Civic Engagement for the Local Community

Civic Engagement for the Local Community

Open Baukultur Workshop 2017 in Leipzig

Baukultur is implemented and communicated by many stakeholders – and the civic level in particular is becoming increasingly important. Initiatives, associations, and private individuals volunteer their time to improve the quality of the lived environment in their locality. Supporting this civic engagement is one of the objectives of the Federal Government’s Baukultur policy.

The Open Baukultur Workshop in Leipzig addresses the question of how civic Baukultur initiatives can be further supported. The aim of the event is to strengthen engagement with Baukultur topics by “enabling” initiatives and fostering exchange on equal footing within an open-space format.

The Open Baukultur Workshop is aimed at all initiatives committed to the development of their living environment, whether through collaborative building, art projects and interventions, the design of living spaces, the preservation of architectural heritage, the activation of vacant properties, or through workshops and participation processes.

The workshop takes place over two half-days at the Konsumzentrale Leipzig. Two keynote lectures open the first day and demonstrate the wide variety of ways in which engagement with Baukultur can have an impact in urban and rural contexts. In the “lightning round,” seven inspiring initiatives present themselves and their work and showcase impressive projects through which they have made a real difference locally. The evening program includes a guided tour of the Baumwollspinnerei Leipzig, including a cinema visit and a shared dinner.

The second day is devoted to the workshop’s core question: What do Baukultur initiatives need in order to work most effectively? The centerpiece of the program is the open space, where participants can discuss and develop their ideas with one another, with representatives of the Federal Government, with experts, and with students. In addition, the event is intended to provide participants with an appropriate setting for networking, making new contacts, sharing experiences, and engaging in joint discussion. The findings are intended to enrich and inspire the initiatives’ daily work on site and to form the basis for further activities by the Federal Government.

Project leads
Prof. Dr. Florian Kluge (Lead), Dipl.-Ing. Miriam Hamel

Cooperation partners
Working Group “Baukultur konkret,” consisting of:
Office for Urban Projects, Leipzig, represented by Björn Teichmann (Lead), Wolfram Georg, Andreas Paul and Anna Eckenweber
Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Architecture, Alfter, represented by Prof. Dr. Florian Kluge (Lead) and Miriam Hamel
Landluft – Association for the Promotion of Baukultur in Rural Areas, represented by Roland Gruber (Lead), Doris Em and Thomas Moser

Client
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Berlin, represented by Gabriele Kautz and Anne Keßler
Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, Bonn, represented by Martina Kocks (until 11/2015 Anca Cârstean)
The research project is supported by the Federal Foundation of Baukultur, represented by Niklas Nitzschke

Project duration
08/2017 to 12/2017

Other
Further information at: http://www.bbsr.bund.de/BBSR/DE/Aktuell/Veranstaltungen/programme-2017/2017-offene-werkstatt-baukultur.html?nn=396022