay 580 Euros per month for 70m2. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really affordable and central for Hamburg. But technically, we are not allowed to live here.

Sometimes, I like to visit the shops in Billstrasse because you can find really nice things there for a good price. Once I bought professional music equipment for really cheap and resold it for a much higher price.

HANS

Apartments

My name is Mathias and I am the owner of a guesthouse. Rooms here cost from 20 Euros per night. Currently, a few students and workers live here, as well as one lady, a trader from Mali.

Guesthouse

Secondhand Shops

MATHIAS

FATOU

My name is Fatou. I am from Mali and come to Billstrasse for trading. I also buy products for my sister so she can continue her business, too. I am staying in Mathiasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guesthouse for one week because it is right on Billstrasse.

Rooms for Rent

PIOTR

My name is Piotr and I am a construction worker from Poland. I am in Hamburg just for a couple of weeks. I live in a room and I pay 300 Euros per month though I could pay less if I shared the room with somebody else. I know all of my neighbors here. They come from Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Afghanistan etc.

Analysis

I really like the street since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty lively during the day and yet really quiet during the night. Also, no one really cares about what are you doing here.

I study at HFBK Hamburg.

HFBK Hamburg

Apartments

Shipping of Goods

Guesthouse I am interested mainly in trading with mattresses since they pass easily through customs. But I also export electronics like fridges because they have a higher value and are easy to sell back home in Mali. It is nerve-wracking that they need to be inspected by the technician first though.

Construction Sites

As a construction worker I work all around the city. But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stay permanently in Hamburg, maximally for one year. It depends how much work I find here.

Rooms for Rent

I enjoy the sociability of this place and that we all know each other here. Moreover, the central location and its great accessibility is a big advantage.

Analysis

FOOD & THE COMMUNITY African Cultural Center, Schlemmerkiste â&#x201A;Ź

Due to the high concentration of businesses on Billstrasse a number of food places have been attracted to this street, clearly trying to take advantage of the local commercial commotion. Each of the existing food places caters a different clientele and, in doing so, contributes to the heterogeneity of uses and users in Billstrasse. Typically, food places are places of encounter in most parts in the world. This rule can also be applied to Billstrasse. It is where strangers come together, where work can be discussed, and it is where friends and families meet and rest. The food places in Billstrasse create and foster a communal atmosphere through various activities: eating, drinking, chatting, observing, laughing, talking and playing on the cell phone, watching TV, sitting, standing, waiting, smoking and listening to music.

In this publication, we focus on the food places that do not merely satisfy the natural feeling of hunger but also significantly contribute to the social makeup of Billstrasse. We have, therefore, put our focus on two African food places that have shown to be important contact points for two ethnical communities in Hamburg, the Ghanaian and Nigerian community respectively. These two places are communal places used nearly exclusively by the African community, including other nationalities than Ghana and Nigeria. Even though they form small cultural islands in Billstrasse and beyond there are no signs of hostility directed towards these places. They are accepted as additional entities and simply coexist along with the many other nationalities and cultures found in Billstrasse and the rest of Hamburg. As islands, metaphorically speaking, they come with a variety of advantages for Africans of black skin color: amidst the largely white population in Germany one can socialize or simply hang out in a setting where oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance is no longer the minority, one is met with familiar customs, languages and cuisines, and one also gets to talk to people with a shared cultural background and, perhaps, a similar personal history. In other words: these places are places where black Africans can feel at ease and yet understood within the environment of a German city where they usually represent a very small minority.

Analysis

AFRICAN Cultural Center

The African Cultural Center (ACC) is located in the middle of the commercial hub on the Western end of Billstrasse. The redbrick building consists of two stories with grated windows on the ground level and three different entrances facing the street. One of these doors, a heavy metal door covering the sliding glass door right behind it, is the entrance of the African Cultural Center, indicated by its large sign. A small metal staircase leads inside. The subtitle of the sign says “All information on African, especially West Africa Culture, Food, Clothes, Hair styles, Music & more / Come & enjoy the true African hospitability”. It describes what the owner has desired the ACC to be, though, its true nature only partly fits the description. The African Cultural Center is part of an association that spans over Ghana, Germany, Switzerland, Britain and the Netherlands. Erica, the manager of the center, receives financial support from them since the profit she makes from selling Ghanaian meals does not cover all the costs to run the center. Rent alone costs 3.000 Euros per month, which she managed to cut down to 2.500 Euros in court after there had been issues with the landlord. For instance, in winter, they had no heating because it was broken and the landlord refused to repair it. Erica left her home country, Ghana, 35 years ago. She has raised two daughters in Germany who now also have children. She has been running the African Cultural Center in Germany for about six years but only moved to Billstrasse three years ago. Before that, the ACC had moved around several locations in Hamburg, for example, in Borgfelde but there they only stayed

for seven months because the neighbors considered them too much of a nuisance, them supposedly being too loud so the neighbors called the police a few too many times. In Billstrasse, this no longer is a problem, yet, Erica is not entirely happy with the location because business is going very slow and the issues with her landlord did not raise her mood either. Perhaps she could stimulate the business with some additional marketing but she has already made up her mind. As of August 2016, Erica has moved the African Cultural Center to another location in Wandsbeker Chaussee in pursuit of finally making the original description of the ACC a reality. “There is not only food anymore in the new place. You will be able to buy African clothing and souvenirs, too”. What is to happen with the vacant space that she leaves behind in Billstrasse needs to be seen. The more relevant question is what impact the emerging void will have on the people on Billstrasse, especially for the African day laborers. Even Erica has to admit, “I don’t know what is going to happen with them once I leave”. In Billstrasse, the African Cultural Center has been a very influential variable in the social makeup of the street but also in Hamburg as a whole. It served a number of functions, from Monday to Saturday from around noon to 6 or 7 PM. Now, since it moved, some of its functions are no longer being covered until, perhaps, another entity fills the gap. The ACC did not only provide meals that resemble the cuisine the African community was familiar with but offered them at affordable prices (ranging from zero to five Euros, depending on one’s financial power which was silently being determined by Erica, based on appearance and social status)1. What was common practice under day laborers was that they would come to Billstrasse and search for temporary

Analysis

In upper part of the building Ufo (cook) cooks traditional can be observed signs ofhousing dishes from rice, ﬁsh, (curtains and bunk beds) chicken and pork

TV with Ghanian serie Majority of guests belong to Ghanian community

Abstract picture African women hangs on the wall

Main dining room serves as an point of socialization

Desk serves for welcoming of the fuests

Erica (owner) welcomes guest and receives orders

work (see chapter WORKING AS A DAILY LABORER) in order to earn a few Euros and then use these earnings to pay their meals at the ACC. But the ACC allowed day laborers to receive a daily meal even when they could not pay for it, making sure that nobody would have to leave with a hungry stomach. As a result, the ACC became a fixed element of a subsistence cycle that targeted the African community and catered those in need. Even though this system was not very sustainable because it led to deficits in the ACC’s revenue of course, Erica continued to keep up this policy in the ACC. Now, day laborers will have to find an alternative, though, finding another institution that can equally cater such a niche will be difficult to encounter in Billstrasse. The thing is that day laborers are indirectly tied to Billstrasse because it offers one of the best, if not the best, preconditions for finding work as a day laborer. Following the ACC to its new location, where finding work as a day laborer seems very unlikely (even Erica believes so) is therefore not an option for them.

