Shrinking Cities. The future of post-industrial cities in the Baltics

Duration of the project

01.01.2015. - 31.12.2015.

Countries and institutions involved in the project

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European Humanities University
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Laboratory for Critical Urbanism
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Herder-Institut Marburg
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Riga Technical University
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Estonian Academy of Arts
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Culture center, Visaginas
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Archfondas
Minskachforum, Belarus

Aim of the project

Organizing this workshop, we wish to identify the sources of urbanity in shrinking post-industrial towns. This is a relevant task to various locations in all Baltic states as well as the East of Germany. The use of existing built structure and applying new social technology for keeping urban areas alive and well integrated depends on two major variables – town’s infrastructural and industrial history on the one hand and the major structural vulnerabilities a particular location encounters on the other hand. This workshop aim is to qualitatively scrutinize and confront these two variables as manifested in Visaginas and to contextualize them in ongoing research. And, further on, to propose future scenarios for the town in a form of soft planning interventions and community projects.

Main activities of the project

24./26.2.2015 Workshop in Visaginas

24.2.2015 Public Discussion about the relationship between Urbanists and Urban Dwellers in Visaginas

Target group and number of persons involved

The target group are young scholars, who deal with post-socialist urban spaces in the Baltics and interested persons in Visaginas, Members of local policy, representatives of NGO’s, (approx. 60 Persons).