Zusammensetzung. Mit Abstimmung – Formation. Voting included
The physical urban space and its mechanisms and tenure are the fundamental starting point of the artistic concept and the interventions of “Zusammensetzung. Mit Abstimmung.”. It is also the main goal of “InterACT – Werkstatt für Theater und Soziokultur”. It deals with the political, creative and lively “Space of possibilities” in a city
Key actors
Curator: Michael Wrentschur ( InterACT – Werkstatt für Theater und Soziokultur)
Project leader and coordinator: Edith Risse, Brigitte Schaberl
Role of design
Design is involved in the initiative by means of participatory practices and the design of furniture in public space.
An ´open´ city is hospitable;, diversity and differences are appreciated. Inhabitants negotiate their conflicts. Is Graz an ´open´ city in that sense? Do inhabitants of Graz deal with their conflicts in an open way in public space? To explore that question a unique and clearly visible table sculpture was designed by the Austrian artist Markus Wilfling. The table was not only a nice piece of art or design, but was designed in a way which enables the participants to talk to each other in a ‘flowing’´ effortless way by changing position and conversational partners by simply turning around.
“Formation. Voting included.” defines itself as an example of “New Genre Public Art”. It is not only about political forms of activism but also about concepts and actions that take place on a social level due to the interaction with people of very different social backgrounds.
CONTACT (of the editor)
Anke Strittmatter – Organisation : FH Joanneum Graz, Alte Poststraße 152 8010 Graz, Austria – Email : anke.strittmatter@fh-joanneum.at
The co-creation briefing trail continues to Graz, where the Austrian Human Cities partners FH Joanneum, Department of Exhibition Design are scheming to creating an array of creative initiatives in the Jakomini Neighbourhood throughout 2016.
Now, working with people is an inexact science and that makes it difficult to measure the impact that any initiative might have. Yet we live in a time that hungers for performance indicators, monitoring, evaluation, outcome tracking and impact measurement and many-a Human Citizen has been musing over how one is to quantify the impact on humans of incremental change!?
The colleagues in Graz have taken a front seat and during our co-creating briefing, we pioneered a new eye-tracking device. This combines the sedentary eye-tracking techniques with live recording and combines the two in an image stream of where the person wearing the glasses is focussing their gaze.
This is a film of the movement of focus in time, of which the above image is a still. The orange circle defines where the current focus is, whilst the lines are where it came from and moves to, respectively. In motion the circle is traveling along the line, as the line is snaking through the city-scape.
Only time will tell if, when or how we will utilise this to understand change. Right now, we are experimenting with the experimentation and the great minds will go back to creating initiatives on the ground in Jakomini. Keep your eyes peeled for a season of action in Spring!
For many months designers and developers of FH Joanneum Graz had been working on the realisation of the interactive digital catalogue.
On the occasion of the first Human Cities exhibition opening in Milan visitors and participants were able to use the catalogue app for the first time.
The general idea of the app is to create a dynamically growing catalogue for the Human Cities exhibitions. Everyone who wants to participate in theses events can easily download the app on their smartphones, take pictures or videos, write remarks, upload their special moments directly in the app and share their experiences.
The smartphone app is available for Android via Play Store and iPhone via App Store and can be found under the reference name HUMAN CITIES CATALOGUE.
(How) can we transform a transition space into a common space, where people like to stay and to meet without being forced to consume?
Inhabitants of the area will meet at Jakomini quarter to conquer the space. As a result of the experimentation lab Graz the artists/ carpenters of “brauchst” developed some seats which will be given to the public. On Saturday they start with 100 benches. The idea is to spread them until every citizen of Graz owns ONE bench and provides it for the use in public space.
SHAPING HUMAN CITIES
Urban experiments from eleven European cities conceptualized and realized by designers, initiatives, activists, students and residents are open for discussion. In an interactive exhibition the possibilities and challenges of getting involved are to be discovered.
Why do we feel comfortable or uncomfortable in a city? What makes it livable?
Do we have the freedom to shape our city? What makes a city our city?
Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale is a European research project with partners from eleven European cities. The Human Citizens face these questions collaboratively and meet to develop ideas and solutions for a better quality of life in urban areas.
The exhibition SHAPING HUMAN CITIES was designed by students of the Master’s programme Exhibition Design at the University of Applied Sciences, FH JOANNEUM and from 5 May to 24 June 2018 urban experiments are presented, which took place within the framework of the Human Cities Project in these cities. Interactive stations where the experiments can be experienced in a playful way are installed in the GrazMuseum.
One of them is LET´S TAKE ACTION. It gives tips on how to become active in your own urban environment and thereby improve the urban space.
WANNA PLAY? Consists of eleven miniature golf courses that invite you to play. Each lane is assigned to one Human City and one of their experiments. The courses incorporate the spatial and creative circumstances of the experiments and pose a challenge for the players.
WANNA TASTE? Invites up to 20 guests on four Sundays to taste the Human Cities projects in eleven courses.
WANNA TRAVEL? conquers the city center of Graz with ten intriguing installations.
In addition, an app with an interactive, digital catalogue is available for download. Here, photos, videos, comments, etc. can be uploaded and commented upon.
Opening hours:
Wed-Mon, 10 am – 17 pm
GrazMuseum
Sackstrasse 18, 8010 Graz
The exhibition SHAPING HUMAN CITIES was designed by students of the Master‘s programme Exhibition Design at the University of Applied Sciences, FH JOANNEUM.
From 5 May to 24 June 2018 urban experiments have been presented, which took place within
the framework of the Human Cities Project in these cities. The exhibition space was the GrazMuseum, which is located in the city centre.
LET’S TAKE ACTION! Gave tips on how to become active in your own urban environment and thereby improve the urban space.
WANNA PLAY? Consisted of eleven miniature golf courses that invited visitors to play. Each lane was assigned to one Human City and one of their experiments. The courses incorporated the spatial and creative circumstances of the experiments and posed a challenge for the players.