Though selling Ghanaian meals forms the largest share of the ACC’s income, Erica managed to transform the place into more than just another ethnic restaurant in Hamburg. It has become a place where one can simply spend time, even without consuming anything, which already by itself is a rare case in Hamburg’s gastronomic landscape. This offer is especially, if not exclusively, being taken up by the African community in Hamburg. Some refugees, mostly West African, of which some also work as day laborers, spend their time at the ACC because they do not have another place to go. This particularly accounts for those refugees staying at the shelters near the main train station because they have to vacate their shelters during the day and can only return during nighttime. At the ACC, they can hang out inside or in front of the center, watch African TV shows and chat in their mother tongue with fellow countrymen and -women who might be in a similar phase of their life. The ACC is also used as a platform to exchange information, for instance, in the quest of finding work or it even functions as an employer, for example, for the cook who prepares the meals in the ACC. In rare cases, when there is an emergency, Erica allows guests to use the premises as a shelter for the night. But this is not a long-term option, as she says. Moreover, another overlooked problem is solved by the ACC: publicly accessible toilets. Though a number of people work and live in Billstrasse, public toilets are rare. There are a few portable toilets but their access is restricted to a selected group. The snack bars also do

not offer toilets for their clients and so the people who have no base in Billstrasse, of whatever sort, have only few options to do their “business” other than finding a publicly hidden space (e.g. behind a bush) or to leave the Billstrasse and find a toilet somewhere else. The ACC offers clean toilets and, thus, succeeded to eliminate public urination. “Before we moved here, the area constantly smelled like urine, which did not only smell very bad but also made this place very unpleasant and unattractive”, Erica explains, “this has changed ever since we moved into the building and I hope it will not change back after we moved again”. At the ACC, Africans of black skin color form the majority of guests, Whites and other ethnicities are clearly underrepresented. One of the reasons might simply be familiar food leisure time activities

the majority of black persons

Ghanian representation in Hamburg

toilets

employment

general support and guidance

AFRICAN CULTURAL CENTRE exchange of information

speak in mother language (e.g. Twi)

emergency shelter

affordable services ﬁnding work

the lack of knowledge or it could be the fear of the other and/or the unknown. One secondhand shop owner on Billstrasse, for instance, tellingly puts it this way when asked why he does not go there to have lunch: “I don’t know. I don’t know if I like their food. Is it clean?”. Overall, the ACC is a place where the African community can turn to for leisure, guidance and general support. In the urban fabric of Hamburg, the ACC functions as an important representation of the African, particularly the Ghanaian community. At its new location, the ACC will be able to continue its role as such and will still cover the needs of the African community in Hamburg. However, for the African day laborers in Billstrasse the move of the ACC represents a significant loss as it had become a valuable partner and supporter in many regards.

Analysis

SCHLEMMERKISTE Nigerian Snack Bar

Desk serves as showcase with already prepared food (different types of ﬁshes and chicken)

Terrace equipped with roof chairs and tables serves as main socializing point Majority of guests belong to Nigerian community

Kitchen is separated from the dining room by light wall

Standing tables dueto lack of the space in interior

Other than the African Cultural Center, the Schlemmerkiste is not located in Billstrasse’s commercial hub as it lies in a rather decentral position in the middle of Billstrasse amidst warehouses and production plants. A container-shaped wooden building with a few gridded windows and a roofed terrace in front of the entrance constitutes the overall shape of this Nigerian snack bar. A large white-and-blue sign on the roof indicates its name, i.e. “Schlemmerkiste”. Most prominently, the colors black, red and yellow adorn the front side of the building, which combined depict a large German flag. The Schlemmerkiste is being run by a Nigerian since 2013. He replaced the former German snack bar with one that offers Nigerian cuisine. Curiously, the Nigerian owner chose to keep the former overall appearance so nearly nothing has changed in comparison to its original spatial setup. Guests of the new Schlemmerkiste still look at its former Salzbrenner and Warsteiner signs, the German façade, and the shop sign has also never been replaced since the former name was the same. Simply from its appearance it is not really possible to tell that Nigerian cuisine is being offered there. Only when one enters the building and is greeted with fried fish heads, chicken intestines and other foreign dishes instead of sausages and French fries one may possibly grasp what kind of food is actually being offered. Also a look at the clientele helps to determine that the Schlemmerkiste is no longer a German snack bar because only black Africans seem to be visiting it and seem to work behind the counter. Nonetheless, it takes a conversation to find out where exactly the workers and most of the clientele is from which does not strike as a difficult task though as nearly everyone who enters the snack bar is being greeted and drawn into a brief conversation, may it a be quick “Hello!” or a lengthy discussion. Similar to

the African Cultural Center, which was founded by a Ghanaian association, the Schlemmerkiste is also part of a Nigerian association and just as the African Cultural Center targets a mainly Ghanaian clientele, the Schlemmerkiste is mainly directed towards Nigerians. Both associations function independently from each other and do not really interact very much but every now and then they invite each other to events, functions and get-togethers. Only few people come to the Schlemmerkiste during lunch hours and actually sit in the snack bar to have lunch. If at all, most of the customers simply buy their food as takeaway. We are told that meal costs around 6-7 Euros though there is no table with fixed prices and drinks in cans cost 1,50 Euros. In the afternoon and evening hours the place slowly lights up as more and more people, mostly male, arrive and take a seat to chat with the other guests. The people often know each other from previous meetings or other relations. The music starts to blast louder and louder the later it gets, people open their first beers and drink wine, they smoke, chat, laugh, argue, debate and eat. The guests at Schlemmerkiste do not necessarily work in Billstrasse, not even nearby. The place attracts people from all parts of Hamburg and allows especially members of the Nigerian community to socialize with each other outside yet, literally, in the middle of a German environment. Also, some of the day laborers in Billstrasse visit the Schlemmerkiste, even though they are not from Nigeria and might not even speak their language, for example English, because they might be from French-speaking countries. Although, as in the African Cultural Center, African backgrounds form the majority in the clientele, people of non-African origin are also very much welcomed.

