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Lennart Albrecht

Benjamin Becker

Katrin Borchers

Martin Rieger

[Show as slideshow]

Lennart Albrecht

Benjamin Becker

Katrin Borchers

Martin Rieger

[Show as slideshow]

Fotos von Philipp Szyza

“A liminal space, the place of transition, waiting, and not knowing…”

I have been told that place used to be something else. It used to have a function, a structure, a social background. Once you were in there, a certain norm of behavior had to be respected. It used to have a door to be closed, or a door to be opened. It used to impose order, maintain silence and demand light. That place used to mark the street; it used to be a destination, a point of meeting, or a point of departure. That place used to be part of a human’s life; a dark spot in someone´s personal history; or an inevitable station in someone´s journey.

And then this place stopped “to be”, and started “to become”. The place lost its function, its structure disrupted, the background vanished. There was no one to adjust its behavior to this place; no one for switching lights, no one for pulling down the window blinds. Even the silence sounded differently. It was no one´s destination, neither point for meeting nor for departure.

As a place with an outdated function and rundown structure, it became only an endless possibility. It allowed for an “in-between” spatial use. Suddenly without a meaning, it opened a door for reinterpretation, reuse, re-adaptation and social replay. It became UdN—the way I got to know it. The first questions I asked when I entered this liminal and “soon-to-be place” were: “What is this place? A dormitory? A squat? A club? A cantina?” I understood after some time spent there that it is all that together, and nothing from that specifically. It is a non-place and an über-place; physically vacant and spiritually replete with meaning. It is extremely uncomfortable, as it is cold and modestly arranged, but surprisingly pleasant to spend your time in. There you can eat, think, talk, sleep. You can come inside, or stay outside—whatever, no borders to cross over. This place needs no improvement or cleaning. It only needs to be nurtured.

(Personal Reflections: Monika Alovjanovic, doctoral candidate in “Urban Metamorphoses”)

Especially in 2012 the UdN has been the home to the HCU-Research Group and Doctoral Programme “Urban Metamorphoses” in a variety of occasions, meetings and events:

… as place of encounter

„An intercultural space, the place of getting to know, developing and open…”

During our presence in the UdN we engaged in stimulating discussions with other international and German students sharing manifold perspectives and knowledge from different backgrounds. This “collective space” forms the heart of the UdN as meeting place for intercultural encounters and long discussions. It is always a surprise moment to see who is entering the front door and suddenly appears in the collective space. For us UM participants, this cultural melting pot – which included locals – allowed a deeper engagement with and understanding of the different activities of the HafenCity University Hamburg. In this sense, the UdN is creating a warm and welcoming environment for the gathering of guests from abroad and other parts of Germany, as well as Hamburgers.

… as place of regalement

„A culinary space, a place of rest,
refreshing and enjoying…”

In a shared appropriation of all people involved the collective activities lived up rather intimate get-togethers such as pro-active cooking experiences and communal dinners. In the “soup kitchen programme” held at the UdN this socializing experience also involved the residents of the neighbourhood.

… as place of embeddedness

„A developing space, a place of appropriation,
influencing the surrounding, but being part of it …”

In a tour guided by an official IBA-Expert we discovered changes and new developments in Wilhelmsburg. At the same time, staying at the UdN for some days made us realise the differences between the daily life of inhabitants in Wilhelmsburg and the planned urban IBA future.

… as place for workshops

„An educational space, the place of the doctorate,
learning and engaging…”

The heart of the research workshops carried out at the UdN is the interdisciplinary discourse of professors, assistants and doctorates along the lines of our shared research theme “Urban Metamorphoses”. In Panel discussions with relevant sub topics, all doctorates entered the discussion with a presentation of their own specific research. Especially though the contribution of international and comparative case studies by the doctoral candidates, the workshops developed into emancipated, inspiring and highly productive debates. The rather informal atmosphere of the UdN helped us to dive into the topics quickly and it was a special and stimulating environment to work in.

… as place of metamorphoses

„A transdisciplinary space, the place change, discontinued and complex…”

In November 2012 Urban Metamorphoses organized an internal symposium with the objective to contribute to a better understanding of the notion of metamorphoses in a transdisciplinary debate. Subsequently, it attempted to further develop potential research approaches to elaborate on the driving forces of the complex discontinuities of urban change.

Invited speakers from four different disciplines provided the ground for opening the discussions on urban metamorphoses. Each presentation revealed its specific view on metamorphoses and contributed to the reflection of urban metamorphoses as a general topic of our discussions.

