City Perspectives

Mapping the Kotti Kiez

Sebastian Hilf

Urban Solutions Seminar 2 Athens October 2013

Overview

Maps and (critical) collective mapping

Urban situation in Berlin / Kreuzberg

„City Perspectives – Mapping the Kotti Kiez“

Awareness of space & socio-spatial disparities

maps...

are generally seen as objective, real and neutral representations of space

maps never show the reality – you have to generalize

what is visualized belongs to the person who maps maps are constructed, they are made by

somebody for some kind of purpose every map is political

What is visualized, and what not?

What is visualized, and what not?

What is visualized, and what not?

Critical mapping

Content-based criticism of „conventional“ maps

Creating „different“ maps

Critical maps emerge from...

„different“ perspectives

„different“ contents

„different“ creation of knowledge

„different“ creation of knowledge

Collective mapping

Collective mapping

It's a tool to get a collective understandig of a certain area

Through exchanging different point of views and knowledge

It was developed to visualize the feelings, concerns, wishes of those people who have been traditional excluded from decision making processes

To show a different reality and to support struggels of social movements

Collective mapping

The method bears a high potential as a non-verbal, playful and inclusive means of communication and actions

Both the mapping process and the map itself are of importance

Collective mapping needs certain circumstances:

– Pre-existing group-processes

– Common territorial space

– a big amount of time

– etc. Collective mapping is nothing more than a tool

Urban situation in Berlin

Unique historic situation Division by the Wall Kreuzberg was „isolated“ & offered cheap housing Kreuzberg was formed by immigrants, students,

artists and the political left scene Multicultural alternative hotspot

Urban situation in Berlin

After the Fall of the Wall Kreuzberg was suddenly in the middle of the city

Highly attractive for young urban professionals, tourists and nat. & internat. investors

Dramatic socio-spatial transformation Rents are rising drastically → gentrification Upgrading of the area and displacement of

traditional population

Kotti & Co

Local tenant initiative founded in 2011 Organizing demonstrations, seminars,

conferences, socio-cultural events,... occupied a public space (2012) - gecekondo Meeting point of the community in 2013 a youth group was formed

Kotti & Co

„City Perspectives“

Aim: to sensitize young people for social spatial processes in their daily life environment & to support them in expressing their concerns & wishes

To strengthen the awareness of their urban environment

...and the awareness that they can shape their urban reality

We realize a collective mapping of current urban development processes in Berlin

„City Perspectives“

1st part:

Several workshops where we realize a collective mapping of the „Kotti Kiez“ and the socio-spacial processes and structures

- discuss about the content and purpose of the map

- build categories and cluster

- creat symbols and icons

- localize processes in the map

- reflexion of the outcome

„City Perspectives“

„City Perspectives“

2nd part:

We want to take elements of the collectively generated map and transfer them in form of a big mural on a house wall in Berlin, so that the image becomes a visible symbol for the urban struggles in Berlin

„City Perspectives“Challanges:

Getting contact to young people with a kind of difficult or rather boring sounding method (mapping)

To use to much academic language and concepts

Consider special religious or cultural events or needs

Outcomes:

As the project is not finished yet it's quite hard to tell what was successful or difficult so far. Definitely it worked out that the participants started to deal with and discuss about their daily life surrounding and the socio-spatial processes which occur there

More Information:

http://www.memfarado.org

http://orangotango.info/

http://kottiundco.net/