WANNA TASTE? Invited up to 20 guests on four Sundays to taste the Human Cities projects in eleven
courses.
WANNA TRAVEL? Presented 11 Human cities.
The exhibition was curated by Erika Thümmel und Anke Strittmatter and designed by Tessa Kaczenski, Cara Mielzarek and Julia Prinz.
SHAPING HUMAN CITIES was part of „DESIGNMONAT Graz“ and „Architektursommer Graz“.
Since 2014, the Human Cities network has been working on Challenging the City Scale to question the urban scale and investigate cocreation in cities. The Human Cities partners have carried out urban experimentations in 11 European cities empowering citizens to rethink the spaces in which they live, work and spend their leisure time.
Challenging the City Scale, journeys in People-Centred Design is the final book of the project. Through conversations with people involved, the book examines how bottom-up processes and their design, tools and instruments generate new ideas to reinvent the city. It offers inspiration and insights to everyone, from practitioners and politicians to designers and active citizens, eager to try out new ways to produce more human cities together.
Title : Challenging the City Scale, Journeys in People-Centred Design
Collective book co-edited by: Olivier Peyricot, Josyane Franc, Frank Van Hasselt
Authors: Josyane Franc, Olivier Peyricot, John Thackara, Alice Holmberg, Côme Bastin, Fleur Weinberg, Anya Sirota, Frank Van Hasselt, Robin Houterman
Graphic design: Audrey Templier, Isabelle Daëron Language: English Publisher and distributor: Birkhäuser, Basel
Co editors : Cité du design (Saint-Etienne) et Clear Village (Londres) ISBN: 978-3-0356-1796-2 Format : 21,5 x 26 cm (vertical)– 176 p Price: 39.95 € Available in partner’s bookshops and bookshop distributed by Birkhäuser Open access digital version: https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/510323?format=EBOK
The printed version was launched on 4th May 2018 in Graz, during the event organized by FH JOANNEUM included in the programme of the Festival Design Month.
You can now download it in digital , open access version following this link:
01_human_cities_challenging_the_city_scale_2014-2018_investigation
The book “Investigation” is a collaborative research work, made from all the case studies collected by the partners in Europe publicated on this website. They tell about actions led by creative citizens to transform their urban environment. Researchers from Cité du design Saint-Étienne, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano and Urban Planning Institute of The Republic of Slovenia Ljubljana provide a state of the art of these initiatives. Analysing these multiple examples, they investigate how urban dwellers participate, get organized and collaborate with creative professionals to prototype more liveable cities.
This scientific work published by Cité du design Saint-Étienne is addressed to researchers, practitioners, but also developers or creative citizens.
It is both an object of Design research and an incentive to develop experimental and collaborative projects of urban transformation.
Title: Human Cities / Challenging the City Scale 2014-2018 / Investigation
Main authors:
Cité du design Saint-Etienne: Isabelle Daëron, Floriane Piat & Eléa Teillier
Design Departement, University Politecnico di Milano: Davide Fassi & Laura Galluzzo
Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana: Matej Nikšič, Nina Goršič & Biba Tominc
Language: English
Copyright © Cité du design, 2018
ISBN: 978-2-912808-79-0 . Format : 215×260 mm – 240 p – not sold – free distribution within the framework of Creative Europe Programme of the European Union 2014-2018
As cities organizations are facing major urban and technological transformations, European citizens are taking possession of their cities, collaborating or acting for its renewal. Which kind of tools are set up to think and produce the public space together? How to make these bottom-up initiatives sustainable?
Challenging the City scale 2014-2018 / Investigation is a collaborative research work of Human Cities project, made from more than 80 case studies collected by the partners in Europe. They tell about actions led by creative citizens to transform their urban environment. Researchers from Cité du design Saint-Étienne, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano and Urban Planning Institute of The Republic of Slovenia Ljubljana provide a state of the art of these initiatives. Analysing these multiple examples, they investigate how urban dwellers participate, get organized and collaborate with creative professionals to prototype more liveable cities.
This scientific work published by Cité du design Saint-Étienne is addressed to researchers, practitioners, but also developers or creative citizens.
Title: Human Cities / Challenging the City Scale 2014-2018 / Investigation Main authors: Cité du design Saint-Etienne: Isabelle Daëron, Floriane Piat & Eléa Teillier Design Departement, University Politecnico di Milano: Davide Fassi & Laura Galluzzo Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana: Matej Nikšič, Nina Goršič & Biba Tominc
Language: English Copyright © Cité du design, 2018 ISBN: 978-2-912808-79-0 . Format : 215×260 mm – 240 p – not sold – free distribution within the framework of Creative Europe Programme of the European Union 2014-2018
Pilotprojekt Jakominiviertel – Pilot Project Jakomini Quarter
In the 18th century, the quarter of Jakomini was a suburban zone, where baron Caspar Andreas von Jakomini erected many houses along Jakoministraße, Schönaugasse and Klosterwiesgasse around 1790. These houses had a workshop area on the ground floor, a courtyard and habitations on the first floor. It was never a pure shopping street but a street with a lot of services.
Since these – in former days prospering – streets had become a problematic area with a lot of empty spaces close to the center, the department for tourism an economics attempted to reanimate this quarter. And together with the Creative Industries of Styria they tried to focus the initiative on the creative sector. The structure of the project included three divisions: a subsidy towards the rental for designers who want to open their studio in one of the empty spaces, a so called „visual frame“ to recognise the area and the coordination of the whole project.
The „visual frame“ was the result of a competition of 28 designers. „Ready, Steady, Go“ was the project realised by Sandra Janser und Elisabeth Koller, two young architects. They laid a red running path around the block with the traditional marks for start, races and goal. When it was presented in the yearly design festival held in the month of May, “Design Month”, 2010 it provoked a huge media response not only in Graz but also internationally. The area became famous literally from one day to the next.
