This document describes a project called "City Perspectives - Mapping the Kotti Kiez" which aims to raise awareness of socio-spatial processes and structures among young people in Berlin through collective mapping workshops. The workshops will have participants map their neighborhood and discuss urban development, gentrification, and how maps can represent different perspectives. The collective map created will then be transferred into a mural to symbolize urban struggles in Berlin. The goal is to empower young people by giving them a way to express their views and show they can shape their urban environment.

1. City Perspectives
Mapping the Kotti Kiez
Sebastian Hilf
Urban Solutions Seminar 2
Athens October 2013

2. Overview
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Maps and (critical) collective mapping
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Urban situation in Berlin / Kreuzberg
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„City Perspectives – Mapping the Kotti Kiez“
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Awareness of space & socio-spatial disparities

3. maps...
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are generally seen as objective, real and neutral
representations of space
maps never show the reality – you have to
generalize
what is visualized belongs to the person who maps
maps are constructed, they are made by
somebody for some kind of purpose
every map is political

6. What is visualized, and what not?

7. What is visualized, and what not?

8. What is visualized, and what not?

9. Critical mapping
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Content-based criticism of
„conventional“ maps
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Creating „different“ maps
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Critical maps emerge from...

10. „different“ perspectives

11. „different“ contents

12. „different“ creation of knowledge

13. „different“ creation of knowledge

14. Collective mapping

15. Collective mapping
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It's a tool to get a collective understandig of a
certain area
Through exchanging different point of views
and knowledge
It was developed to visualize the feelings,
concerns, wishes of those people who have
been traditional excluded from decision making
processes
To show a different reality and to support
struggels of social movements

16. Collective mapping
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The method bears a high potential as a non-verbal,
playful and inclusive means of communication and
actions
Both the mapping process and the map itself are of
importance
Collective mapping needs certain circumstances:
–
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Common territorial space
–
a big amount of time
–
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Pre-existing group-processes
etc.
Collective mapping is nothing more than a tool

17. Urban situation in Berlin
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Unique historic situation
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Division by the Wall
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Kreuzberg was „isolated“ & offered cheap housing
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Kreuzberg was formed by immigrants, students,
artists and the political left scene
Multicultural alternative hotspot

20. Urban situation in Berlin
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After the Fall of the Wall Kreuzberg was
suddenly in the middle of the city
Highly attractive for young urban professionals,
tourists and nat. & internat. investors
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Dramatic socio-spatial transformation
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Rents are rising drastically → gentrification
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Upgrading of the area and displacement of
traditional population

23. Kotti & Co
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Local tenant initiative founded in 2011
Organizing demonstrations, seminars,
conferences, socio-cultural events,...
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occupied a public space (2012) - gecekondo
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Meeting point of the community
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in 2013 a youth group was formed

24. Kotti & Co

26. „City Perspectives“
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Aim: to sensitize young people for social spatial
processes in their daily life environment & to
support them in expressing their concerns & wishes
To strengthen the awareness of their urban
environment
...and the awareness that they can shape their
urban reality
We realize a collective mapping of current urban
development processes in Berlin

27. „City Perspectives“
1st part:
Several workshops where we realize a collective
mapping of the „Kotti Kiez“ and the socio-spacial
processes and structures
- discuss about the content and purpose of the map
- build categories and cluster
- creat symbols and icons
- localize processes in the map
- reflexion of the outcome

29. „City Perspectives“

30. „City Perspectives“
2nd part:
We want to take elements of the collectively
generated map and transfer them in form of a
big mural on a house wall in Berlin, so that the
image becomes a visible symbol for the urban
struggles in Berlin

31. „City Perspectives“
Challanges:
Getting contact to young people with a kind of
difficult or rather boring sounding method
(mapping)
To use to much academic language and
concepts
Consider special religious or cultural events or
needs

32. More Information:
http://www.memfarado.org
http://orangotango.info/
http://kottiundco.net/