Archive: IBA Berlin 2020

Instant city

More and more people want to be included directly in urban development, that is, they want to be part of the "city-making" and implement their ideas. Creativity and commitment are forces in urban society on which the IBA Berlin 2020 wants to build.

• Planning processes are long and convoluted and still - and often because of that - produce premature action. The objective is to use artistic and cultural actions and temporary projects to target such intermediate phases specifically to determine the specific talents of urban spaces and the bandwidth of possible uses.
• A main aspect of urban spaces is the fact that conflicts exist. This requires tolerance for what is foreign or different. The instant city is testing new formats of participation, local dialogue and negotiation in order to find a constructive and creative way of dealing with conflict. It is about giving residents an option to become active and to participate in the discussion with experts, bodies implementing measures and administrators. This is a challenge, especially in the outer city, for which experience has yet to be gained first.
• Dynamic communication, development and appropriation processes are to be set in motion through an artistic, direct and enthusiastic approach. These, too, are deemed key aspects of a new form of urbanity in the outer city in the understanding of the IBA Berlin 2020.

Graphics: Thomas Rustemeyer