CITY VISIONS 1910|2010

Berlin|Paris|London|Chicago

100 years General Urban Design Exhibition in Berlin
Allgemeine Städtebau-Ausstellung in Berlin

 

Venue: Architekturforum of Technical University Berlin

Architekturforum der TU Berlin
Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17. Juni 152, 10623 Berlin

Dates: 15 October – 10 December 2010
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 14:00-20:00, Saturday 12:00-18:00
Location: Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17  Juni 152, 10623 Berlin
Launch: 14 October 19:00

In autumn 2010, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the “General Urban Design Exhibition Berlin 1910” the Technology University of Berlin (TUB) will show the exhibition CITY VISIONS 1910|2010. The exhibition CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 is a project of the National Urban Development Policy initiative of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development as well as a contribution by TU Berlin to the Berlin Year of Science 2010. Initiators of the project are CEU Board Member Harald Bodenschatz and Hans-Dieter Nägelke (TU Berlin) in cooperation with CEU Board Chair Harald Kegler (Bauhaus University Dessau) and Wolfgang Sonne (TU Dortmund). Christina Gräwe, who has worked at the German Museum of Architecture in Frankfurt am Main and has curated the recent exhibition about Martin Elsaesser, will curate CITY VISIONS 1910|2010.

The German capital Berlin is known, today as well as 100 years ago, as a laboratory to test new visions and ways of urban design. By means of the urban design exhibition in 1910 Berlin for the first time successfully compared itself with the great metropolises in Europe and the USA. The task then was to find answers to the challenges of an ever faster growing city of the industrial age. Today, 100 years later, Berlin presents itself again with an international view. Now as a model metropolis in the post-industrial society in the context of climate change.

CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 shows Berlin as a centre of competence for urban design yesterday (1910) and today (2010). The exhibition will not only show a choice of the great plans from 1910 but present, recent and future projects of urban design for Berlin. As well as in 1910, ideas and visions of other remarkable cities will be depicted: Paris, London and Chicago.

In 1910 London was the Mecca of the garden city movement. Then the aim was to decentralise the city. In 2010 London represents itself completely differently – as model of recentralisation, of the successful renaissance of the centre.

The Paris of 1910 was mainly influenced by the great visions and plans of Eugène Hénard. The “Grand Paris” today shows signs of a new national urban development policy, the background of which is an initiative of president Sarkozy.

In Chicago the famous plan by Daniel Burnham to restructure the city that had been growing chaotically was introduced in 1909, initiated by the Commercial Club of Chicago. With the strategic
plan Chicago Metropolis 2020 the Commercial Club again presents a plan for the sustainable development of the metropolitan area. Furthermore in 2009, Chicago presents itself with exhibitions, concerts and lectures to the public for the 100th anniversary of the Burnham plan. This great plan was well received – also in the urban design exhibition in Berlin 1910.

All four cities resemble a transatlantic perspective which was of high importance in 1910 and which is once again of growing importance today. The development of cities in Europe and in the U.S. is a global issue. Not only because of the resources that are used in these agglomerations, but also because of the visionary urban design concepts that have been and will continue to be developed here.

CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 will run from 15 October – 10 December 2010 at the architecture forum in the TU Berlin at the Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Fascinating and outstanding documents and models from the collection of the Museum of Architecture of the TU Berlin will be shown along with pieces from international collections. A catalogue will be published shortly before the opening.

In cooperation with

Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung Berlin
Bezirksamt Mitte von Berlin

Partners

AIV – Architektur- und Ingenieur-Verein zu Berlin
Bauwelt
Bundesstiftung Baukultur
C.E.U. – Council for European Urbanism
DASL – Deutsche Akademie für Städtebau und Landesplanung
Design for London | London Development Agency
Deutscher Werkbund Berlin e.V.
Deutsches Architektenblatt
Foundation for the Urban Environment FFUE
GSU – Gesellschaft für Stadtgeschichte und Urbanisierungsforschung e.V
Initiative Think-Berl!n
Institut Français, Dresden
International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP)
Kompetenzzentrum Stadt und Region in Berlin-Brandenburg
SRL – Vereinigung für Stadt-, Regional- und Landesplanung
Urban Land Institute ULI Germany/Switzerland & CEE

Launch event, 14 October 19:00

Architekturforum, TU Berlin
Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17. Juni 152, 10623 Berlin

Speakers

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Woggon
Vizepräsidentin, TU Berlin

Dr. Ulrich Hatzfeld
Bundesministerium für Verkehr Bau und Stadtentwicklung (BMVBS)

Regula Lüscher
Senatsbaudirektorin von Berlin

Dr. Hans-Dieter Nägelke
Leiter des Architekturmuseums, TU Berlin

Prof. Dr. Harald Bodenschatz
Professor für Planungs- und Architektursoziologie, TU Berlin

Christina Gräwe
kuratorenwerkstatt Förster Gräwe Winkelmann