Granting the right to the city is one of the major European challenges and - opportunities! Our solution is provided by a triad of social research, urban art-activism and a European open professional network - to overcome disciplinary and political divides.
The interdisciplinary Urban Laboratory aimes at the collective elaboration of universal functioning models of democratization of urban & public spaces, implemented locally and suitable for various urban contexts across Europe.

Kaliningrad-Svetlogorsk, Russia /Berlin, Germany /Network connecting EU, Central and Eastern Europe

Exercising equal rights to the city is crucial according to the UN Urban Agenda. To counter political alienation bottom-up, citizens should be included in the creation/adaptation of their living environment & decision making, to regain faith in their power to take action and to bring about change.

A creative European collaboration will be strengthened and a successful model for democratization of urban space in RU will be implemented. Thus innovative approaches & new knowledge will be generated, exchanged & publicized through our networks across Europe. Political frontlines will be overcome.

Urban Lab combines a series of workshops for the exchange of ideas, methods & collective work. It will prepare & implement of a site specific & community oriented urban event in Svetlogorsk/Kaliningrad, combining art methods, urban research, activism etc.
Interdisciplinary expert knowledge provided by the Coordinate System network, including AE community, will be applied to a concrete context and involve local communities by participatory artistic methods.

Coordinate System invisions to democratize public and urban spaces by creative means since 2017. The open network includs artists, researchers and activists from over 12 EU&CEU countries, eager to share & apply their knowledge & approaches globally.

Among the direct beneficiaries are multiple local communities and stakeholders, as well as activists, creatives, professionals etc. Members of the network and AE, who are involved via an open call. The developed Urban Lab model will be made public & applicable for urban activists across Europe.

We will be grateful for your ideas & involvement not only on this specific proposal but also on the topic in more general terms, i.e. creative strategies and methods of democratization, transformation and research in/of urban & public spaces. Let´s not wait, please share your thoughts!