Analysis

Sharing A Drink With Dubem Dubem regular visits the Schlemmerkiste after he has finished his work in the hospital in Blankenese, one of the more prestigious districts of Hamburg in the West, for an afterwork drink. His cousin is the owner of the Schlemmerkiste, which might be one of the reasons why is such a frequent visitor. Dubem, therefore, knows the people who visit the Schlemmerkiste very well and often shares his drink with them. He is in his mid-40s and originally comes from Nigeria. “Almost everyone here is from Nigeria and Igbo1 to be more precise”, Dubem says, indicating to the people around him. He moved to Germany in 1996 and at first lived in Berlin and only later came to Hamburg when he got married to a German woman. They were married for over 12 years but they eventually split. Afterwards, he remained in Germany and they still see each other every now and then. Dubem misses living in Berlin because it was more lively, as he says. “The places, the people, the parties in Berlin, they are so much more lively. Hamburg does not

offer that but it is part of my culture and I miss that”. Despite the fact that he would prefer to live in Berlin again, he remains in Hamburg. “Berlin was great but my family and friends live in Hamburg. So I stay here”. Although Dubem has lived in Germany for such a long time, he has still not managed to speak German. Funnily enough, he claims that he really enjoys learning new languages and also spent a significant time of his life in Russia and Italy mainly to learn the local languages. German, however, still seems to be a mystery to him. He can understand a little bit and speak a few words but his German skills are not strong enough to carry an entire conversation. The fact that he spends much of his spare time around people from Nigeria probably does not contribute to his German skills very much either. Upon asking why he comes to the Schlemmerkiste of all places, he responds: “There are only very few African places in Hamburg like this one. There are some in the Eastern parts but that’s it. So, I come here”.1

African Community from Hamburg Association from Switzerland and England

Friends & Family

Traders and Employees Ghana Association

Customers Shops

Erica

Hans living here

AFRICAN CULTURE CENTER

HFBK

Galeries HIGH-RISE BUILDING

second hand housing

African Cultural Center Cultural Food

food places

Apartments in High-Rise Building

Cousin Simone

Nigerian Association Nigerian Community

Selected Actor Networks in Billstrasse

SCHLEMMERKISTE

Analysis

Network of traders in Germany

Former workers are potential future traders

Worker from other countries Traders in Ukraine and Ghana Afghan community BillstraĂ&#x;e

Connection to companies in Hamburg Mathias Piotre the Polish worker

Logistic firms from Northern Germany Former Afghan refugees

HOSTEL Refugees from Burkina Faso

ASIF SHOP

Guesthouse Asifâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Shop Secondhand Goods 77

PEOPLE Visitor Impressions x

â&#x201A;Ź

Billstrasse attracts different groups of people from near and far, from different social classes and ethnical backgrounds, in and outside of Hamburg and even beyond Germany. Some go to Billstrasse out of necessity, as Billstrasse is a means to find work, to find affordable housing and cheap products and services. Others come to Billstrasse for mainly practical reasons, as it is a place where one finds the desired infrastructure, community, work force and variety. Sometimes it is a mixture of both. Here is a small selection of visitor impressions who were asked to comment on why they come to Billstrasse and what they associate it with:

Analysis

// an elderly German lady accompanied by her girlfriend // “We are here for the very first time. I read an article in the Perle1 a few months ago that was talking about Billstrasse and how it was the new place to be, a new promenade so to say. So, today, we decided to have a look and see for ourselves and ended up strolling around Billstrasse. I must say, this place is quiet amazing”.1

// a young German couple from Hamburg // “We are about to have our own start-up soon and we are still looking for a few last missing parts. You see, we want to prepare Indian food in a food truck and sell it on festivals. Some of our friends already have some experience in the business and advised us in the beginning to come to Billstrasse. They are from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern so it surprised as a little bit that they were willing to drive 200 or 300 kilometers just for Billstrasse. Since we live in Hamburg just around the corner it is easier for us to come here to shop. Right now we are looking for a fridge. You really have to compare the prices carefully and it depends on your know-how and your bargaining skills if you actually make a bargain. Last time, we bought a generator and it turned out to be broken. Luckily, we found someone who could quickly fix it for us, otherwise it would have been a poor investment”.

// a man from Ukraine // “You know what is one of the first things that shows up when you google search Hamburg in the Ukraine? It shows Billstrasse! It is that famous back in my country. Many people in the Ukraine have some sort of work relation with this street so a lot of people know about it”.2

LEARNINGS Thus far we have tried to present and illustrate the different practices and settings of Billstrasse in order to make sense of its spatial, economic and social qualities within itself and in connection with the city. We hope, you as a reader, were able to somewhat grasp the particularity of this street in Hamburg although it will, as it usually is the case, take a personal visit to actually understand what Billstrasse sounds, feels, tastes and looks like. Based on the findings in Billstrasse that we have gathered through our research, we have discovered a number of practices that led us to the conclusion that Billstrasse plays a significant role in the urban fabric of Hamburg as a place of arrival and empowerment for migrants of different sorts. Billstrasse has proven to be a suitable platform and instrument for the process of arrival, most importantly by enabling certain social groups of people on their journey in very different ways. The following learnings that we have drawn from our research show how Billstrasse ultimately functions as a place of arrival and empowerment that is self-induced in Hamburg.

BILLSTRASSE IS A PLACE OF ARRIVAL AND EMPOWERMENT BECAUSE... 80

BILLY PROVIDES FREEDOM Billstrasse represents a place of arrival and empowerment because it makes the pursuit of certain practices for migrants, particularly of refugees, possible which would be difficult or impossible to do elsewhere. In this manner, Billstrasse contributes a great deal to a self-induced active life as opposed to one that is dominated by lethargic passiveness. Favorable conditions in German bureaucracy that create regulatory loopholes and a generally lenient attitude of the public both contribute to these liberal practices. Among other things, Billstrasse provides the freedom to appropriate space in the way one sees fit, to reside in an industrial area although German law prohibits it and to sell products that would otherwise end up in collection centers in most other contexts.

