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 "Von Schneckenhäusern und Zebrastreifen: Girls make the city" and "WaldBus" 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.

To achieve this goal, an aesthetically focused approach to spatial research is pursued. This involves approaching the space performatively and creatively with one's own body, occupying the public space or street space and also reinterpreting or playing with it. In addition to the performative approach (for example with movement workshops), the space is also to be changed structurally - for example through the guided construction of target group-specific street furniture.

SUB-PROJECT: "FOREST BUS"

In order to highlight the connection or the immediate proximity of city, countryside and nature with their large forest areas on the one hand and to draw attention to the function of public transport in this context on the other, this sub-project aims to bring the outside in and the inside out - both on a geographical and physical level.

Specifically, the idea is to install a piece of nature or forest in a means of public transport. People can then use public transport not only to get from the inside (city of Kassel) to the outside (forest, local recreation areas), but a piece of nature will also come into the city in the public transport vehicle, drawing attention to the nature and recreational function as well as to public transport as an adequate means of transport to get to the local recreation areas, hiking trail networks and forest areas. Accompanying events and knowledge transfer, e.g. discussion rounds, are to take place on public transport.

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, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Joint Science Conference (GWK).