The Köln International School of Design, the Faculty of Informatics and Design of the Cape Peninsula University and Formula D interactive cooperate on an international design project investigating the effect of gentrification in Neukölln, Berlin and Cape Town, The Fringe.
The Köln International School of Design, the Faculty of Informatics and Design of the Cape Peninsula University and Formula D interactive cooperate on an international design project investigating the effect of gentrification in Neukölln, Berlin and Cape Town, The Fringe.
A UN report predicts that 4.9 billion world citizens will be living in cities by 2030. As an immediate effect of this massive growth, cities are changing rapidly. But urban renewal and innovation is not always in favour of its residents. Upgrades of suburbs and neighbourhoods often lead to higher rents forcing residents and entire communities to leave their homes, a development which irreversibly transforms the social-economical and cultural fabric of an area. This negative impact is called Gentrification. Often the catalysts of urban renewal, designers and other creatives play a major role in this development. An international project we will investigate the situation of 2 urban neighbourhoods in 2 cities across 2 continents. The Fringe is an area of Cape Town which currently undergoes a government-supported renewal programme. The other area is „Neukölln“ in the south-central part of Berlin, an area with a high percentage of immigrants and working class citizens. Both areas are unique in their history, population and challenges. Both are facing the advent of gentrification. After getting familiar with the theory of gentrification, the role of the creative industries in the process, and the history of the Fringe and Neukölln, the international project team will do field research to describe and compare the current situation of both places. In the fourth part of the project the designers will develop urban renewal and change strategies to avert the negative impact of gentrification.
The project leaders at the partner institutions are:
Prof. Mugendi M’Rithaa (CPUT Design)
Prof. Oliver Baron (KISD)
Michael Wolf (KISD)
