THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Idea and Content The extraordinary challenges our global cities currently face was the starting point for developing this exhibition – this discourse simultaneously captures the main ideas on which the advanced master programme in international cooperation and urban development, Mundus Urbano is based upon. These challenges are mostly connected to the fact that more than half of the world’s population is for the first time in human history already living in cities. In addition, the global urban population is predicted to doubled in the coming decades, while urban built-up areas are expected to triple. Unfortunately, these scenarios are mostly affecting developing countries, which not only face the largest growth challenges, but are often confronted with shortcomings in capacity and resource gaps when
dealing with the associated problems. A highly interdisciplinary and international group of Mundus Urbano students, their colleagues from the Faculty of Architecture and the Erasmus exchange group set their focus together on the main topics of the workshop. The main aim was not to point at the major challenges our world of cities is facing today, but to offer some possible creative, innovative and personal statements. Through the prism of urban informality, as a possible solution, several groups dealt with different aspects of urban reality: Urban Mobility, Affordable Housing, Public Space and Disaster Management. After personal standpoints were developed, the main ideas were transformed into exhibits that carry the main message we want to share.
In order to secure actuality and flexibility, the concept foresees a travelling exhibition, which can be transformed by dropping or adding new exhibits, depending on the topic, costs, or logistics, thereby allowing its easy transformation and relocation.
Foreword
by Prof.Dr.-Ing. Annette Rudolph-Cleff
„Thinking outside the Box“ is more than an exhibition; it is also a reflection of urban reality we are facing today. The complexity of urban systems and the uncertainty of the impact of urbanization and climate change ask for new ways of thinking about planning objectives and solidarity in action. We certainly can’t change the urban dynamics, but we can point at the existing and emerging issues to provoke both critical and creative thinking, as raising local awareness is the first, small step to make the world a better place.
Behind the exhibition opening at the TU Darmstadt in July 2015 are three semesters of intensive work. Our future steps involve relocation of the exhibition
to all of our partner universities around the world involved with the international master programme. Barcelona, Grenoble, Rome and Shanghai are our future destinations. Similarly to any other trip, however, this journey will also provide us some experience and make some impressions that will certainly reflect on the content of the future exhibitions. At the end of this long journey, we are looking forward to seeing „Thinking outside the Box“ opening in Frankfurt’s DAM (German Architecture Museum) in April 2016.
I would use this opportunity to thank our consortium partners, as well as to Dr. Su Yungshen from Tongji University, who supported the idea of a joint exhibition from the very beginning. Special thanks are also for Dipl.-Ing. Britta Eiermann and Dr.-Ing. Nebojsa Camprag for their work with the students on concept and content of the exhibition. Without the engagement of Britta Eiermann and her experience, this project certainly wouldn’t be possible. Last but not least, many thanks to our great students who provided extraordinary ideas and invested a great effort to set up the exhibition.
Mundus Urbano
Mundus Urbano (MU) is an interdisciplinary Master of Science programme specialising in International Cooperation in Urban Development. It addresses the dynamic challenges faced throughout the world due to rapid urbanisation processes.
This Erasmus+ Mundus associated programme is hosted by the TU Darmstadt in partnership with three European universities and allows students to pursue a double degree in International Cooperation and Urban Development with specialisations in Development Economics (Rome), Sustainable Emergency Architecture (Barcelona), or Urban Planning (Grenoble).
Contacts and Partners Universidad Internacional de Cataluña ESARQ - School of Architecture, UIC Carmen Mendosa, Program Director Carrer de la Immaculada 22 08017 Barcelona, Spain
Technische Universität Darmstadt Fachbereich Architektur Prof. Dr.-Ing. Annette Rudolph-Cleff, MU Academic Director El-Lissitzky Sttr.1 64287 Darmstadt
Université Pierre-Mendès-France UFR Institut d‘Urbanisme de Grenoble Jean-Michel Roux, Program Director 12, Avenue Marie Reynoard 38100 Grenoble, France
Università degli Studi di Roma „Tor Vergata“ School of Economics Carmen tata, Coordinator Via Columbia, 2 0013 Rome, Italy
Tongji University Urban Planning & Design Institute Su Yunsheng, Program Director Rm.1401, No.1111 North Zhongshen Shanghai, China
Where we will exhibit
Auditorium- and Media Center
German Architecture Museum
Roca Barcelona Gallery Italy
Shanghai
France
Urban y Mobilit
We who believe in innovative solutions to urban mobility invite you to join us!