BILLY ENABLES AN INFORMAL ECONOMY For a number of migrants, Billstrasse provides a means to income and, thus, empowerment, when it is difficult or not possible to earn money in other ways. Particularly refugees can profit from the local informal economy because it provides a means to stock up their welfare payments which, in turn, can be beneficial to others, too. Many types of work in Billstrasse do not require professional training and, yet, it is possible to use Billstrasse as a kind of learning environment that enables upward social mobility.

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BILLY REPRESENTS AN URBAN ANCHOR Billstrasse attracts different people for different reasons, may they derive out of practicality, necessity or enjoyment. Billstrasse is practical when one is looking for certain business partners, customers or products, it is a necessity when one is unwanted in other places, it is enjoyable when one can be with people of a shared cultural background. By that, Billstrasse becomes an anchor in the urban fabric of Hamburg which can either be cast or hoisted. In this sense, Billstrasse represents a place of arrival where one has the option to either develop an attachment to the location or to use it as a space of transit in order to reach new shores.

BILLY ALLOWS AN SYMBIOTIC COEXISTENCE A general sphere of tolerance is being adopted by the users of Billstrasse with regard to cultural coexistence, businesses codependency, and practices that benefit from benevolent authorities. Each respective field unites one or more parties which profit from the emerging symbiosis in one way or the other. So it appears that, in Billstrasse, there is a general mutual respect for the struggles of others which pays little attention to social hierarchies even though they do not cease to exist and, thus, allows people to live and to let live. In this manner, Billstrasse becomes an important tool for the empowerment of migrants, enabling different levels of arrival.

BILLY IS AFFORDABILE Strong pull factors in Billstrasse are the products’ cheap prices. In fact, there are only very few places in Hamburg and even beyond that could compete with those in Billstrasse. Many things are simply more affordable in Billstrasse, may it be tangible goods like electronics and groceries or housing options. Especially for migrants, who more often than not have a more limited amount of money at their dispense, benefit from places like Billstrasse as they empower them to make purchases that they would otherwise not be able to afford and, thereby, to participate as active members of modernity.

BILLY IS ACCESSIBILE Not only is Billstrasse located in a central position in Hamburg, it is also well equipped with an elaborate transport infrastructure, most importantly public transport. Billstrasse is, therefore, easily and quickly accessible from various parts of the city. This makes the street especially attractive for those who depend on its infrastructure since, after all, the physical presence in Billstrasse forms a precondition to further arrival if only for practical reasons. In a broader sense, Billstrasse additionally represents an accessible location because it provides certain services without having to answer unpleasant questions and it can provide connections to certain social networks. Moreover, Billstrasse indirectly gives access to personal and professional development.

BILLY PROVIDES MARKET QUALITIES Billstrasse is often being described as a gate to an otherworldly sphere within the borders of Hamburg. Due to the many small businesses that have settled down in this street and that are run by migrants a bazar-like atmosphere is created which has gained a certain level of notoriety on a global scale. Its highly developed vending practices facilitate Billstrasse not only with international products through ever-increasing global supply chains but also with international human resources that contribute to the make up of the arrival city.

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT Upwards Elbe and Bille

BILLSTRASSE HORNER ZENTRUM BILLSTEDT AM BILLSTEDT ÖJENDORF TIEFSTACKKANAL BILLBROOK HORNER GEEST

SÜDLICHES HAMM ROTHENBURGSORT HAMMERBROOK

BILLEBOGEN

BUNDESWEHRHOCHSCHULE

WANDSBEKER GEHÖLZ

Bach

JACOBI PARK

Jenefeld er

Along with large-scale urban developments like Across the Elbe River (original: Sprung über die Elbe) for the area Horner Geest South of the Elbe river and another project for the center of the Altona district (original: Mitte Altona), the city of HamHorner Zentrum LEGENDE burg has commissioned urban planners WOHNEN PLUS to additionally develop an action plan for the East of Hamburg that goes along the Elbe and Bille river, namely Upstream Elbe and Bille (original: Stromaufwärts an Elbe und Bille).1 The plan is Südliches Hamm Hammerbrook to upgrade the area so the Eastern districts of Hamburg become more attractive for a variety of target groups. Since Billstedt Öjendorf though, there Billstrasse is located in the project area, it will also be affected by the new urban development plan, Billstedt have been no concrete plans exclusively for Billstrasse yet since its existence as a unique micro-cosmos in the urban Billebogen LEGENDE fabric of Hamburg is not publicly acknowledged. Only in-house planners and authorities refer to Billstrasse as a “highly GÜRNRÄUME & GEWÄSSER emotional topic”. There seem to be no neutral opinions around this street, “you are either Billbrook entirely for the conversation of Billstrasse or highly against it, there is barely anyone who takes a moderate stance on Billstrasse”.2 LEGENDE Rothenburgsort HASSELBROOK

BUNDESWEHRHOCHSCHULE

BALLETTSCHULE JOHN NEUMEIER

LANDWEHR

AUSSENALSTER

Sievekingsallee

BORGFELDE

BINNENALSTER

Hammer

THÖRLS PARK

BURGSTRASSE

llee

HAMMER KIRCHE

HORNER MOOR

RAUHES HAUS

BLOHMS

PARK HORNER FREIHEIT Ho

Nachbarschaften Wohnquartiere unterschiedlicher Dichte nach überwiegend vorkommenden Typologien ALSTER-ELBE( 1 geschlossener Blockrand / 2 verdichtete Zeilenbebauung / 3 lockere Zeilenbebauung / 4 EFH-Gebiete ) GRÜNZUG Potenziale für neuen Wohnraum ELBSCHLOSS

»Die neue Gartenstadt«

hafe

Standorte für Hausboote »Die neue Speicherstadt«

Groß

»Das attraktive Zentrum« — B5

BILLE

nnstr aße

—

ROTHENBURGSORT

Möllner

Baaken

Landstraße

MERKENSTRASSE

auf ausgewiesene Bauflächen & in der Bestandsverdichtung

Gewerbegebiet mit Potenzial für neuen Wohnraum auf ausgewiesene Bauflächen & in der Bestandsverdichtung