Additionally, this project contributed to establish a dense network between the photographers, the grafic designers, the architects, the multi media artists etc. in the quarter. After the end of the project in 2013 a local association, founded in 2014 attempt to pursue the activities.
Key actors
Pia Paierl, coordinator of the project
Heimo Maieritsch, City Management Graz
Andreas Morianz, Department of Economy and Tourism of the City of Graz
Eberhard Schrempf, Director of the Creative Industries Styria
Role of design
The role of design was very important in each stage of the project.
The visual frame of the project was an important example of Design in Public Spaces in Graz. In the course of Design Month Graz 2010 the project “Ready. Steady. Go!” by the architects Sandra Janser and Elisabeth Koller won the first prize in the design competition for the installation of a visual frame in the Jakomini district. The intention of this visual frame was to define the streets Jakoministraße and Klosterwiesgasse in order to mark them as a significant design area and give them a visible and positive identity. These changes attracted attention in the quarter and made people stop and absorb the newly created atmosphere. A total of 750 meters or 4600 square meters along the streets and pavements around the block were coloured in red, grey lines separating the tracks.
The programme encouraged the creative branch to settle in the district and promoted activities to increase the attractiveness of the Streets.
CONTACT (of the editor)
Erika Thümmel – Organization : FH JOANNEUM Graz and chairman of the Jakominiviertel association – Email : erika.thuemmel@fh-joanneum.at
The printed version was launched on 4th May 2018 in Graz, during the event organized by FH JOANNEUM included in the programme of the Festival Design Month.
You can now download it in digital , open access version following this link :
01_human_cities_challenging_the_city_scale_2014-2018_investigation
The book “Investigation” is a collaborative research work, made from more than 80 case studies collected by the partners in Europe. They tell about actions led by creative citizens to transform their urban environment. Researchers from Cité du design Saint-Étienne, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano and Urban Planning Institute of The Republic of Slovenia Ljubljana provide a state of the art of these initiatives. Analysing these multiple examples, they investigate how urban dwellers participate, get organized and collaborate with creative professionals to prototype more liveable cities.
This scientific work published by Cité du design Saint-Étienne is addressed to researchers, practitioners, but also developers or creative citizens.
It is both an object of Design research and an incentive to develop experimental and collaborative projects of urban transformation.
A second book – addressed to a more general audience – will be released in September 2018 and presented in Tallinn during the Desainiöö festival.
As we were looking for interview partners in the inner city district of Jakomini (start of the experimentation labs in Graz) we met two residents who have been living there since the 1940s. Karl (84) and Adi (77) have known each other since their childhood and have already experienced a lot in their neighbourhood.
Karl has been living in Klosterwiesgasse since 1940. First, he lived there with his mother and three siblings. Eventually, some of them got married and moved out and some have already died. Today, he lives alone in this former family appartment. ʺWell, that’s the course of life, you can’t change thatʺ, says Karl. ʺTwelve people live in the same house. We know each other, we greet each other, but I don’t really know most of the neighbours really well. They get younger and younger and that’s a good thing, but I don’t talk with them as much as I do with old friends and companions.ʺ
ʺThe neighbourhood is really beautiful nowadays, but you always need to lock up the house.ʺ Generally, Karl is an attentive and observing inhabitant of Jakomini. He once witnessed how someone stole a bike from the courtyard. Another time he saw two women and a young man kicking the side mirrors of a car. Karl didn’t hesitate and without further ado he called the police and gave them a detailed description of the three hooligans. ʺThe police found them in a park nearby the same nightʺ, he proudly mentions.
Adi lives just around the corner in Mondscheingasse, he has been living there for 68 years. Today, the night bars close-by are a thorn to his side. ʺYoung people leave the bar in the middle of the night and start to riotʺ, he says. His own car was once wrecked, but the insurance doesn’t pay for these kinds of damages.
He is also troubled by the noise in the streets, but he remembers: ʺWhen we were young, we were rather loud and daring, too. We were infamous in this hood. Elvis Presley was like a God to us, and the Rolling Stones weren’t that bad either.ʺ
With their motorbikes, Karl, Adi and their friends drove through the neighbourhood. Their gang was called the ʺMondscheinmöncheʺ. (engl. Moonlight Monks) They created the name themselves, it should symbolize their childhood and youth in Jakomini. Mondscheingasse and Klosterwiesgasse, that’s where most of them lived at that time and that’s where Karl and Adi still live today. The gang name is derived from the two streets they lived in: ʺMondscheinʺ (moonlight) comes from ʺMondscheingasseʺ and ʺMöncheʺ (monks) from the street name „Klosterwiesgasse“ (Kloster=monastry).
Adi feels nostalgia for his youth. „I always had a good time with my colleagues of the same age at Wielandschule. You don’t experience these things today.ʺ
If Adi could change something in his neighbourhood, he would consider a lot of things, but most of all he would make for more parking spaces nearby. Nevertheless, he is really happy here, as is his old friend Karl.
Authors: Bianca Krammer and Stephanie Heißenberger
MISSVERSTÄNDNIS – MISUNDERSTANDING
The installations have been developed in the course “Projektarbeit” (Workshop) in the Master’s Programme Exhibition Design. The aim of this lecture is to develop and realise installations in public space. Misconceptions are often the result of false communication. They occur when the communication between the sender and listener is affected. The sent signal can get lost or changed in a way that the received message is not conform with the original one anymore. The students approached those interferences in human communication in 11 interventions.
In a one-week workshop they developed and realised temporary interventions dealing with „misconceptions“. The spectrum of designs and actions ranged from imperceptible changes in common visual habits up to absurd moments when oral signals are taken too literally.
Key actors
Master class Exhibition Design, FH JOANNEUM, led by Anke Strittmatter and Erika Thümmel
Role of design
We approached the topic from two different angles. First, the examination of the content, in our case the topic of misunderstanding and its development in a variety of ways. Second, the development of the design of the temporary installations, including public design and communication design in public space. Good design in combination with a comprehensive and challenging content was the main objective.