What is mobility? What makes a traffic system successful depending on environment? The personal use of transportation Efficiency?
apply now!
www.mundus-urbano.eu
Public Space
Public spaces as a contested space – participation, protest,etc. Place attachment of people – histories of people – identity Public space as common space of cohesion and contestation
We who believe more public space is more safe space invite you to join us!
Public space and the „other“ apply now!
www.mundus-urbano.eu
ble a d r o f f A g Housin
Affordable?! Intersection between community, housing and the future possibility of expansion apply now!
Identity and home Exertion of influence?
www.mundus-urbano.eu
We who believe affordable housing can be quality housing invite you to join us!
r Disaste ent em Manag apply now!
www.mundus-urbano.eu
Managing risk instead of managing disaster Different perceptions of safety Methods of mitigation and adaptation Different levels and contexts of vulnerability
We who believe disaster management starts with preventive planning invite you to join us!
Students Groups
Urban Mobility Lisa Katzenberger Kuba Rojek Daniel Henz
Affordable Housing Rekik Beyene Getahun Hee-Yung Im
Disaster Management Public Space
Andrew Martin Frederico Medici
Jiane Chen Parima Heidar Beigi Ege ร zer
Bonus
Pinar Bilgic Veronika Pรถschel
Julissa Kiyenje Rekik Beyene Getahun
Projects
Urban Mobility
Affordable Housing Does Size Matter?
Future Lost Track
Desaster Management Public Space
Disaster Dorm >> will be realized in DAM
The Interspace Cyber (Public) Space
Bonus
Passive Activist
Remembering April
THEORY
Lost e r u t u F Track
Future lost track is a graphic project
questioning the tendencies of future visions and their impact on nowadays society and it’s developments. But why does the society of the present has a need of strong future visions? Future visions are means to improve contemporary society and for that they are indispensable. But who are the ones who develop it and can “future� be a science? How can we investigate in something that does not already exist, something unreal, immaterial and yet unreal?
When it comes to figuring out the future and developing future prospects, specialists of several disciplines are
Urban Mobility
Lisa Katzenberger Kuba Rojek often considered e.g. engineers for car development when it comes to mobility, architects and urban planners when it comes to housing and city development. But the history of future visions proofed, that those specialists were often wrong with their forecast. Henry Ford once said, when he was asked about the future of the car, that there will never be more than one billion cars on earth because there never could be found more than one billion chauffeurs to drive the cars and a IBM Manager once said, that he does not believe in the Email, just because there is no use for another mailing system besides the postal one. But why were they wrong? It is a common phenomenon, that those kind of specialists are just to much confronted with problems in their work
and research, that they can not imagine, that one day (maybe in some decades) one can solve, what seems insolvable to them. For that reason, it needs outsiders to overcome the mental barrier and who dare to think the future less reasonable and more radical. Jules Verne described before the turn of the century a mission of a space shuttle more or less exactly how it became true, a century later. From a space center based in Florida to the landing of the capsule in the Atlantic ocean. In another one of his short stories, he wrote about a visual communication system, which could be identified by todays skype. Stanley Kubrick showed Ipads in his 2001: A Space odyssey. And there are many more examples to find. Future lost Track.
Future lost track is a project focusing on the current state of future visions in our society. A developing society is mostly characterized by its present. By it’s economy and it’s technical approaches. But Future Visions were ever since important to develop an utopia of the future as an image to approach. Utopias, as they are characterized, will never be
reached but they keep mankind moving on and most important: improving. And therefore there have always been a certain culture of creating Utopias and Visions of the Future weather in literature, film or science. Future Visions were mostly images of a bright, prosper and fertile future. E.g. a good perspective totally worth to pursuit.
But nowadays future lost track and all those positive visions ahead turned into insecurity, something vague and so we almost fear it more than ever. The linear movement into better times is now more a continuance in a position of the modern time. We are living in a status quo. And moreover we are moving in circles, tempted to look backward to something, we call „the good old times“ referring to a romantic picture of the past in our heads (which we once wanted to leave so instantly). But why did future lost track? And when did it happen? And what could a future vision now be? In times, where techniques are far ahead of our needs and still so many disasters of humanity left?
IMAGE
The image to the project „Future lost Track“ is a collage out of several pictures, showing wheels and circles with the Vitruvian human in it‘s middle. The wheel as an image of movement and stands for the mobility. In our project we consider the mobility far over its transportational aims and transform it into the movement of a society. As the society is a complex construction, the image is as well. On the first level, it works as a piece of art to enjoy and a picture to look at. But you need to take a closer look, to understand the collage in detail and to grasp the meaning on the second level. Because within the picture, there are many different pictures to look at and to interpret. Which you will find enclosed, pictured and printed.