• Philosophy / Cultural Studies – Dr. Anke Haarmann, Leuphana University Lueneburg
• Biology / Phytology – Dr. Hans-Helmut Poppendieck, University of Hamburg
• Sociology of Urban Culture – Prof. Angela McRobbie, Goldsmith College London
• Neuroscience / Psychiatry – Sonia Teimann, University of Duisburg-Essen

Transferring the inputs into the overall discussion about “Urban Metamorphoses”, the symposium participants followed specific aspects of metamorphoses, such as space and form, methods and “transdisciplinary methods”, concept and terminology as well as dynamic and process. With a vast variety of different disciplinary meaning and aspects of the term “metamorphoses” the discussions helped to develop a broader understanding outside of our own disciplines. At the same time, it illuminated the importance of engaging with and better understanding the discontinuities and complexities of urban change from all possible perspectives.

… as place of informality

„An open space, the place exchange,
supervising the fire…”

In summer we especially enjoyed the outside space of UdN. While having a barbeque and beer we got a nice informal space to meet with our supervisors. Each one of us brought a typical dish from his/her home country or the country of their field study, which resulted in a table full of delicious meals and opportunities for exchange.

… as place of dérive

„A participatory space, a place of Zwischennutzung,
changing and understanding…”

Lastly, the UdN itself is intrinsically entangled with the research on “Urban Metamorphoses”. By a transdisciplinary approach it seeks to overcome the monodisciplinary and normative models of the city that reflect first and foremost on the outcomes of urban change. The research on urban metamorphoses is the attempt to point at the dynamic genesis and Wirkungsgeschichte of urban spaces as well as its mutual and “design-active” interactions, of which the UdN is a part of.

Participating professors: Prof. Dr. Michael Koch / Prof. Dr. Ingrid Breckner / Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dickhaut / Prof. Dr. Angelus Eisinger / Prof. Thomas Kersten/ Prof. Bernd Kniess / Prof. Dr. Dieter Läpple / Prof. Dr. Alenka Poplin / Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Willkomm Coordinators / Research Assistants: Anna-Lisa Müller / Timothy Pape / Friederike Schröder Doctoral candidates: Monika Alovjanovic / Hisham Ashkar / Anke Domschky / Christine Ellen / Heike Kaiser / Judith Lehner / Alexandra Misch / Hikoyat Salimova / Eszter Toth / Hendrik Weiner

Die Forschungsinitiative Low-Budget-Urbanität lädt ein zum öffentlichen Vortrag:

Rethinking Scarcity
Ute Tellmann (Uni Hamburg)
Montag, 25. März 2013
18.30 Uhr
UdN, Rotenhäuser Damm 30

Ute Tellmann is a political theorist and sociologist working on the genealogy of liberal economy. She is currently assistant professor at the University of Hamburg. In her work, she combines historical epistemology, political theory and economic thought in order to lay bare how economic categories are shaped by displaced political arguments about temporal order, the politics of affect or collectivity and space. She has published widely on economic temporality, economic zones of exception and liberal governmentality. Recent articles are: “Fear of the Future – Malthus and the Genealogy of Liberal Economy”Theory, Culture & Society (2013) and “Global Territories: Zones of Economic and Legal Dis/Connection” Distinktion (3/2012).

Mehr Infos auf der Webseite der Forschungsinitiative Low-Budget-Urbanity

Der Fotograf Janusz Beck zeigt in der Universität der Nachbarschaften mit seinen Bildern den Umbruch am Wilhelmsburger Hafenrand. Die auf der Elbinsel entstandenen Fotos präsentieren sich verändernde Orte zwischen Hafenbecken, Containern und Wohnhäusern.

Zu der Fotoausstellung an der UdN in Wilhelmsburg sind alle Interessierten herzlich eingeladen.

Foto: Janusz Beck

Zeit:
19. Januar 2013
12:00 bis 22:00 Uhr

Ort:
Universität der Nachbarschaften
Rotenhäuser Damm 30
21109 Hamburg

Links:
www.januszbeck.com

Hinweis: Dieser Vortrag findet nicht an der UdN statt, sondern an der HCU Hamburg, Standort Averhoffstraße!

Bildungsoffensive Elbinseln – Das ambitionierte Projekt, das mit allen Fachbehörden und dem Bezirk aufgestellt ist, verfolgt zwei Ziele: Der Bildungserfolg der Kinder in Kirchdorf, auf der Veddel und im Reiherstieg soll nicht länger zu sehr von der sozialen Herkunft der Eltern abhängen. Und die Stadtteile sollen lebenswerter werden, um sie als Wohnort für Familien aus ganz Hamburg attraktiver zu machen. Eine systematische Vernetzung aller an Bildung, Beratung und Erziehung Beteiligten ist der Weg.

