Urban Narratives

Jörg Schröder

Starting point for this book is the concept of „Cosmopolitan Habitat“ to inspire thinking, design, and transformation for an open and multidimensional city. Cosmopolitan (from the classic Greek kosmos: world and polis: city) Habitat (from Latin: living space) brings together international debates based on exchange among cultures and communities, places of civilisatory experience, processes supporting a culture of makers and migration. As part of a research in cooperation with the University of Palermo, funded as University Dialogue by DAAD, the Chair for Territorial Design and Urban Planning of Leibniz University Hannover sets the research and design project URBAN NARRATIVES as contribution to an ongoing international investigation and debate on new concepts and tools in urbanism. The central methodological approach is on narratives as analytical and as projectual tools. With the focus on the cities of Halle, Hannover and Flensburg, the book explores how can elements, energies, and networks of a collaborative city overcome spatial and social fragmentation? What role can boundaries, limits, borders, thresholds, and peripheries play for envisioning a “Cosmopolitan Habitat”?

In the situation of the Corona epidemic, we address a new invention of urban performativity. It becomes increasingly clear that the current crisis is not only affecting the economic system and increasing fragmentation and fragility in society and space, but also the very dynamics and concepts of everyday life. Thus, reconstruction addresses the notion of public space, of urban networks that trigger community, of places that foster innovation, through spatial and material atmospheres, openness, and connectivity. Furthermore, we believe that the increased role of digital social interaction will provoke a remarkable material-digital reconfiguration with deep consequences to think, live, and design urban space.

As a research and teaching project, URBAN NARRATIVES has been possible thanks to many collaborations with local experts and partners in the cities of Halle, Hannover, and Flensburg. Together with our students, we are grateful for insights and discussions that enriched and inspired the project, even in the lockdown phase of Corona crisis and in specifically designed digital workshop formats. In Halle, many thanks to the city administration, especially to René Rebenstorf, for the contextual introduction and the presentation of actual projects of the city as well as Birgit Aust for the organization; Daniel Herrmann and Werkleitz e.V. for the view into the Media-Art-World and the perspective on networks and tendencies within the cultural scene; Ingrid Häußler, Christine Fuhrmann and the Volkspark e.V. for showing the “Volkspark” and the current difficulties of activating and programming it; and Philipp Kienast and Freiraumgalerie for his comments on

own projects and the developments and actions in Freiimfelde. Also, we would like to thank Christian Dootz for sharing his work and working process as well as for the numerous thematic discussions in the preparation of the course and Fridjoff Rehan for telling us about underground music events and venues and their influence in Halle. In Hannover, many thanks to the Birgit Steckelberg, teamleader of the local integration plan of Hannover LIP 2.0 and to Bernhard Spitzenberg of Deutsche Messe AG Hannover, to Dr. Martina Venschott, office

for technology transfer of Leibniz University Hannover, and to many persons in our university that supported for this topic. Riccarda Cappeller organised this book and set up the research and study project, together with Alissa Diesch, Julia Hermanns designed and set the book—many thanks and compliments! And, most importantly, thanks to all our students—especially also our Erasmus students from Paris and Lyon— for their energy, creativity and great work in this exploration of “Cosmopolitan Habitat”.

Fig. 1: „The Matter of Data“- Exhibition, Centre for Documentary Architecture, Photo: Ortrun Bargholz