Guggenheim LAB

Written by Matthew Griffin |
Created: Monday, 02 July 2012 13:08

Matthew Griffin at the Guggenheim LAB A few weeks ago the Guggenheim LAB set up shop in Berlin. They are running an ambitious program in their temporary Prenzlauerberg site throughout the rest of July 2012.

On Saturday I gave a short talk titled Invalid Street, about the Bürgerinitiative Invalidenstrasse (BII), and our efforts to influence the planning processes behind Berlin's misguided efforts to turn this two lane street into a four lane street.

The talk was part of the Marathon of Transformation, a day long event organized by Rachel Smith. The speakers and workshops focused on how people have influenced our urban environment through specific projects.

Invalidenstrasse under construction Invalid Street focused on the Planfeststellungsverfahren, the legal framework behind all major infrastructure projects in Germany. This framework is totally unsuitable for modern urban planning because it is designed to prevent citizen participation. This system prevents sensitive solutions to complex urban problems, and must be updated. I will write a more detailed post about the BII, and ideas of how to improve this outdated prestructure at a later date.

Christine McLaren has also published an interview about the Tripod System on the Guggenheim LAB blog.

Thanks again to the Lab for providing this platform.

This blog aims to inspire you to engage yourself with your city

Initiative Map

As one of his last acts in office, Ephraim Gothe, Mitte's Councillor for Urban Development, has created a map of all the local initiatives in his constituency. Encouraging local citizen engagement could radically transform Berlin - this is a good first step.

Read more ...