Exploring urban utopias in monofunctional cities

Miodrag Kuč is an architect and urban planner who moves away from traditional technocratic urbanism and design approaches by using arts and culture as tools for social and urban transformation. He is associated with the Center for Arts and Urbanism (ZK/U) in Berlin, a hybrid institution combining an artistic residency, a neighbourhood centre, and an exhibition space. ZK/U—a European Cultural Foundation beneficiary—engages in various projects on different scales, from local to international.

Miodrag’s work at ZK/U focuses on urban pedagogy, cultural infrastructures and projects that explore urban heritage and cultural initiatives, particularly in post-socialist contexts. His interests lie in investigating such spaces’ architectural and cultural value, which have often been neglected or misunderstood in the German post-reunification era.

Through projects like “Knowledgescapes of Urban Utopias”, Miodrag seeks to connect fragmented cultural initiatives, foster participation, and explore post-industrial urban environments’ unique historical and social dimensions.

The “Knowledgescapes of Urban Utopias” project, launched in 2021, studies the stories and changes of two monofunctional cities: Eisenhüttenstadt in Germany and Visaginas in Lithuania. Both cities were built around a single industry—steel in Eisenhüttenstadt and nuclear energy in Visaginas—which shaped everything from jobs to daily life.

As these industries have declined, the project explores how the cities have changed, the potential utopias that can emerge today, and how transformation can be driven from the ground up. It also examines the social and economic challenges they face, such as migration and employment issues that have arisen due to their dependence on heavy industries.

Funded by the European Cultural Foundation, and working with the Museum of Utopia and Daily Life in Eisenhüttenstadt and the Laboratory of Critical Urbanism in Visaginas, the project seeks to empower local civil society and cultural leaders and encourage collaboration among them and other stakeholders. This is done by activating local cultural spaces and proposing new ideas for the future of both cities.

Starting with a general sense that something needed to change in these two cities but without a clear direction, Miodrag’s project aimed to explore and determine the future uses of abandoned spaces. The project served as a research tool to understand what the local community wanted, what it needed and what its capacity to act is. It focused on identifying new, multifunctional uses for these spaces—an abandoned school, a swimming pool, etc.—, rather than returning them to their original, single-use functions.

Through community engagement practises, the project collected new usage suggestions for the abandoned spaces the team had identified. This feedback highlighted the need for flexibility and multifunctionality in the design of these spaces, such as adapting and revitalising a whole square (Platz der Jugend) and transforming a former restaurant into a community gathering spot, or a cinema in the evenings. Ultimately, the project tried to find ways to reimagine and reactivate these old spaces better to serve the diverse needs of today’s communities.

The collaboration with the Museum of Utopia and Daily Life in Eisenhüttenstadt was critical to the project’s development and success. With a collection of 117,000 everyday objects from the German Democratic Republic (GDR), this museum attracts a diverse audience, making it a unique place where foreigners and locals can engage with the city’s history. The museum’s collection was used as a reflective tool to learn and draw parallels between different post-industrial contexts.

The museum’s staff are known for their progressive outlook and ambitious vision despite working with limited budgets. Recognising the potential of this partnership, Miodrag and the project team collaborated with the museum to expand their efforts in Eisenhüttenstadt.

The project team developed innovative methods for community engagement by using everyday objects from the museum’s collection to spark conversations. These objects, taken from the museum’s depot, served as conversation starters, allowing people who didn’t know each other to connect and share stories about the city and their lives. This approach draws from object theatre, where the objects trigger memories, discussions and narratives of the future, helping bridge gaps between different generations and backgrounds.

The project team also discovered an abandoned square near the museum, which included an old school and a small, unused swimming pool. They cleaned up the swimming pool and transformed it into a multifunctional space for community events, such as concerts, exhibitions, and even a drum and bass party. The pool area, once a place where children learned to swim, became a venue for local engagement, hosting diverse civic initiatives and projects that blurred the lines between past and present.

The space quickly became a new cultural hub, with locals using it for various activities like tango lessons, photo sessions, and club meetings. The Museum of Utopia and Daily Life also started utilising this intimate space for discussions about urban development and the future of the cultural sector. The success of these events led to further funding applications, and the project team began exploring the potential of preserving and repurposing other East German modernist heritage in the area.

