How do we want to live in the future? This is the question that can guide our reflections on a real-utopia for Hamburg's inner city development over the next eight decades and beyond.
How can livable urban space in Hamburg and other European cities be expanded and strengthened in the future? Which principles must apply? The questions about the future are of a global nature: The 21st century is two decades old and some of the coming challenges can already be seen today: climate change can't be overlooked, an increase in population and large movements between habitats are to be expected, the digital revolution is progressing.
The desirable city of the future offers opportunities for work, education, culture, leisure and community. The residents of such a city experience it as an extended living space, as a meeting place that needs to be cared for. With our work, we want to show how a city can evolve in to such a place. The theoretical-philosophical concept of 'HAMBURG 2100' can be applied to any other city.
In this project, we first analyze today's situation, place it in a global context and then present an idea for a city in which nature and humans live in harmony and where technology makes life easier and supports everyone. We show how this urban idea can be applied to Hamburg with three large-scale projects [ParkLane, KulturGärten & FleetWalk].
The focus of our consideration is the human being. What will high-quality living space look like in the future. In order to understand what the future may bring, we take a look into history. The transformation of nature is a constant companion of mankind, at least since the agricultural revolution. The city is an expression of this artificial change. It can serve as the focal point of the human, the intersection of the individual and society, of the permanent and the ephemeral, of global principles in a local form. In the sense of Aldo Rossi, the city is architecture - and the architectural manifestation, i.e. 'urban expression' testifies the human culture.
The future offers a wide range of opportunities to convert recognized deficiencies into new strengths. It is up to us to translate these aspirations into reality. The project invites you to imagine the world you want to live in.
The project encourages an examination of urban space. Let yourself be inspired, let your imagination wander, awaken the joy of discovery. Take what you like and what makes you happy. The best thing to do is to go on walks through your own city. You will be able to recognize the problems of today's inner cities in order to then consider for yourself whether our proposals make sense, where we are wrong or right. We have the chance to build a future worth living in. Being humble, but not discouraged, is key. We should avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, but at the same time try something new. Think for yourself what natural spaces exist in your city of the future, how people should live together and what technology will ideally surround you, so that you can peacefully, safely and full of optimism envision the future.
HAMBURG 2100 CONCEPT | This collage shows parts of the concept of the book, such as the structure of the content and theses on the topics of nature, humans and technology.
HAMBURG 2100 OVERVIEW | Three projects show how Hamburgs city center can be developed in the future. It's about showing how nature, mankind and technology are placed in a new relationship to one another within the public space. On an imaginary walk through the city, current and future urban spaces are compared with each other through the help of photographs, texts, plans, analysis and perspectives.
KRD is a designstudio that deals with architecture and art in the broadest sense. The studio was founded in October 2020 by Nicolas Kottmeier and Imanuel Rosenberg during their architecture studies in order to be able to develop their own (art) projects. Both completed their master's degree in architecture in 2021 and regard the project 'HAMBURG 2100' as their last student and first free artistic work on the way to making a contribution to sustainable architecture and city development.