Moorf leeter

Straße

ELBBRÜCKEN

OUL EVA RD

hafen

ELBE

STEINFURTHER ALLEE

m ee hl Sc

BILLEGRÜNZUG

Potenziale für neues Gewerbe

BAAKENPARK

KULTURPALAST BILLSTEDT

BILLSTEDT

GRÜNE PASSAGE

BILLERHUDER INSEL

GROSSMARKT

HAFENCITY UNIVERSITÄT

ÖJENDORF

aß

LEGIENSTRASSE

BILLE

BILLEBECKEN

LOHSEPARK

Ober

Glinder Straße

ckstr

lle

sin

tona

auf ausgewiesene Bauflächen & in der Bestandsverdichtung AN DER

HORN

HORNER PARK

OSTERBROOKVIERTEL

HAMMERBROOK

MÜNZVIERTEL

str aße

fbek

»Innovative Mischung aus Wohnen und Gewerbe amWass er«

straß

ing

Spald

Land

hi Was

»Der Raum für Stadtpioniere«

rner

Schif

Eiffestraße

HAFENCITY

ÖJENDORFER PARK

HORNER RENNBAHN

HAMM

HBF

CENTRUM

ÖJENDORFER FRIEDHOF

LANDSCHAFTSACHSE HORNER GEEST

Landstraße

BERLINER TOR

SCHIFFBEKER MOOR

Sie vekin »Herz der Backsteinstadt« gsa

HAMMER PARK

ÖJENDORFER SEE

»Der Freiraum zum Wachsen«

SPORTPARK HORNER RENNBAHN

ROTHENBURGSORT

TIEFSTACK

ELBPARK

ENTENZentren und Identifikationsräume WERDER

Räume der zentralen Versorgung (Dienstleistung, Handel, Bildung, Kultur), der Mobilität sowie des sozialen Austauschs

» Wohnen undArbeiten amElbufer« Grün- und Freiflächen untergeordneter Bedeutung GÜRNRÄUME & GEWÄSSER 1 Bezirksentlastungszentrum

LEGENDE GÜRNRÄUME & GEWÄSSER Friedhöfe

TRIE B

Grün- und Freiflächen gesamträumlicher Bedeutung

3 Lokales Zentrum

BILLWERDER BUCHT

2 Nahversorgungszentrum

Standorte Wochenmarkt

BILLBROOK

IND US

Grünflächen

Glinder Au

»Die Industrie von morgen«

ÖJENDORFMARSCHGRÜNZUG

MINTARIUM

KIRCHSTEINBEK

MÜMMELMANNSBERG

Mümmelmannsberg

KLEINGARTENPARK

»Das internationale Quartier«

In the plan for Upstream Elbe and Bille, the project areas around Billstrasse, i.e. Billebogen and Am Tiefstackkanal, fall into the Rothenburgsort and Billbrook districts which combined form the largest connected industrial area in Northern Germany apart from Hamburg’s harbor.3 Therefore, for the future, the plan generally wants to nurture further qualitative industrial development, however, the focus is strongly placed on industry and wholesale businesses, excluding logistic companies, small businesses, trade and services.4 During the public presentation of the plans for Rothenburgsort/Billbrook on May 24, 2016, various stakeholders from various industries were invited. Only one person who is already based in Billstrasse, a landlord who owns a few properties, was present during the presentation. It seems that the plan directly targets the industry and is less concerned with small businesses. “Around 3.700 people were working in Billstrasse in June 2015 but we could be so much more jobs”, an employee associated with Upstream Elbe http://www.hamburg.de/contentblob/4388924/d75c7a6ff6294381744f16b8f8f0ed5d/data/do-broschuere-low.pdf and Bille explains, “the ration between property size and number of employees is very low in Billstrasse”.5 Grünflächen

Grün- und Freiflächen gesamträumlicher Bedeutung Grün- und Freiflächen untergeordneter Bedeutung

Standorte Nachbarschaftszentrum

WASSERKUNST KALTEHOFE

Straßenzüge mit Versorgungsfunktion & Aufenthaltsqualitäten

Friedhöfe

Grünflächen

Grün- und Freiflächen untergeordneter Bedeutung

Aufwertung von Straßenräumen

Herausbildung und Ergänzung von Baumalleen, Stärkung von Aufenthaltsqualität und bessere Durchwegung

Friedhöfe

Grün- und Freiflächen gesamträumlicher Bedeutung

Neue Grünverbindungen

Bil

Aufwertung von Straßenräumen

Landwirtschaftliche Flächen

Mehrfachnutzung, Stärkung von Aufenthaltsqualität und bessere Durchwegung

Potenziale für temporäre Nutzungen Jokerfläche Wohnen plus

ELBEGRÜNZUG

für neue Nachbarschaften oder erweiterte Wohnumfeldqualitäten

Radwegenetz

Landwirtschaftliche Flächen

Hauptroute

BOBERGER DÜNEN

BILLWERDERMOORFLEET

BERGEDORF

HOLZHAFEN

Nebenroute Fahrradnetz

Neue Grünverbindungen Gewässer Stadteingänge Aufwertung

von Straßenräumen

Herausbildung und Ergänzung von Baumalleen, Stärkung von Aufenthaltsqualität und bessere Durchwegung

Radwegenetz

Zentren und Identifikationsräume

0,5 Hauptroute 1

Räume der zentralen Versorgung (Dienstleistung, Handel, Bildung, Kultur), der Mobilität sowie des sozialen Austauschs

Nebenroute Fahrradnetz

0,25

1 Bezirksentlastungszentrum 2 Nahversorgungszentrum 3 Lokales Zentrum

0,75

Gewässer

1,25 km

Standorte Wochenmarkt

http://www.industriestandort-billbrook.de/stromaufwärts-an-bille-und-elbe.html

In a first step, the infrastructure of the street space will be upgraded in Billstrasse. Also, there will be small additions of green spaces.6 Other than that, the plans have not become more concrete and it remains to be seen how Billstrasse will eventually look like in 2030 when the urban development plan is meant to be completed. The action plan has already been forwarded to the city of Hamburg which will decide until 2017/2018 what is to become a new reality.

