The international project “PopUpUrbanSpaces” explores alternatives to car-oriented mobility. The context: The design of public spaces—ranging from the creation of new playgrounds or attractive gathering places to street art—typically competes with everyday car traffic. One example of this is Domplatz in Bamberg, where there is hardly any quality of stay for people strolling through the area. The design of smaller open spaces, such as at Heumarkt or on the much-discussed Untere Brücke, is also likely to be of interest in the course of the project. The central focus here is on strengthening alternative forms of mobility.

The international project “PopUpUrbanSpaces” explores alternatives to car-oriented mobility. The context: The design of public spaces—ranging from the creation of new playgrounds or attractive gathering places to street art—typically competes with everyday car traffic. One example of this is Domplatz in Bamberg, where there is hardly any quality of stay for people strolling through the area. The design of smaller open spaces, such as at Heumarkt or on the much-discussed Untere Brücke, is also likely to be of interest in the course of the project. The central focus here is on strengthening alternative forms of mobility.

The “PopUpUrbanSpaces” project demonstrates to citizens in a variety of ways what alternatives there are to traveling by car and what opportunities this presents for redesigning public space. Digital formats are also planned to raise awareness of the risks associated with car-oriented urban mobility. “The goal is to raise public awareness of the opportunities that open up for urban development when people give up their cars and switch to public transit or bicycles instead,” explains Ulrike Siebenhaar, Bamberg’s Cultural Affairs Officer, regarding the city’s participation in the international project. “Cities in Austria, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia have already taken the plunge with ‘PopUpUrbanSpaces’ and achieved great results in their own urban development. We want to be part of that,” adds Siebenhaar.

The transnational focus of the Interreg project fosters the exchange of knowledge and experience among the partners and aims to achieve international visibility. An initial meeting of the participating partners took place in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, at the end of June, attended by Diana Büttner in her capacity as acting director of the Bamberg World Heritage Center. The project is supported by the Interreg program “CENTRAL EUROPE” and funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

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The official title of the project is: Facilitating Shift Towards Active Forms of Mobility by Changing the Attitude and Travel Behavior of Residents Through the Use of Green, Low-cost Tactical Urbanism and Placemaking Solutions.

For more information, visit www.interreg-central.eu/projects/PopUpUrbanSpaces/ oder www.facebook.com/popupurbanspaces.

Photo: Bamberg World Heritage Center