What cultural value do temporary events and spatial productions have?
What contribution can they make to a vivid European urban built environment (Stadtbaukultur)?
These questions are the subject of a joint project of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010. During this year of the European Capitals of Culture there will be a series of temporary interventions into city spaces in Istanbul, Pécs and in Duisburg, acting for the Ruhr Area. These will bring attention to the various cultural shapes of the “European City” and test out new design ideas.

This cultural “Dialogue of the European Capitals of Culture 2010” ties in with projects realized within the Landesinitiative StadtBauKultur NRW (Initiative for a better built environment in North Rhine-Westphalia) in Düsseldorf (2004/05) and Mönchengladbach (2006/07). In 2008-2010 it will be realized in cooperation with selected architecture and spatial planning faculties from Pécs, Istanbul, Dortmund, Siegen and Aachen.

In joint workshops and competitions the students from the three countries will develop and showcase solutions for “particular locations” in Istanbul, Pécs and Duisburg. With the help of their designs they will show the additional benefit of temporary interventions in public space. In an experimental manner they will create temporary city spaces or interventions into the urban fabric which allow the local public a new, sometimes provocative, view on their cities. The best designs – chosen by international juries – will be realized in Duisburg, Pécs and Istanbul during the Year of the Capitals of Cultures 2010.

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