SDG+ Lab Experimentale: Transformations in urban and rural areas

BACKGROUND AND GOAL

With the SDG+ Lab, UniKasselTransfer is developing a laboratory for sustainability issues as a platform for exchange between science, business and society, thus strengthening the sustainability focus of the University of Kassel. Along the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations, practical solutions and innovations are to be jointly developed for the region of North Hesse.

The overall project is made up of a total of four consecutive theme years (energy and environment, city and countryside, work and business, culture and living together). Each theme year in turn consists of five different parallel modules (see Figure 1), which offer a variety of opportunities for encounters, participation and collaboration for a sustainable future. Within this overall framework, the Transport Planning and Transport Systems research group is working on the "Experimental" module in the second thematic year "Transformations in urban and rural areas".

EXPERIMENTAL MODULE

As part of the "Stadt und Land" experimentals, scientists work together with cooperation partners from the city administration and the population of Kassel and the surrounding area to develop new usage concepts for unattractive areas in the city and region. These places are then also (temporarily) structurally modified in order to directly test new possible uses. The sustainable design of spaces in the city, the upgrading of public places and the sealing of new areas will be central themes.

The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Department of Urban Renewal and Planning Theory and the Department of Urban Design (both University of Kassel). The city of Kassel, the district of Kassel and the Zweckverband Raum Kassel will be involved in an accompanying advisory board to provide support. The Department of Transport Planning and Transport Systems at the University of Kassel is primarily responsible for the two sub-projects "Of snail shells and crosswalks: Mädchen machen Stadt" and "Waldestelle" and is also involved in designing the exhibitions accompanying the theme year.

SUB-PROJECT "OF SNAIL SHELLS AND CROSSWALKS: GIRLS MAKE THE CITY"

The project builds on the previous work of the "Make Space for Girls" initiative. This draws attention to the fact that public spaces generally do not meet the needs of girls and young women, but are often designed on the basis of male perspectives. For this reason, the overarching goal is to support girls and young women in appropriating public space.

In this sub-project, the central questions "How can girls and young women be encouraged to make public space their own?" and "What creative forms of appropriation and co-design are possible?" were addressed.

Two different approaches were pursued: on the one hand, an aesthetically focused approach to exploring space was used to approach the space performatively and creatively with one's own body, taking up public space or street space and also reinterpreting or playing with it. In addition to this performative approach in the form of movement workshops, there was another approach in which the space (in this case a wasteland in Forstfeld) was also structurally altered. In preliminary idea workshops, possible redesigns were developed together with volunteer girls from the Waldau Open School. Some of these ideas were then realized by the target group themselves in guided construction workshops during the summer vacations.

SUB-PROJECT: "WALDESTELLE"

Stops are usually places of transition - a few minutes between arrival and departure. But what if they could do more? When waiting time becomes meeting time, concrete turns into greenery and a stop becomes a connecting space between city, countryside and nature?

With the greening of the "Achenbachstraße" stop, we want to try out exactly that: create more quality of life, make the connection between city, countryside and nature visible and open up new perspectives on public transport.

This will be accompanied by a supporting program with various events that address the topics of nature and mobility.

TEMPORAL HORIZON

The celebratory kick-off event in October 2024 marked the beginning of the second theme year. The planned interventions are expected to begin in April 2025. A time horizon of six months has been set for this, which will end in the fall of 2025. The theme year will formally end in spring 2026.

FUNDING BODIES

The project is funded by the "Innovative University" initiative, supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Joint Science Conference (GWK).