The main object of the collage is the wheel, as the symbol of movement and process. It self stands as well for the beginning of the movement in humanity. Throughout the collage, the transformation of the mobility by the means of a wheel is shown. The first collage shows all of that, with the human being as the origin of this movement. Including among others, the parameters time and money. The second collage shows the track of the movement which leads into the uncertain future, heading to nowhere, showing that future and future visions actually lost track in our society.
The ace Intersp The dissolving physical form
traditional public space: everything difference across location McDonald‘s public space: non-environmental cultural aspect Internet public space: none
People are used to the concept of space being different from place to place, have different locations and cultures and people and nature. The booming of internet provides us with a strikingly new perspective of one public space across the world with absolutely no difference across locations. But it is interesting to look at McDonald‘s as a public space that stands somewhere between the
Public Space
Jiane Chen Parima Heidar Beigi typical physical public space our society are raised in and so used to and the rising public space on the internet, who both have its context from being in an larger environment, and is consistent throughout its physical locations. It seems that no one can resists the charm of the internet as well as the convenience brought by it. But it also frightens most people that the history and culture that our society is built upon and that which we cherish so much is all going to fade with the prevailing use of internet as the new public space. At this point it is especially interesting to look at McDonald‘s as a public space. Because its consistency through space helps with our experimental thinking of the transformation of public space in modern days.
The shift from physical form to the choice of the public traditional public space: different place, different place McDonald‘s public space: different place, same place Internet public space: same place, same place (orginal one place)
With internet, people can be in the same physical space but different “place” in the internet, and also the reverse. Its interesting to look at the transitional pubic space McDonald‘s where you can be in the different physical space but the same physical environment.
It also leads us to think about the defining of a public space. Though people‘s choice of being there or not has its affect, tradition public space is always majorly shaped by its physical form. But as the internet develops, a public space can go without any physical form and be solely defined by people‘s choice of being there. Does this lead to an absolute collective shaping of the public space? Will it be an improvement or setback?
The shift from central control to participatory shaping traditional public space: one act each place, multiple places McDonald‘s public space: multiple acts, one place Internet public space: infinite act, one place
What makes internet so great, is that you can get all that you want in a flip of the finger. When we say “go” to certain website, we don‘t actually do the legwork. And one great aspect of the development of the internet is that more functions are jammed into one page, more and more platforms are interconnected
for the convenience and experience of every individual. There are always more than one thing you can do on a webpage and you can do almost anything you can think of on the internet. It‘s ultimately spontaneous, it‘s informal at its max, it‘s development is oriented by the need of all the users. With traditional physical public space it‘s another story. People actually go to different places for different activities, because every specified place has a designated intention that people have to obey. And there are cultural customs that affects the “intention” of a public space. One doesn‘t go over the centralized design intention that controls a place and do other activities. Again McDonald‘s as a public space
stand somewhere between the traditional, physical and the rising, non-physical. Technically it‘s a company-run fast-food franchise, a McDonald‘s restaurant is for people to eat cheap and fast and especially cater to the interest of children. But in fact there is a mixture of classes, ages and activities going on. Middle class, and even higher middle class come occasionally, lower class elderly come here to spend there spare time among younger people and peers, teens come hanging out after school and little kids come and have their favourite junk food.
People can eat, read, write and sleep in a McDonald‘s and their activities are shaping the place based on it designated intention of use, everyone’s choice of using the public space contributes to the “intention” of the place. The occupation of a place balance with its original designed intention. It‘s somewhere between formal and informal, centralized control and collective shaping, intention and spontaneous. It‘s like an experiment for us and all who wonders the fine line of design between deciding every detail and leaving every choice to the public users.
Cyber ) (Publice Spac Introduction The right to freedom
of information, and particularly the right of access to information is one of the basic human rights. The importance of freedom of information as a fundamental right is beyond question.
Public Space
Ege Ă–zer In the 21th century information is in a lot of forms, including books, videos, movies, games and music. The main idea of this Project that information should be free and available for all not for commercial but personal use.
The idea is merging a Word cloud and QR-Code together in a manner of art form. It binds two subjects together, internet as a public space and art as a form to rise up to oppression on freedom of reaching information.
Gezi r Parkou
Public spaces are the only places that
have the role to host unexpected things within a city, such as protests, as a common voice of a society so to say. Gezi Park protests in Turkey in summer 2013 exemplifies that: Where it all started with a sudden and massive reaction against a top-down decision which was the approval of a shopping mall construction project on the ground of the last green area in Istanbul‘s central Taksim Square. From that moment on a civil disobedience was inevitable, because people wanted to defend their public space, their park, where tearing down had begun all of a sudden due to the shopping mall construction purposes.