CONTACT (of the editor)
Anke Strittmatter, Erika Thümmel – Organization: INSTITUTE of DESIGN & COMMUNICATION University of Applied Sciences, FH JOANNEUM Graz – Email: anke.strittmatter@fh-joanneum.at & erika.thuemmel@fh-joanneum.at
FH JOANNEUM is a University of Applied Sciences offering study programmes on the undergraduate and graduate level. At the Institute of Design and Communication, we do research and development on a national and international scale in close cooperation with the lecturers. I am involved in project management, assistance to project leader and coordination of these projects. Further I take care of all matters of international affairs, e.g. contact to partner universities, student and teacher exchange, organisation of international events and projects, etc. in close cooperation with the head of institute and lecturers.
She is professor of Applied Game Design and Learning with Multimedia at the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria. Her research interests are in the field of affective and emotional aspects of human-computer interaction, with emphasis on game design, game-based learning and innovative learning approaches, and different aspects of e-learning. She is co-ordinator, scientific leader or partner in several EU or national founded projects. Her research work is published and presented at more than 90 international conferences and publications. She is initiator of the #SGDSS – Serious Games Design Summer School (www.summerschool.engagelearning.eu) and of the ENGAGE learning (www.engagelearning.eu).
In Graz, Human Cities works on innovative solutions to encourage informal meeting and life on public space in Jakomini district using specific survey and observation methodologies and a strong measurement phase.
March 2016: beginning of survey phase by and with students of Master Exhibition Design and Bachelor Information Design.
May 2016: experimentation labs/ Interventions and development of prototypes with local and international artists and experts.
May-July 2016: implementation and testing of prototypes.
August-October 2016: evaluation.
Konrad Baumann, since 2000 is a professor at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, Department of Media and Design, degree programmes Information Design, Exhibition Design, Communication, Media, Sound and Interaction Design, Content Strategy, eHealth. He has been lecturing at Danube University Krems and Johannes Kepler University Linz. His main activities are User Interface Design, Interaction Design, User-Centred Design and Usability Engineering.
Before 2000 Konrad Baumann worked with Mikron Identification Gratkorn, Philips Semiconductors, and Philips Consumer Communications as product manager.
Konrad Baumann holds a PhD from Vienna University of Technology and a master’s degree in Telematics Engineering from Graz University of Technology. His doctoral thesis entitled „How Designers Teach – a Qualitative Research on Design Didactics” focuses on methods of design education. He is co-author of two books: Baumann/Thomas “User Interface Design for Electronic Appliances”, Taylor&Francis 2001. Baumann/Lanz “Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstellen elektronischer Geraete”, Springer 1998.
Konrad Baumann’s functions include board member at International Institute for Information Design www.iiid.net, and chair, IFIP Working Group 13.1 Human-Computer Interaction Education.
Konrad Baumann promoted international exchange activities and initiated university partnerships, organised interaction design summer schools (Istanbul/Graz), led various research/development projects for customers and within consortia, e.g. establishing FH Joanneum’s perception lab „VisionSpace“, „Interconnectivity by Infoconnectivity“ (IC-IC).
He is a historian, an exhibition director, a head of Department Exhibition Design and Information Design at University of Applied Sciences Graz and professor at the Graz University (since 1988) and Kassel University 1996/97. He is also a lecturer at University of Krems, University of Arts Berlin and Yildiz Technical University Istanbul, a founder and a director of Bisdato Exhibition & Museum Design since 1990, an author/editor of books and scientific contributions, a manager of scientific research projects, a director of exhibitions and a member of Graz UNESCO City of Design board.
The book arrived freshly printed in Ljubljana on 20th April and it will be launched in Graz on 4th May 2018.
After a great work of case studies collection by all the Human Cities partners, a deep process of analysis by Cité du design, Politecnico di Milano and UIRS, and a nice graphic design elaboration by Audrey Templier, the scientific publication of Human Cities-Challenging the City Scale is released.
Its title: Human Cities / Challenging the City Scale 2014-2018 / Investigation
Glimpse of the book, fresh from the print shop in Ljubljana
As cities organizations are facing major urban and technological transformations, European citizens are taking possession of their cities, collaborating or acting for its renewal. Which kind of tools are set up to think and produce the public space together? How to make these bottom-up initiatives sustainable?
This Investigation is a collaborative research work, made from more than 80 case studies collected by the partners in Europe. They tell about actions led by creative citizens to transform their urban environment. Researchers from Cité du design Saint-Étienne, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano and Urban Planning Institute of The Republic of Slovenia Ljubljana provide a state of the art of these initiatives. Analysing these multiple examples, they investigate how urban dwellers participate, get organized and collaborate with creative professionals to prototype more liveable cities.
This scientific work published by Cité du design Saint-Étienne is addressed to researchers, practitioners, but also developers or creative citizens.
A large space is dedicated to images, to illustrate concretely this multiple initiatives, all linked by the sense of human scale and collaborative activities.
Our Investigation is both an object of Design research and an incentive to develop experimental and collaborative projects of urban transformation.
The book will be launched on 4th May in Graz for the 10 th festival Design Monat, during the event organized by FH JOANNEUM in presence of all the European partners of the programme. From this day, it will be available in digital version on the Human Cities project website – Case Studies section- and Cité du design Saint-Étienne website – publication section.
This is one of the common productions of the European project Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale . Together the partners will have produced 10 urban experiments in the various partner cities ; an exhibition-lab programmed in the main European Design festivals (next steps: Graz, Design Monat : 4thMay-24th June 2018 and Tallinn, Disainiöö: 10th– 16th September 2018) ; 11 international workshops ; masterclasses ; conferences ; and a final book narrating this experience (released in September 2018).
