YOUTOPIA – Experience City Visions
Duration
14 July 2023 – 22 October 2023
Location
Turm zur Katz, Konstanz
participants
University of Konstanz, HTWG Konstanz, Trossingen University of Music
How could (y)our ideal city look – yesterday, today, and in the future? This is the question explored by the interactive exhibition “YOUTOPIA – Experience City Visions.” The different perspectives on utopian city concepts are meant to inspire the audience to reflect on their own future utopia and to design it virtually in the top floor “YOUTOPIA.”
In 1950, two and a half billion people lived on Earth. Since November 2022, it has been eight billion. Together with increasing urbanization, this enormous population growth, combined with climate change, presents urban planning with a series of structural and social challenges. What could cities look like that provide solutions to social, political, societal, and ecological challenges? Is such an ideal city even possible?
Since antiquity, humans have been designing utopias and ideal cities to best respond to the issues and problems of their time and to develop approaches for solutions. Behind each of these “ideal” city plans is a specific vision of how society should be structured, the role of power and politics, and the most important functions of a city. How have utopian ideas evolved over time? What intentions lie behind each design, and which aspects can we apply to the present to address current and future challenges? The idea of the exhibition is to guide visitors step by step toward their personal “YOUTOPIA,” their individual city of the future.
History
Computer Science
Communication Design
Music Design
Room 1: Utopias of the City
On the ground floor, characteristic short films present a selection of city utopias. Supported with information about the minds behind the visions and the structure of the cities, visitors are provided with a knowledge base on which the next three floors can build. The utopias of Cité Industrielle, EPCOT, Auroville, Letchworth, and Songdo address different time-specific problems and their solutions.
Room 2: Geometry as a Basis
To establish a new order in the world, geometric basic shapes have often been and continue to be used. As a central element of planning design, geometric figures are imbued with the idea that the beauty and regularity of form also bring clarity to the order of social life. On four walls, historical ideal city plans based on lines, grids, stars, and circles are presented. Visitors are invited to explore the diversity of geometric city design and to consider which form they can imagine for their own Youtopia.
Room 3: Human in Focus
Cities are planned by people and for people. Many factors influence how society develops within a city. The distribution of public space and access to housing and nature play a role, as do the demands for participation and safety. Questions about the organization of ideal societies have always concerned urban planners and continue to be constantly renegotiated today. They shape the city and the way communal life unfolds.
Room 4: Visions of Youtopia
Welcome to Youtopia. On this floor, visitors can immerse themselves in, experience, and transform their very own personal cities in a variety of ways. What is your Youtopia? Green cities, industrial metropolises, or a city where humans are at the center. Each utopia is unique and personal, and everyone answers these questions individually.