Jürgen Dege-Rüger war ab 1975 als Lehrer an verschiedenen Schulen in Hamburg tätig, er war 15 Jahre lang Leiter der Region Süd der Hamburger Volkshochschule, war beteiligt am Umbau der behördlichen Dienststelle zum eigenständigen Landesbetrieb und parallel tätig als Organisationsberater und Supervisor (DGSv). Seit 2006 ist er Teil der Koordinierungsstelle Bildungsoffensive Elbinseln bei der IBA. Jürgen Dege-Rüger lebt in Hamburg und im Dorf drumherum.

Zeit:
Donnerstag, 17. Januar 2013
18.00 Uhr

Ort:
HafenCity Universität Hamburg
Averhoffstraße 38
Raum 16b

Eine Veranstaltung im Rahmen der UD-Vortragsreihe >Stadt als Ressource<

Ort:
UdN
Rotenhäuser Damm 30, 21107 Hamburg

Zeit:
19. Januar 2013
18.30h – 19.30h

Links:
www.mattmagazine.com
www.wcw-gallery.com

Hotel Transvaal*-*****, stay in the interim. The neighbourhood as resource

Gastvortrag von Sabrina Lindemann
Eine Veranstaltung im Rahmen der UD-Vortragsreihe >Stadt als Ressource<

For a while Hotel Transvaal was the largest hotel in the world. The streets of the district Transvaal in The Hague, Netherlands were the corridors of the hotel, through which trams and buses were driving and the residents were the hosts and hostesses. The hotel rooms were not in one single building, but were spread over the district in premises due for demolition. As soon as these were demolished, the hotel moved on to a new location. The many existing facilities in the neighbourhood, such as restaurants, hairdressers and bakeries were also facilities of the hotel.

With the idea of Hotel Transvaal the initiators aimed at putting the empty space into use again and thus giving the district a socio-cultural and economic impulse. Hotel Transvaal stands for a vision on restructuring policy at local as well as national level. Transvaal is not unique, for everywhere in the Netherlands districts are being demolished. In this way the authorities want to combat urban decay, but with the demolition the existing social structures also disappear, as well as the history of the neighbourhood and its residents. Hotel Transvaal fills the vacuum in the interim, upgrades it, looks for points of departure in order to connect the past with the future, and stresses the opportunities of a district in transition.

Sabrina Lindemann (artist/urban curator) has been active with Mobile office OpTrek since 2002, a cultural laboratory for urban interactions and research, based in the Hague, the Netherlands. OpTrek works in urban areas where large scale and long term transformation processes take place with significant spatial and social consequences. In her work themes like temporary use and ‘organic’ urban area development are addressed. Since 2011 she works in the inner-city industrial area the Binckhorst in The Hague.
Zeit: Donnerstag, 10. Januar 2013, 18.00 Uhr
Ort: Universität der Nachbarschaften, Rotenhäuser Damm 30, 21107 Hamburg

Links:
www.optrektransvaal.nl
www.hoteltransvaal.com
www.optrek.org (under construction)

Welche Herausforderung bringt die Implementierung nachhaltiger Technologien für die urbane Umwelt in Kairo mit sich? Wie könnte eine nachhaltige Infrastruktur im Stadtviertel Dharb al Ahmar aussehen? Vom 1. bis 14. Oktober 2012 stellten sich Studierende des Studiengangs REAP (Ressource Efficiency in Architecture and Planning) sowie Gäste der Helwan University Ägypten diesen Fragen.

Bereits zum zweiten Mal fand an der Universität der Nachbarschaften ein internationaler Workshop mit Studierenden aus Kairo statt. Diesmal unter dem Titel “Cairo Urban Transformation”, initiiert vom Studiengang REAP. Gemeinsam erarbeiteten die Studierenden Strategien zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung eines Kairoer Stadtgebietes. Das Ergebnis umfasste eine Reihe von Handlungsempfehlungen, die sich unter anderem mit erneuerbaren Energien beschäftigen, aber auch mit der Stärkung alternativer Ökonomien sowie neuen Phänomenen wie urbaner Landwirtschaft.

Während des Workshops hatten die Studierenden die Möglichkeit, verschiedene Orte in Hamburg zu besuchen, darunter auch Schauplätze der IBA. Somit konnten nachhaltige Ansätze einer urbanen Entwicklung beobachtet werden.

Die Universität der Nachbarschaften war Veranstaltungsort des Workshops und gleichzeitig Wohnraum für die ägyptischen Gäste. Konzept und Atmosphäre der UdN inspirierte die Studierenden bei der Projektarbeit, denn sie waren selbst Teil eines stattfindenden  Community-Entwicklungsprozesses und interagierten mit ihrer direkten Umgebung.