Public Spaces
Pinar Bilgic Veronika Pöschel Eventually, peaceful demonstrations turned out to be violent protests, mainly because of the disproportionate use of force.
However, humorously enough, some individual protesters gained iconic values because of the peaceful way that they protested: The „standing man“ at Taksim Square (later identified as a performance artist) stood silently in the same place without moving and tens of people joined him. A quiz show host asked provocative questions referring to the events during live streaming.
beginner
stand at one spot with your hands in your waist. stand still as long as possible. practice this pose for one week, preferably at the same spot.
intermediate
standing man
stand with one step aside. this will make you feel stronger. watch your breathing, do this for 10 hours.
expert
gezi parkour
#01
cross your arms standing one step aside. now you’re at full defence like a bodyguard. you will notice other people joining you. do this for 14 hours.
Some „passive activists“ read their books in stillness in front of a police barricade. The „guitar hero“ kept playing his guitar just in front of a t.o.m.a. (intervention vehicle to social events). The „pianist man“ played his piano just at the „hotspot“ for 13 hours. People were out on the streets to make noise with their pots and pans. Their aim was to awaken people. Couples were dancing. Ladies were brave enough to be attacked by tear gas and pressurized water. Caregivers were around to help people who were in need.
Inspired by Gezi Park protests in Turkey in summer 2013, the intention of „Gezi Parkour“ installations is to draw attention on these symbolic behaviours.
It visualizes a set of stations with explanations for how to exercise defence of public spaces, referring to point out the passive yet peaceful and creative manners of these activists:
How to stand still like the standing man, how to prepare a provocative quiz show, how to read books peacefully (and recklessly), how to become a guitar hero, how to entertain protesters by playing piano, how to be in the centre of attention, how to dance in couples, how not to defend oneself even when exposed to teargas or pressurized water and finally how to become a caregiver for the protesters that are in need at protest „hotspots“.
beginner
when police uses teargas, turn your back against them. be relaxed and show that you’re not concerned. they may be less than 1m away from you. do this for 2 hours.
intermediate
ladies in red & black
now turn your face towards the attackers. stand strong while the teargas blows your hair. do this for 1 hour.
expert
gezi parkour
#08
when pressurized water is pointed at your chest, stand strong, spread your arms, focus on your balance. make them wonder why you are the target. do this for 30 minutes.
Does Size ? Matter Introduction In order to examine
the influence of income on the size of housing, we compared the economic status of three countries on different continents to support the thesis that income positively correlates to the size of housing. We chose Germany in Europe, Ethiopia in Africa, and South Korea in Asia to compare income, price per square meter, housing size and structure, and housing policies concerning informal settlements and affordable housing.
Affordable Housing
Rekik Beyene Getahun Hee Yung Im (1) Low-income housing show the greatest contrast between the examined countries due to different structural compositions. Whereas Ethiopian and Korean low-income housing does not necessarily include sanitary facilities and kitchens, German low-income housing is of a higher living squats exist in many the large cities. Germany standard and provide ofintegrated bathrooms and kitchens. top 20% of the population Despite being illegal,
Examples are the Au in Frankfurt am Main and Hafenstrasse and Rote Flora in Hamburg. The
earn
more than four times as much as the bottom 20%
monthly carrying costs of a home exceed 30–35% of an household income, then the housing is considered unfordable for that When the
household.
Berlin remains a great exception among Germany’s square meter no more than 7! or 7,50!. The most expensive cities are Munich with rents rarely below 12! per
large cities with a
Our findings revealed the following:
square meter and frankfurt with 11! per square meter. The legal
policy framework
housing markets is de"fined above all
law,
of
by rent
although certain aspects are also specified in building regulations, building planning and general
contract law.
regulations for minimum standards of housing - private sector rent control - the provision of social rented housing, especially in the 1950-80 period
Area: 357 168 km2 Population: 80 622 000 Average Income: $2054 Price/km2 = 5,94
(2) Middle-income housing dining and living room, each bedroom in all three countries is larger in size is extended with its own bathroom, and than low-income housing, as living rooms wardrobes are expanded to form and bedrooms are separated. a separate room. This change of strucYet, houses of different countries can be tural composition, which is noticeable The vast majority of Ethiopian distinguished by their floor plans. on the floor plans of all three countries, poorly built , dilapidated and + Eritrea While Ethiopian and Korean housing results from Ethiopia the transcontinental spread houses: Around 90 percent of houses and almost all rural houses are entrances directly lead to the Urban living room, of Western standardization. condition and 60% of the populatio squatter settlements began at the end of the Korean War South andis North Korea Over a million people, displaced by war, access to adeq German housing built within 1953. corridors returned to ruined cities without suitable sanitation facilities. leading to other rooms. housing and built temporary shacks of wooden boards.
