CONSTRUCTIVIST- MOSKOW

HAUS DER STATISTIK

Forgotten for almost a decade, the complex of buildings that once constituted the offices for the administration of statistics under the old socialist regime came to the center of the public discourse as a symbol of an across-the-board struggle for the right to the city of Berlin. Civic society actors and public stakeholders joined their efforts to put the unconditional selling of publicly-owned buildings to a halt, stressing the need to replace the monetary principle with the pursuing of the societal common good. The professionalization of bottom-up forms of activism claiming space for culture and diversity transformed the Haus der Statistik initiative into a large-scale project. This currently aims at regenerating the buildings to benefit local neighborhoods, refugees and cultural producers alike through the implementation of participatory practices of urban development.

NEW BELGRADE

Porta Capuana – Napoli

Porta Capuana is the eastern gate of the historical center of Naples, and gives the name to the neighbourhood that developed around it. While the economic difficulties of its inhabitants are a long-known problem, a recent rise in the multicultural background of the neighbourhood residents has changed its dynamics. Some regeneration plans have been launched by public bodies, which co-exist with a renewed vibrancy in the local activities of associations and private stakeholders.