He studied medicine at Karl Franzens Universität Graz and got his PhD in 1988. 1986 to 1992 he programmed databases for medical applications, since 1986 also in the context of media and art for different clients.1988 bis 1985 employed by the Institut für Vorsorgemedizin Joanneum, working as programmer and medic. 1994-1997 working as a sounddesigner for computergames especially for the company Topjob, since 1982 doing concerts, soundtracks and theater scores, with a bias in computermusic, electronic an improvised music. 1992 he joined the research staff of the Institut for Elektronic Music und Acoustic at the University for Music and Dramatic Arts Graz which he left for the FH JOANNEUM 2005. 1992-2000 scientific and artistic consultant for the Austrian Kultural Service, especially for new media and networks. Since 1996 1996 lecturer at univerities in Olomoutz, Ostrawa and Bianka Bistrica (music, new media, computermusic), 1998 for sounddesign at Danube University Krems where he got the title “Visiting Professor” in 1999. Since 2005 professor for sound- interaction- and interfacedesign at University for Applied Science FH-JOANNEUM, he became head of master degree program communication, media and interaction design in 2007.
“Re-thinking the contemporary city through the prism of a multi-level network”.This what the UNESCO considered as exemplary for the sustainable development of cities in the case of the project Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale. On 18th October 2016, UNESCO officially launched in Quito its “Global Report, Culture: Urban Future“. A rich (300 p) document gathering case studies and recommendations to support governments in the implementation of cultural policies for sustainable urban development. It means a great acknowledgement for the Human Cities partners and a great encouragement to continue the dialogue between creators, citizens and insititutions to shape the futures of the cities.
Actually, one specificity of our project is that, amongst its 12 partners, 5 of them are from cities members of the UNESCO Creative Cities network : Bilbao, Graz, Helsinki, Ljubljana, and Saint-Etienne. It has been proposed by the leader Cité du design, from Saint-Etienne, when building the project. Involving UNESCO creative cities allows a major international impact of its actions, reaching policy makers and researchers using UN resources. On the other hand, it gives a concrete example of collaboration within this relatively new network of cities established by the UNESCO to to strengthen the development of local cultural industries as a factor of sustainable development.
The selection of Human Cities case studies for this Global Report comes just after its presentation in an exhibition and conference in Ostersund, Sweden, during the General Assembly of UNESCO Creative Network in September 2016. The Cité du design Saint-Etienne proposed the project as a part of a Good Practice exhibition. Josyane Franc, its coordinator, which is also the coordinator for Saint-Etienne UNESCO Creative City of Design presented it on 15th September 2016 to an impressive and multicultural assembly of at least 500 people coming from 116 cities from 54 countries.
Integral UNESCO report: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002459/245999e.pdf
UNESCO Creative Cities Network General Assembly in Ostersund: http://creativegastronomy.com/uccn2016/
The design and concept for this app – which will be available to download from April 2016– was developed by three creative minds from Graz. Miriam Derler, Andrea Hutter and Miriam Weiss, all of them master students of Communication Design at the University of Applied Sciences, designed an interactive exhibition catalogue where users stand in the spotlight. The main idea was to create a catalogue, which you can not only browse but also be part of yourself. Therefore, all visitors of exhibitions have the possibility to upload their pictures, videos and remarks, which can then be seen in the app and on video screens in public space. In addition, a scan function allows participants to retrace authors of pictures as well as to leave comments. So everybody can be part of the app and the whole Human Cities Community. Due to this fact, a good mix of many different perspectives from various people can arise since everybody has a different design approach. With this app, the three designers successfully managed to connect the digital with the real world.
So participate yourself! Download the app in April and enjoy!
On 13th September 2018 , during the final event of Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale in Tallinn, happy partners launched a very important common production : the human cities 2014-2018 project book : Challenging the City Scale, journeys in People-Centred Design.
This 176 pages book is released by the famous international publisher Birkhäuser, and co-edited by Cité du design Saint-Etienne and Clear Village London, with the contributions of all the partners and invited authors. After a 1st publication oriented on research and inspirational case studies, this final book is the story of our experiences and cooperation addressed to a large audience of people interested in urban design and practices .
Since 2014, the Human Cities network has been working on Challenging the City Scale to question the urban scale and investigate cocreation in cities. The Human Cities partners have carried out urban experimentations in 11 European cities empowering citizens to rethink the spaces in which they live, work and spend their leisure time. Through conversations with people involved, the book examines how bottom-up processes and their design, tools and instruments generate new ideas to reinvent the city. It offers inspiration and insights to everyone, from practitioners and politicians to designers and active citizens, eager to try out new ways to produce more human cities together.
Our project can be seeen as a journey in people-centred design.
To prepare it, we asked Alice Holmberg, a designer and co-creation expert, to help each partner start their experiment through co-creative sessions. She explains in her article her approach to participatory design, and how she established a co-creation framework that was applied in a variety of contexts.
After the co-creative sessions, each partner departed on their own journey. For example, our partners in Saint-Étienne, Graz, Bilbao, Helsinki and London worked with citizens to turn vacant or
underused spaces into test sites for new solutions for work, service provision, education and communication. In Ljubljana, Belgrade, Cieszyn, Tallinn, Brussels and Milan, our partners joined forces with citizens to contribute to the development of a neighbourhood through improving the quality of public spaces. We invited two journalists, Côme Bastin and Fleur Weinberg, to capture the stories of the experiments in each of the 11 partner cities. These stories compose the main part of this book.
The variety of experiments allowed us to learn from each other. It also gave some hints for citizens, designers, and decision makers (insitutions and developers) which would like initiate that kind of actions. These learnings are shared in the third part of the book, written by Robin Houterman from a collective reflection led by all the partners.
We asked two urban experts to provide a context for our stories. John Thackara, a writer-philosopher, explains the importance of understanding the notion of the city “as a living system”. His chapter emphasises the need to take care of our commons, a term that includes the spaces, memories, knowledge, skills, culture and biodiversity that we all share.