One variable that has so far not been directly incorporated in the Upstream Elbe and Bille plan is the current debate on whether a new zoning category should be added to the prevailing catalog, namely the “Urban Mix-Use Area” (original: “Urbanes Mischgebiet”). It allows, among other aspects, a more lenient mixing of small businesses and residential dwellings in one zone, which currently mostly needs to be located in separate zones according to German law (BauNVO). The aim is to approximate German legislation to the changing perception of urbanity that no longer, so the argument, requires zones to be built side by side but, as its name tellingly explains, should be more mixed.7 In Billstrasse, as a result, this could decriminalize current informal housing practices and further increase housing in the future – if the urban development plan permits it – and, thereby, offer an additional answer to the overall housing problem in Hamburg, particularly because it could offer affordable housing in a central location. BILLSTRASSE In the end, the overarching question that needs to be answered for Billstrasse with regard to the urban developments, particularly in the face of Upstream Elbe and Bille, is whetherHORNER it will be possible to conciliate the upgrading of Billstrasse ZENTRUM BILLSTEDT SÜDLICHES HAMM AM with its conservation as a self-induced place of arrival and empowerment. In order to ÖJENDORF start the debate around this BILLSTEDT ROTHENBURGSORT TIEFSTACKKANAL HAMMERBROOK BILLEBOGEN BILLBROOK HORNER question and to shed some light on the topic, which is nowhere to being closed, also forms a significant part of our GEEST motivation for this publication. Based on the learnings that we have collected from Billstrasse as being a place of arrival and empowerment, in particular with regard to future urban developments, we ask the following questions: Will it be possible to preserve Billstrasse as place of arrival and empowerment with respect to being a place 1) that offers the freedom to pursuit certain practices 2) that enables informal economies 3) that functions as an anchor in the urban fabric which can optionally be cast and lifted 4) that welcomes people from different social backgrounds without discrimination 5) that offers affordable goods, services and housing options in a central location 6) that continues to be accessible not only physically but also for personal and professional development 7) and, finally, continues to offer the market qualities that come with certain small businesses?

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ENTENZentren und Identifikationsräume WERDER

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»Das internationale Quartier«

WASSERKUNST KALTEHOFE

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Friedhöfe

Grünflächen

Grün- und Freiflächen untergeordneter Bedeutung

Aufwertung von Straßenräumen

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1 Bezirksentlastungszentrum 2 Nahversorgungszentrum 3 Lokales Zentrum

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Gewässer

1,25 km

Standorte Wochenmarkt

http://www.hamburg.de/contentblob/4388924/d75c7a6ff6294381744f16b8f8f0ed5d/data/do-broschuere-low.pdf

http://www.industriestandort-billbrook.de/stromaufwärts-an-bille-und-elbe.html

Billstrasse As A Place of Arrival and Empowerment Internationally, Billstrasse did not only receive attention from private individuals but was also presented on an international platform during the 15th Architecture Biennale 2016 in Venice where it was publicly acknowledged as a place of arrival. Photos from Billstrasse were shown in the German pavilion as part of the Making Heimat. Germany, Arrival Country exhibition, which portrayed places of arrival and empowerment not only in Hamburg but all over Germany. Similarly as we have outlined in our learnings from Billstrasse, the exhibit characterized places of arrival as places that offered a) affordable housing, b) access to employment, c) small-scale businesses, d) a good infrastructure, e) social networks of people with equal cultural backgrounds and f) an atmosphere of tolerance that also considers informal practices as acceptable. As widely perceived in the German population, places of arrival that offer all of the above too often, though, quickly become synonymous with social hot spots.1 This falsely leads to the effect that the areas’ hazards are magnified while its potentials are being overlooked. But taking into account both aspects, i.e. hazards and potentials, on equal terms should be the overall planning goal.

les symbiotic coexistence on various levels, may it be cultural coexistence, business codependency or the benevolence of authorities, 5) provides affordable products and services which cater to less affluent people of society, 6) is easily accessible in terms of transport infrastructure and a central location but also in terms of being a place for the exchange of information and skills and 7) offers market qualities that come with beneficial bazar-like features but it also forms part of a global machinery with resources coming from all kinds of places in the world. By introducing the term “Arrival City” to the debate, Doug Saunders was one of the few who emphasized that places like Billstrasse could serve as a breeding ground not for poverty and crime but for a new financially and politically powerful middle class.2 His approach thus opposes the widely adopted view in city politics that places like Billstrasse are merely undesirable conglomerations of migrants with cheap businesses. Espe-

In this publication we started out with clarifying the initial situation of Billstrasse in order to provide a broad context to the field. Then we systematically presented various aspects of Billstrasse which we analyzed more closely during our research. This included the spatial dimensions of Billstrasse and some of its uses, German legislation, the prevalent businesses and economic processes with its trading practices, different types of work, different types of housing, and food places that functioned as community centers for specific groups of people. Based on the analysis, we drew the conclusion that Billstrasse must be a place of arrival and empowerment that comes with certain qualities which are described in our learnings. We put extra emphasis on Billstrasse’s ability to empower migrants because it describes what makes places of arrival like Billstrasse not only so appealing but powerful itself. Places of arrival that do not empower migrants are essentially deadends as it could lead to the creation of shanty towns and slum quarters which comes with a whole set of other issues. In sum, our learnings conclude that Billstrasse as a place of arrival 1) provides self-induced freedom to follow certain practices that are not possible to do elsewhere, 2) houses an informal economy that enables those who have difficulties participating in the formal economy, 3) represents an urban anchor where one goes to for practical, indispensable and/or leisurely reasons while some choose to leave the place when the circumstances permit it and some others do not, 4) enab-

Billstrasse at the 15th Architecture Biennale in Venice 2016

cially in times of large-scale migration and a strong influx of refugees in Europe this perception must urgently be corrected. Instead, the increasing migration flows could be utilized as an initiator for change, ideally leaving fears for the Other behind, prompting active members of society to embrace a kind of interculturality, i.e one that no longer believes in a dominant culture to which other cultures must adhere to but one that believes that different cultures can live side by side in an equal manner.3 The reason why Billstrasse came about and how it reached its current status quo did not only derive from legal loopholes and the lack of manpower, it was rather the overall planning system in the global North that failed to address the increasing cultural diversity and their false focus on keeping the norms and values of the dominant culture up.4 Because of, or perhaps thanks to this phenomenon, Billstrasse was able to grow and flourish. In addition, a general lack of public interest enabled migrants to arrive in Hamburg along with practices that can be associated with the global South which have launched self-integration processes. URBAN MARGINALS IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD One of the main drivers of coming to Billstrasse as a migrant is their wish to escape from poverty in their native country. This prompts many to resort to countries like Germany that offer better chances of leading a better life. In Billstrasse, one might be able to do exactly what one came for. Nonetheless, many are confronted with comparably low wages, poor work conditions and even inappropriate living conditions in the beginning. Rightfully, the question arises whether for migrants in Germany the journey was worth the hardships in the end. The answer is often yes. The men and women who have come to Billstrasse welcome its advantages but also deal with its disadvantages and instead of perceiving them as obstacles they are regarded as stepping stones which slowly but steadily lead upwards. Despite all the difficulties, many eventually manage to improve their wages, work situation and living conditions and, thereby, enable themselves not only to survive but also to lead a better life. In order to do so, informal activities might be part of the game. Curiously enough, the informal activities do not happen at the expense of fellow migrants or oneself but at the expense of the state, of companies or of wealthier private individuals. Asef Bayat terms this kind of upward mobility strategy the “quiet encroachment of the ordinary”, i.e. “the silent, protracted but pervasive advancement of the ordinary people on the propertied and powerful”.5 The “quiet encroachment” strategy presents itself as a useful tool for survival and general advancement for migrants often due to the initial lack of skills and education, low earnings, networks and organization. In a little attention-grabbing