The project naturally encouraged residents to envision potential futures for these areas by giving them new meanings and purposes. When people saw new uses for these spaces, like stages or gathering spots, they began proposing their own ideas and uses, even without direct prompting.

For a project-leading team from outside the cities where a project is being implemented, reaching local residents can be challenging. Miodrag and the project’s team used a comprehensive approach that combined community connections and various engagement channels:

1. Strengthening personal connections: Personal interactions played a crucial role in securing local support. Meetings with the mayor and other officials helped solidify relationships, which is critical in a small city where familiarity and personal connections hold significant weight.
   
2. Leveraging influential community figures: The project first established ties with prominent local figures who had deep roots in the community. A former museum director, whose connections spanned the city’s civil society due to the museum’s role as a cultural hub, was instrumental in facilitating critical introductions and partnerships.
   
3. Addressing local scepticism: The team carefully navigated scepticism, particularly from residents wary of external cultural players or being treated as mere subjects of study. They avoided framing the project in ways that could provoke such fears, ensuring a sensitive and respectful approach.
   
4. Collaborating with progressive and activist networks: The project partnered with local activists and progressive thinkers, including architect Martin Maleshka, who specialises in innovative spatial design, to connect with subcultural groups and other community organisations. This collaboration extended the project’s reach, notably through a youth punk centre, which helped tap into a broader audience.
   
5. Engaging through small-scale events: The project organised small, community-oriented events to gradually demonstrate its positive intentions. These gatherings provided a platform for interaction, allowing residents to see the project’s benefits firsthand and fostering a sense of inclusion.
   
6. Building trust through documentation: The team used the production of a documentary as a strategic tool to build trust within the community. This approach allowed the team to engage with locals, understand their concerns, and establish a sense of legitimacy.
   
7. Balancing intellectual and practical initiatives: The project struck a balance between intellectual discussions on urban development and practical, hands-on activities. This included organising collective cleaning events and other community actions that addressed immediate local needs and encouraged active participation.
   
8. Creating long-term impact: Through more than 50 events held in the square, the project began to shift local perceptions and the collective memory of the space. This change has sparked growing interest and increased community involvement in future developments.

Miodrag humbly acknowledges that he has learned a great deal in the three years he has been running this project. For example, he was surprised to discover that innovative and alternative thinkers are not confined to metropolitan areas like Berlin. He found that individuals in provincial towns can also possess significant creative and progressive ideas. In his particular case, this includes people involved in alternative music production, subcultural activities, and forward-thinking educators, all of whom have the potential to drive positive change in their communities.

Miodrag also learned that even in small or provincial areas, there are individuals with the potential to lead and inspire change. These include people from diverse fields who could contribute significantly if given the opportunity. The challenge is to bridge the gap between these individuals and the local political and administrative structures.

The project revealed that civil society is not merely a critical voice but can also be a catalyst for transformation. Miodrag observed a shift in the perception of local authorities and public companies, who began to see the value of engaging with and supporting civil society as a means to drive positive change, rather than just a source of criticism.

Miodrag noted that local politics can often be dominated by mediocrity or conservative thinking, which may limit progress. However, there is a growing recognition that engaging with innovative community members can benefit the city. This shift is leading to more constructive dialogue and openness to new ideas.

While Miodrag is not focusing on rigid future plans, he envisions a long-term trajectory for the project, extending potentially over the next decade. The project’s future will evolve based on factors such as the development of its community and the funding available.

Miodrag acknowledges that some of his project’s aspirations may seem utopian, but he remains motivated by the tangible progress and results achieved so far, which include an increase in local engagement and enthusiasm around new uses for the many abandoned places in these cities, the development of a more active urban society, inspiring a vision for the future and increased media attention on these cities and the project itself. This balance between dreaming and practical accomplishments fuels his continued commitment to the project.

Information about Knowledgescapes of Urban Utopias
Project Auf den Platz, Fertig, LOS!
Article about Hotel Lunik (in German)
Knowledgescapes of Urban Utopias project continuation
Knowledgescapes of Urban Utopias Instagram

Written by Jose Rodriguez
Fact checked by Miodrag Kuč
Photos by Martin Maleschka, Dina Boswank, Reinder Wijnveld, Nabil Farag and Elisa Georgi