Anya Sirota, founder of and architect at Akoaki, shares with us her experiences from Detroit, USA. In a context of severe urban decline, Akoaki designs architectural interventions, art objects,
and social environments that aim to make an impact far beyond their physical appearances.
As a conclusion – or an introduction to the next journeys to come – Olivier Peyricot and Josyane Franc re-question the topic of bottom-up initiatives in the global context of city making. Could active citizen be the sole driving forces of the tranformations in contemporary cities? How to collectively take responsibility and act for the global challenges facing our urban societies ?
Since its start, the Human Cities project has led to a network of “Human Citizens” distributing their knowledge and skills across Europe, and beyond as well by making use of the network of UNESCO Creative Cities of Design. By writing this book, we hope to expand this network of Human Citizens even further. We hope that by sharing our enthusiasm and experiences, the book will be an inspiration and a valuable reference for those inclined to become involved themselves. Moreover, we want to convince policy and decision makers of the value of these initiatives and inspire them to take action to facilitate them better in the future.
An Interview with Frank van Hasselt, CEO of Clear Village London.
Frank van Hasselt is Chief Executive of Clear Village, a London-based charity that helps communities build a better future through creative regeneration. He was a speaker at the Graz symposium “Experimentation Labs Graz – 5 days in Jakomini”.
He talked about the Clear Village charity and how stealing from other cities can be a good thing.
At the moment we are experiencing a boom in city planning. How do you handle human resources, when there is suddenly such a great increase of interest in the field?
People that work on projects like the ones I’m involved in are very flexible and normally do not stay for that long. Since many people volunteer in the field you can’t expect them to stay on your team forever. But that’s completely normal. That is a positive thing though, because you keep a certain flow of new ideas.
Right now you are working at Clear Village. How would you explain the organisation to someone who has never heard of it before?
We try to activate spaces in London that haven’t been used before. That way we want to reach certain social goals. Now since we are a charity organisation, we have an obligation to reach the goals we have set ourselves. On one hand it is about interconnecting spaces, and on the other hand it deals with social issues. If we worked on projects like Jakomini Graz we would prioritise the social components of the district. Things like businesses or public transport would be side issues for Clear Village. Our work definitely revolves around the social aspect.
How would you describe your experience with Human Cities as an urban planner?
Human Cities is really great. Their objectives are similar to ours in many ways. We have been involved with the Human Cities team since a long time. Longer than Graz I think. You get to know international conditions. To be honest I would not have known the context that comes with projects like Jakomini. People have different problems around the world. In England we struggle with disappearing social funds. There is just a small budget for the public domain, especially when it comes to social initiatives. We create alternatives, in case we completely run out of public funding.
Can you name examples of when you have implemented another cities’ methods in London?
We steal almost everything. When looking at topics like self-organising and group activities we think the US is a great example. Their work is very significant in this area. It is funny that we are at the Nothing stops Detroit Exhibition since the city is a big role model in city planning. It is outstanding how much is being done in that city. However, I still find that England is witnessing some very interesting developments at the moment because you can see what happens after an extreme growth in population. It is also fascinating to see what can happen after a complete implosion. London in specific shows how pricing dynamics change through gentrification. Because as soon as you do something locals can appreciate, you can also expect a certain danger of changing prices in an area. We can analyse how people are affected by those changes right now. But since there is nearly no public funding, we have to find a way to do it with little to no money.
Author: Isadora Wallnöfer
The University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM, provides FH-degree courses in specialised technical and economic disciplines. Within the sector of information society technologies, the courses and research groups in the sectors information management and information design are most relevant. Apart from subject-oriented contents, the courses offered by FH JOANNEUM also emphasise character-forming contents to enable graduates to solve practical problems encountered in their respective professions on a holistic basis. The courses of study are characterised by a highly structured organisation which is achieved by a close relationship between teachers and small groups of students as well as by the mandatory nature of some courses. In the Department of Information Design they are concerned with the planning and implementation of interactions with information objects and equipment. This involves solving many of the problems in the design of the human-computer interface. Their research explores issues in aesthetics, cognitive science, cultural studies, education, engineering, and rhetoric, helping them to build digital systems through which users can more effectively communicate, interact, and learn. The Department of Information Design is in close collaboration with various European universities. Furthermore there are cooperations with Media-Art-Centres in Austria (Ars Electronica Center, Linz), Germany (ZKM, Karlsruhe), Spain (MECAD, Barcelona) and Hungary (C3, Budapest).
Frank van Hasselt is Chief Executive of Clear Village, a London-based charity that helps communities build a better future through creative regeneration. At the Graz symposium “Five Days in Jakomini”-experimentation labs he talks about the Clear Village charity and how stealing from other cities can be a good thing.
At the moment we are experiencing a boom in city planning. How do you handle human resources, when there is suddenly such a great increase of interest in the field?
People that work on projects like the ones I’m involved in are very flexible and normally do not stay for that long. Since many people volunteer in the field you can’t expect them to stay on your team forever. But that’s completely normal. That is a positive thing though, because you keep a certain flow of new ideas.
Right now you are working at Clear Village. How would you explain the organisation to someone who has never heard of it before?
We try to activate spaces in London that haven’t been used before. That way we want to reach certain social goals. Now since we are a charity organisation, we have an obligation to reach the goals we have set ourselves. On one hand it is about interconnecting spaces, and on the other hand it deals with social issues. If we worked on projects like Jakomini Graz we would prioritise the social components of the district. Things like businesses or public transport would be side issues for Clear Village. Our work definitely revolves around the social aspect.
How would you describe your experience with Human Cities as an urban planner?
Human Cities is really great. Their objectives are similar to ours in many ways. We have been involved with the Human Cities team since a long time. Longer than Graz I think. You get to know international conditions. To be honest I would not have known the context that comes with projects like Jakomini. People have different problems around the world. In England we struggle with disappearing social funds. There is just a small budget for the public domain, especially when it comes to social initiatives. We create alternatives, in case we completely run out of public funding.