manner it leads to personal empowerment. The “ordinary” thus do not represent a social movement, they rather resemble a type of “non-movement”, as Bayat formulates it. Only when they begin to organize themselves as a collective, according to Bayat, they form a potential critical mass that could become a social movement. The collective usually only comes about, though, when their rights or possessions are actually endangered but the everyday struggles and practices are not about winning new gains.6 The role of the quiet encroachment strategy in the developing world is a very different one compared to countries like Germany. While developed countries seek to prevent such strategies, many developing countries who struggle with covering basic needs for all might actually welcome “quiet encroachment” up to a certain extent as it provides a means to self-empowerment and self-subsistence, which, in turn, unloads part of the burden of the state.7 GATES TO GENTRIFICATION? Billstrasse, in a way, also functions as a mirror of the ongoing politics of the public sphere. In the absence of public investment it has attracted private investments of small businesses, partly in the shape of a shadow economy, which maintain what would have otherwise remained unmaintained. In this manner, the small businesses fill the gaps or “cracks” in the urban fabric and “make the insupportable a little more liveable, at least for a while”.8 Sites that would otherwise be vacant are kept at a profitable market value and become attractive for speculative developments. This comes with the unpleasant side effect that major actors of Billstrasse can turn into victims of their own success as it forges a path for subsequent rising competition. More businesses are attracted by existing businesses and prices rise due to an increased demand. As a consequence, one of the key features of Billstrasse as being a place of arrival is at risk, i.e. affordability. In the framework of rising property values, the growing impact of corporate actors in the cities’ governance need to be addressed, too, where large-scale privatization and commodification plays a key role.9 In addition, the level of impact by urban development programs like Upstream Elbe and Bille are not to be underestimated as they have a tendency towards prioritizing businesses with large capital over small businesses who do not have the means to compete on an equal level. This way, the very nature of the street is being challenged. An excessive interest in the area around Billstrasse might have been prevented up until now due to the fact that it still lies in a commercial industrial area that legally prohibits housing in most cases, affordable housing being a strong pull factor particularly in Hamburg. If housing

would be permitted in Billstrasse it might take the shape of places like Steindamm in the St.Georg district, an area of Hamburg which has often been associated with being an “arrival city”.10 As a place where migrants go to but, in most cases, do not reside in Billstrasse does not entirely represent an “arrival city” per se as Saunders has envisioned. With the lack of widespread housing, various actors in Billstrasse might develop a certain level of economic or social attachment to the place, yet, it does not foster a real sense of belonging. Instead, more permanent dwellers who take advantage of the non-dwelling of others have crept into Billstrasse by occupying informal housing options. Students, artists and, generally, a young and educated crowd has begun to gather in Billstrasse, a process which sounds all too familiar with what can be encountered in various parts of the globe, namely gentrification, jeopardizing Billstrasse’s current status as a place of arrival and empowerment.11 TOWARDS SPEAKING A LANGUAGE OF THE MANY To a large extent, our learnings show what characteristics places of arrival and empowerment can have, how these places function and what role they play in the overall urban fabric and as part of a global network. In a next step it must be determined how these learnings can be applied and put in practice. In order to do so, society as a whole and particularly urban politics, among others, will have to deal with the following questions: Will we want to conserve places of arrival or rather eliminate them? Will it be possible at all to eliminate them? What happens if we do? Perhaps we would rather want to replicate and thus create more places of arrival? Will it even be possible to have more than just one or two terminals, so to speak, within one city? How will it affect the rest of the city? How will it affect migrants? These are only some of the questions that arise from this publication and are left to further discussion, eager to be answered soon.

In this sense, Billstrasse with its actors, practices and networks can currently be regarded as an urban laboratory for further study in terms of of arrival and empowerment. But also in order to examine how innovative so-called Third World practices can be adopted and implemented in a so-called First World environment. Here, the municipality as a mediator plays an important role. By strategically employing the “state of exception” as outlined by Ananya Roy, i.e. “informality […] determined by the sovereign power of the planning apparatus”12, Billstrasse can become a place of arrival and empowerment that combines the interests of both, current and potential future actors. The “state of exception” recognizes incrementalism as a valuable tool for enablement which fosters integration on a financial, spatial, cultural, social and political scale as opposed to bowing to a dominant culture. Put in practice, the “state of exception” strategy allows local authorities to proceed with formalization in Billstrasse while maintaining its affordability. In this manner, subsequent effects such as gentrification and displacement can be prevented. No matter what planning strategies are being applied in Billstrasse, all steps and measures should be undertaken within the limits of a “positive model”, which seeks to facilitate and foster given possibilities in favor of current users.13 In Billstrasse, this essentially means that the city should aim at facilitating possibilities for migrants instead of preventing them from further development. As Mark Terkessidis has pointed out, society itself has to accept a new form of intercultural alphabetization that celebrates diversity and heterogeneity for what it is because, at its current rate, society is becoming more intercultural, no matter what. Surly, changes in the people’s mindsets will not happen overnight but, step by step, the present and future developments will teach urban inhabitants a new kind of language, the language of the many, since being able to speak this language forms one of the key entry requirements to Terkessidis’s “parapolis”.14

SCENARIO

Improvement of Buildings

Improve Public Hygiene

Enable architectural interventions in order to decrease the dangers of ramshackle building structures. Additionally, come up with more organized storing systems, particularly for secondhand shops. Apply an incremental upgrading and self-build approach.

Implement sufficient public toilets and, perhaps, also provide public showers. The maintenance of the localities can be used as an additional income for the city and provide additional work opportunities.

Better Waste Management

Development of Housing

Place small and large garbage cans and containers in several strategic locations. Emphasize and enable an easy-accesible application of recycling.

Provide a (legal) framework that allows for housing development and, incrementally, upgrade existing buildings through architectural interventions with a self-build approach.