(WHO
In 2006 Seoul Slum percentage of Urban Population was 37%(14.7 million). Seoul became a metropolis, a population of more than 11 million representing over 24% of the population. In Korea,
households
on average spend 16% of their
gross adjusted disposable income on
keeping a roof
over their heads. The average home contains 1.4
person. In terms of
rooms per
basic facilities, 95.8% of people in Korea live in dwellings with private access to an indoor toilet.
In Korea, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is 18 035 USD a year, less than the OECD average of 23 938 USD a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest – the top 20% of the
population earn nearly six times as much as Area: 1 133 380 km2 the bottom 20%. Population: 9410 1000
!"#$%&'()*+',-./0)*+
Area: 99 313 km2 Population: 50 220 000 Average Income: $1503 Price/km2 = 5,94
Housing Policy:
Average Income: $470
2 = 9,94 Jeonse, Price/km a cash deposit roughly equal to 30~80% of
Traditionally
the market value of property, is paid. At the end of the 2-year lease, the cash is returned without interest. Depending on location & size of property, Jeonse can easily exceed $ 150.000.
3) High-income housing is the largest in size compared to low and middle-income housing. High-income rooms are bigger than low and middle-income rooms, as well as offering more spacious kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, living rooms and kitchens are combined into an open
All land in Ethiopia belongs government. It can only be leased. T is ineffective, and property prote
weak.
Since 2005 implemented ambitious gov low- & middle-income housing program.
goal: construct 400,000
condo 200,000 jobs, promote d 10,000 micro- & enter prises , enhance capaci construction sector, regenerate in slum areas, promote homeow for low-income households. units, create
of
policy framew
The housing Ethiopia expresses a strong comm
address housing needs of t
and challenge the legacies and imbalances The transitional government of Ethiopia ca
land lease policy no. 80/1993
people to possess land to build h
residential and rental purposes. Any Ethiopian citizen could buy land on a
Collecting images and floor plans visually display the positive correlation between income and size of housing, as well as the increase of Western standardization with the rise in income.
berm e m e R il ing Apr
On 2 April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, killing 147. The militant group and Al-Qaeda offshoot, Al-Shabaab, which the gunmen claimed to be from, took responsibility for the attack. The gunmen took over 700 students hostage, freeing Muslims and killing those who identified themselves as Christians. The siege ended the same day, when all four of the attackers were killed. Five men were later arrested in connection with the attack, and a bounty was placed for the arrest of a suspected organizer.
On the surface the death of the 147 students could be viewed solely as an
Bonus
Julissa Kiyenje Rekik Beyene Getahun
act of terrorism, but the depths of the incident are far more complex, need to be contextualized and cannot be watered down to a simple tag line – “War on Terror”. The intent of this piece is to shed light on the role global media plays when reporting news. It hypes up what will sell and often dehumanizes the victims to a number. We easily detach ourselves from events across the world – Kenya is miles away from Germany after all!
147 TU-Darmstadt students stood in solidarity with those affected, not as a fight against religion, but in the spirit of humanity and the value of life – no matter ones citizenship.
Students taken part
Laura Cabré Jiane Chen Rekik Beyene Getahun Pinar Bilgic Parima Heidar Beigi Daniel Henz Paula Furer Hee-Yung Im Lisa Katzenberger Julissa Kiyenje Verena Krekel Andrew Martin Jannik Martin
Laura Martinez Frederico Medici Aida Murtic Rebecca North Leonard Ostwald Ege Özer Kuba Rojek Barbara Santos Michelle Uhthoff Tanya Villarante Jennifer Weil Lucía Wright
Thanks to
Carmen Mendoza Arroya, UIC, Barcelona
Prof. Ananya Roy University of California, Berkeley
Jean-Michel Roux, IUG, Grenoble
Freunde der TU Darmstadt
Carmen Tata, MESCI, Rome Su Yunsheng, Tongji University, Shanghai
Imprint
Chair of Design and Urban Development & Academic Director Mundus Urbano
Exhibition Design Dipl.-Ing. Britta Eiermann
Professorin Dr.-Ing. Annette Rudolph-Cleff
Editing Dipl.-Ing. Britta Eiermann Dr.-Ing. Nebojša Čamprag
Seminar Leader Dipl.-Ing. Britta Eiermann Dr.-Ing. Nebojša Čamprag
Layout Lisa Katzenberger Kuba Rojek Dipl.-Ing. Britta Eiermann
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