Can you name examples of when you have implemented another cities’ methods in London?
We steal almost everything. When looking at topics like self-organising and group activities we think the US is a great example. Their work is very significant in this area. It is funny that we are at the Nothing stops Detroit Exhibition since the city is a big role model in city planning. It is outstanding how much is being done in that city. However, I still find that England is witnessing some very interesting developments at the moment because you can see what happens after an extreme growth in population. It is also fascinating to see what can happen after a complete implosion. London in specific shows how pricing dynamics change through gentrification. Because as soon as you do something locals can appreciate, you can also expect a certain danger of changing prices in an area. We can analyse how people are affected by those changes right now. But since there is nearly no public funding, we have to find a way to do it with little to no money.
Erika Thümmel, born in 1959 in Graz, obtained her diploma in Restoration from the „Opificio delle Pietre Dure“ in Florence. She worked in the workshops of the Federal Monuments Office in Vienna, Italy and New York City, until, in 1983, she established her own studio in Graz. She designs furniture with particular characteristics, so-called „living subjects“ and „house beings“, and has realized numerous art installations. Since 1988, she has been designing many exhibitions in the sphere of cultural history and art all over the world, e.g. the „Mountain of Memories“ 2003, when Graz was Cultural Capital of Europe, „Wintersportmuseum Mürzzuschlag“ in 2004 and „Absolutly Free. The Woodstock Effect“ in 2009. Since 2001 she is a teacher in information and exhibition design degree courses at the FH JOANNEUM – University of Applied Sciences in Graz and realized numerous exhibitions and interventions in the public space with her students.
Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale/Graz will run Experimentation Labs to involve citizens, local actors and some representatives of the 11 partners to “challenge the city scale”.
In Graz the first steps have already taken place in March 2016. Students of Exhibition Design and Information Design have started a community survey and public space observation by using Jan Gehl´s research methods, such as counting, mapping, tracing, … In addition there have been made interviews with passers-by.
Step two will be an experimentation week in May starting with a symposion followed by three experimentations/ workshops. The national and international experts zweintopf, osa-office for subversive architecture and interACT will explore the experimentation labs question:
(How) can we transform a transition space into a common space, where people like to stay and to meet without being forced to consume?
Some of the concepts of the workshops will be realised and tested in the following weeks.
Dietmar Mosbacher is teaching at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences Graz within the Departments of “Information Design” (Bachelor Programme) and “Communication, Media, Sound and Interaction Design” (Master Programme) since 2001. He is mainly lecturing Screen Design, AppDesign, Graphic & Print and Applied Visual Aesthetics. Actually Dietmar Mosbacher is researching and exploring visual aesthetics in the field of interactive systems. He is a certified academic expert in Interactive Media Management. In addition to his work as a teacher at the FH Joanneum University, he is managing a company targeting consulting and software development since 1993. Dietmar Mosbacher is member of Apple Developer Connection and official iOS and Android Developer.
Demo Graz Ya!
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Iconoclasistas (artists) developed “collective mapping” as a fun and creative tool that facilitates the construction of a collective story in a certain territory.
During the steirische herbst 2012 Iconoclassistas implemented this tool in the project demo graz ya! curated by Reni Hofmüller.
The starting point of the collective mapping method is to have a group of people with the same interest or question.
In the case of demo graz ya! 4 topics had been developed previously by the artist :
– Open/ public space. Who are the users?
– The visible/unvisible: Gentrification of the Lendplatz.
– Self organized cultural practises in the city.
– Who owns the land? A survey on the functioning of community gardens.
Icons had been developed for each topic and were implemented in public sessions by passers- by and artist.
The gerenal procedure of collective mapping is:
1. Adress the problems and the territory
2. Create icons that identify these problems.
3. Acquire a map of the region or accurately draw one
4. Point out the places in the map using the icons
5. Report back from each group
6. Systematize the maps in one common map
Key-actors
Curator and Coordinator: Reni Hofmüller (esc medien kunst labor) for steirischer herbst (international festival for contemporary art)
Artists: iconoclasistas (Julia Risler and Pablo Ares) (AR)
with IEFS (Ursula Kiesling & Maki Stolberg) (A), OpenStreetMap Graz (A), Elli Scambor (A) & Sandra Ziagis (A).
Role of design
This project is first and foremost characterised by its „methodology design“ as a radical participation model.
Excellent communication design is another main key to the success of the collective mapping tool, since for every topic individual icons have to be developed. The more readable the icons are the better they can be understood and executed. In this spirit the use of design is explicit.
Finally the role a good exhibition design in the mediation of the workshop results.
CONTACT (of the editor)
Anke Strittmatter – Organization: FH Joanneum Graz Alte Poststraße 152 8010 Graz Austria – Email: anke.strittmatter@fh-joanneum.at
In 2004 he was graduated as Dimplomingenieur from FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences Graz. Then he was a lecturer and researcher at FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences Graz at the departments of Information Design, Communication, Media and Interaction Design. He was also a Lecturer in the fields of interaction design and media design and he made some research activities in interaction design and media design including EU-funded projects. In 2003 he was a Member of the art collective monochrom. Numerous international and national exhibitions, performances, symposiums, festivals and publications.
Annenviertel !
In 2000, one year after rotor, an association for contemporary art based in Graz was founded and opened its first art space in the part of Graz where it is still based today. Right from the beginning, they have also kept the public realm in mind; above all, to reach an audience that does not normally cross the threshold into the art space and to negotiate subjects of social transformation and coexistence in the public space.
Since 2007, < rotor > has been located in the Volksgartenstraße. As this location is on the ground floor and at a high-traffic street corner, it is a considerably lower threshold than before and is also not only used for a programme of exhibitions and events but also for communicative art and cultural projects in the urban space on a regular basis.