Maintain Coexistence

Regulate Appropriations

Ensure that there are sufficient and diverse work opportunities which can enable underprivileged groups to lead an active life as outlined by Hannah Arendt. For that, also provide attractive free time activities.

Provide a (legal) framework that can reconcile the needs and interests of business ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and city authorities with regard to space appropriation. Above all, the regulation should prioritize pedestrians and cyclists.

Improvement & Regulation of Steet Space Improve the regulation of speed limits, e.g. through additional signs or radar. Decrease the level of daytime noise pollution. Reconstruct paving, boardwalks and implement bicycle lanes. Small Property Sizes Conserve and attract small business models and maintain unattractive qualities for large scale companies and industries.

In the following, we present a conceptual proposal that further enhances Billstrasse as a place of arrival and empowerment without interfering with ongoing upgrading plans such as Upwards Elbe and Bille and, instead, aims to infuse future urban development with the learnings from Billstrasse. The learnings from our research contribute to the understanding of local hierarchies and how they can be translated into a language of space which will ensure equal access for all. The focus should be thus kept on integration, level of attachment to the place and to the various actors who have transformed Billstrasse into a place of arrival.

Implement Truck Parking Improve the organization of truck parking so public space is no longer misused by large vehicles and can be used in the most efficient manner by all types of vehicles. Public Seating & Places of Assembly Provide sufficient benches and other seating possibilities. Create places of assembly (e.g. small green areas, playgrounds, small public spaces) in order to foster community ties and further identification with the location.

Set up an Incubator or Community Center The community center targets migrants with start-ups by providing legal advice, offering business classes and adequate workspaces and functioning as a mediator for micro-loans. Additionally, the focus will be put on empowering women in the predominantly male sphere.

Establish a CommunityBased Organization (CBO)

Supply migrants with the opportunity to organize themselves more efficiently. In this manner, they can enable and supply themselves with whatever welfare is not covering with regard to their basic needs.

NOTES

sorted by headlines Editorial

1 Mohammad Saeidimadani Arrival Spaces (2012) 2 Hannah Arendt Vita Activa oder Vom tätigen Leben (1958) 3 Bernd Kniess Rhythmen der Parapolis (2016) 4 Oxford English Dictionary 5 Hamburg.de 6 Mark Terkessidis Interkultur (2010)

Intro

1 Statistik Nord [November 2015] 2 Geoportal Hamburg, Flächennutzungsplan Hamburg 3 Bernd Kniess Atlas des Un-Geplanten (2010)

ANALYSIS Initial Situation 1 Philipp Kohlhöfer Dschungelblues (Aug 2014, NZZ-Folio) 2 Yvonne Siegmund Rothenburgsorte (2014) 3 GeoPortal Hamburg

Spatial Dimension 1 Based on the information from a local police officer

German Bureaucracy 1 Based on the statements by an informant who is employed by the city of Hamburg

Shops 1 Morgenpost Hamburg Fahrräder suchen Eigentümer: Polizei stellt Fahrräder sicher. Ist Ihr Rad dabei? (July 2012) 2 Carolyn Braun, Marcus Pfeil, Felix Rohrbeck, Christian Salewski Auf der Jagd nach dem Schrott (DIE ZEIT, July 2014 3 Spiegel TV Vom Kühlschrank bis zum Feuerwehrauto: Die Reste unseres Wohlstands für Afrika (December 2015)

Products 1 Based on an Interview with a police officer 2 Based on the information of local urban planners

Trading 1 Based on observations and interviews 2 Christoph Twickel Flüchtlinge: Die verdienen was anderes (DIE ZEIT, 2015) 3 ElektroG Elektro- und Elektronikgesetz 4 Christoph Twickel Flüchtlinge: Die verdienen was anderes (DIE ZEIT, 2015)

Fatou - A Trader From Mali 1 A sample trade process based on observations and conversations

Working As A Day Laborer 1 GGUA Flüchlingshilfe e.V. 2 In Germany, minimum wage is 8,50 Euros per hour since January 2015. 3 Hamburger Abendblatt Explosionen bei Brand in Lagerhalle mit Elektroschrott (December 2015) 4 Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung Asylverfahren in Deutschland (May 2016)

Housing 1 Bebauungsplan BSHamm-Marsch (1950) 2 §9 BauNVO Industriegebiete 3 Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen a 4 A district in Hamburg’s city center that is known for its public life and heavy nightlife. 5 SMP GmbH & Co. KG 6 Geoportal Hamburg, Denkmalkartierung Hamburg 7 as of August 2016

Food And The Community 1 The first time we ate at the African Cultural Center, we were first asked to pay 7 Euros per meal but later only paid around 4,50 Euros, including a free dessert that we had not ordered after she found out that we were students doing research in Billstrasse. Also, we were the only non-black customers.

Sharing A Drink With Dubem 1 Igbo is one of the three main ethnicities in Nigeria, the other being Yoruba and Hausa.

Visitor Impressions 1 A magazine by Budnikowsky, a local drugstore chain that monthly publishes a customer magazine. As a local company, it has a strong focus on Hamburg. 2 After checking whether the statement was true or not we discovered that this was actually not true. Nevertheless, the myth seems to live on. Note: Some Ghanaians made similar claims.

CONCLUSION Urban Development 1 Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen b 2 Based on an informant who works on Upstream Bille and Elbe 3 IBA Hamburg GmbH 4 Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen c 5 Based on an interview with an employee of the business development association in Hamburg (HWF Hamburgische Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftsförderung mbH). 6 Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen c 7 Klaus Schäfer Initiative Urbanität, Mobilität und kurze Wege (2016)

Billstrasse as a Place of Arrival and Empowerment 1 Deutsches Architekturmuseum 2 Doug Saunders Arrival City (2011) 3 Mark Terkessidis Interkultur (2010) 4 Leonie Sandercock When Strangers Become Neighbours: Managing Cities of Difference (2000) 5 Asef Bayat From „Dangerous Classes“ to „Quiet Rebels“: Politics of the Urban Subaltern in the Global South (2000) 6 ibd. 7 ibd. 8 Fran Tonkiss Austerity Urbanism and the Makeshift City (2013) 9 Setha Low and Kurt Iveson Proposition for More Just Urban Public Spaces (2016) 10 see e.g. Mohammad Saeidimadani (2012) 11 Sharon Zukin Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places (2010) 12 Ananya Roy Urban Informality: Toward an Epistemology of Planning (2012) 13 Fran Tonkiss Austerity Urbanism and the Makeshift City (2013) 14 Mark Terkessidis Interkultur (2010)

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