Due to the experiences gained with projects in public space and networking on site they felt a growing need to intensify these activities and to understand them as their own distinct project. Together with the Vienna-based
cultural theoretician Elke Krasny, they started to sketch out a project for the public and social space of the neighbourhood. They entered into dialogue with art institutions in different European cities very quickly in order to contextualise the new project framework in trans-regional exchange right from the start.
The first stage was one of intensive research and mapping the project area in the course of which we collected the numerous local institutions and initiatives working in various social areas.
Key – actors
Margarete Makovec, curator, director of the Rotor
Anton Lederer, curator, director of the Rotor
Role of design
The project focuses on art but the artists and the coordinators used design to communicate the interventions.
The design of the urban space was an important topic, but it was an implicit use of design. Nevertheless, the impact is remarkable.
CONTACT (of the editor)
Erika Thümmel – Organization : Fh JOANNEUM – Email : erika.thuemmel@fh-joanneum.at
Architect and urbanist but also a project leader of the Human Cities Graz Team, lecturer at the Department of Architecture – Technical University of Graz-, teacher of Urban Design and Exhibition Design at the University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM – Graz. In 2004, she was a lecturer for Urban Design at University Trisakti in Jakarta (Indonesia). Then since 2000 she is member of the architectural group osa-office for subversive architecture and works focus on interventions in public space (www.osa-online.net). Between 2008-2010 she was a boardmember of the Haus der Architektur – Graz.
“A person not taking any interest in his city, is not a silent, but a bad citizen.” (Perikles)
After collecting knowledge about the district Jakomini in Graz throughout the summer semester, Exhibition Design students at FH Joanneum Graz began phase two of the Experimentation Labs: An experimentation week called Five days in Jakomini.
The topic was to build an open space where citizens can stay and interact without being forced to consume anything. Beginning with May the 9th, experts in the fields of architecture, design and urban planning gathered in a public Symposium. The Symposium was structured into three sections.
First local initiators Pia Paierl, Andreas Morianz and Erika Thümmel revised what has happened in Jakomini so far. What stood out most was the importance of connectivity, creativity and municipal authorization regarding communal projects and associations like Jakominiviertel.
What’s going on elsewhere? Speakers from Ljubljana, London and Saint-Étienne presented their progress. Human City planners Matej Niksic, Frank van Hasselt and Camille Vilain concluded what they’ve done to provide ecological and social benefits for their city’s inhabitants. Matej Niksics introduced an outdoor reading space in Ljubljana to create bonds between locals. Camille Vilain spoke about how she and her team turned a former cardboard factory into an open space for citizens.
At last Jakomini was put into perspective and city managers, architects, artists and designers evaluated the future of the district. Amongst them was Anke Strittmatter, who concluded the Experimentation Labs supervised by herself and Erika Thümmel. Both of them will continue working on the progress with the Exhibition Design students. The Symposium ended with Heimo Maieritsch, from the city management in Graz. He discussed about how top-down-projects combine with bottom-up-initiatives to achieve improved communication between local communities and municipal institutions.
The Symposium was the first day of the experimentation week where Exhibition Design students developed ideas for Jakomini, with help from OSA, the office for subversive architecture, the artist collective Zweintopf and InterACT, a theatre group.
Author: Isadora Wallnöfer
After working closely with theatre group InterACT, OSA, the office for subversive architecture and the artist collective Zweintopf for a week, Exhibition Design Students could present first results of the Experimentation Labs in Graz. Ending a week full of workshops and creative progress, the three teams have accumulated ideas to improve the quality of stay in Jakomini Graz. On Friday, the 13th may people from around the city gathered to see the student’s presentations of long-term resolutions for Jakomini.
InterACT
The first group of students have worked with InterACT, an interactive theatre group targeted towards social changes in urban regions. Their week consisted of interviewing passers-by in Jakomini Street, Jakomini Square and Klosterwies Street. Most passers-by wanted more seating areas, more businesses or more green areas. On Thursday, the 12th InterACT theatrically performed these results for the public on Schönau Street. To create a friendlier environment with call to action in the borough, Exhibition Design students had the idea to replace the red road surface with green stripes on Jakomini Street. That would lead pedestrians to the right spots and create more interaction with shop owners and inhabitants.
OSA
The second group of students collaborated with OSA, office for subversive architecture. While doing research throughout the semester students found out that Jakomini Street is a transitional area and is highly likely to continue being one. The aim was to make the transit more appealing. They experimented with a rolling chair in Jakomini Street creating an alternative way to use the sidewalk. Citizens could explore what the street had to offer, they have come up with “Three minute-service”. The concept was to offer a route through Jakomini Street, where citizens could sit on a comfortable chair on wheels while exploring the street. It takes three minutes to walk through Jakomini Street. By being pushed on a chair with on wheels those three minutes could be used more efficiently. To enforce the project, the students had the idea to work with local shop owners who would offer tea to drink on the ride.
Zweintopf
The third group of students worked with the artist collective Zweintopf. To create more awareness for the borough they had the idea to collaborate with the local radio station Helsinki. Their idea was to promote the borough with a radio programme called “The sound of Jakomini”. The idea is to have a programme for Jakomini inhabitants produced by Jakomini inhabitants. The student’s job was to record random outdoor noises from Jakomini’s streets, to create a sound that represent the borough. Ideally those sounds would be the jungle introducing “The sound of Jakomini”. Afterwards people who pass the streets could use sound boxes to stream the local radio programme live, while creating an open environment and a space to publicly enjoy Jakomini’s tones. The project had been well received by Radio Helsinki.
Author: Isadora Wallnöfer
(How) can we transform a transition space into a common space, where people like to stay and to meet without being forced to consume?
Inhabitants of the area will meet at Jakomini quarter to conquer the space. As a result of the experimentation lab Graz the artists/ carpenters of “brauchst” developed some seats which will be given to the public. On Saturday we continue with the next 200 benches. The idea is to spread them until every citizen of Graz owns ONE bench and provides it for the use in public space.
