You may or may not have noticed but I am proud/happy to say that I have added a brand new place to 'my places' on my map! Things are looking bright for dear old me. Last week at DIS was Core Course week, where we put our brains to the test while setting sail into all parts of Europe. Lucky for me and everyone else who's hear me talk about Germany as of lately, I made it safely from V Copenhagen to Hamburg V
Core Course week is all about exploration and a deeper understanding about my program's main objectives. Given that I am studying Sustainability in Europe, last week was full of site visits and events that said to my soul, "Hey Rene, what you are doing feels so right and is so relevant." Considering Copenhagen and Hamburg as case studies, it was so incredibly magnificent using knowledge to get lost in culture. And, using culture to get lost in the city. And, using the city to get lost in knowledge. What a nice full cycle. I was pretty much at the front row seat of an incredible travelling and learning experience. Here is the run down of the highlights:
Monday Monday was all about Energy. Our class went to DONG Energy (yeah, I think the name is hilarious too), Denmark's largest energy company, to learn about their economic and corporate goals having to do specifically with large-scale off-shore wind energy. It was rather fitting because just a week prior there was a big controversy where DONG, a state-owned energy provider, sold 19% of its shares to shady multinational Goldman Sachs. Idk about my classmates, but I was at the edge of my seat. | Tuesday | Nothing makes the heart grow fonder than a tour of | the Copenhagen Harbor. There is just something | about the calming sight of water, or imagining what type | of Viking ships must have once sailed the harbor. The | tour introduced us to the different waves of urban | expansion that have taken place in the History of the | Copenhagen Harbor: from the IT Bubble to the need for | housing and the importance of open spaces; every part | has left its significant mark on the identity of the harbor | as a whole. |
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Thursday
Today was all about Germany! There are so many things to say about Germany that I am going to start by saying that I never thought I would find German to be a language that sounds good but after coming from the slurred and incomprehensible words that are Danish, German sounds so so heavenly. Ich bin in my zone. I was hitting the Danke Schön's right out of the park! Getting to Hamburg was actually quite a nice trip on its own. We boarded the train, headed south, and once we hit the water the train boarded a ferry and off we went like nothing ever happened. Here are the views from the ferry, which had the train which had me.
Today was all about Germany! There are so many things to say about Germany that I am going to start by saying that I never thought I would find German to be a language that sounds good but after coming from the slurred and incomprehensible words that are Danish, German sounds so so heavenly. Ich bin in my zone. I was hitting the Danke Schön's right out of the park! Getting to Hamburg was actually quite a nice trip on its own. We boarded the train, headed south, and once we hit the water the train boarded a ferry and off we went like nothing ever happened. Here are the views from the ferry, which had the train which had me.
I'm planning on having a different post on my impressions of Hamburg as a city but I can quickly say now that Hamburg feels like a city. Unlike Copenhagen, which is beautifully crafted and people-friendly, Hamburg is different. Not that it is a bad thing, it is just that there are people living in the city making it feel like a city: large crowds of pedestrians dominate stations, the sounds of busy cars, there are unfamilar smells, areas where the market is loud and lively, people from different backgrounds interacting with one another, the high and low rise of buildings... it felt alive! Hamburg is a colorful mix; old and new coexisting in harmony; a rhythmic pattern of streets; emphasized focal points both upward and horizontal; the energy of a thriving trade-port city; a spicy nightlife; and opulent theatrics. Combine all that with the cultural highs of Germany's social energy of beer clinging, meat eating, yodeling, and fetishist nigh-outs and you have a recipe for a good time.
However, nothing got me in contact with Hamburg more than the Bike Tour that we did of the city. We wandered down the roads of the old city, learning about its traditions, sites, and landmarks. It was beautiful and it felt like freedom. The wind sweeping through our face as we raced down the hill on our bikes. Historical harbor scenes ran past us. Here are some snaps:
However, nothing got me in contact with Hamburg more than the Bike Tour that we did of the city. We wandered down the roads of the old city, learning about its traditions, sites, and landmarks. It was beautiful and it felt like freedom. The wind sweeping through our face as we raced down the hill on our bikes. Historical harbor scenes ran past us. Here are some snaps:
Given that my class is called European Sustainable Development, part of this field study was to learn from some of the main projects in Germany regarding sustainable communities. Here are some of the places we studied.
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IBA projects in the island of Wilhelmsburg. IBA devote themselves to concentrating urban questions and urban policy challenges. Their projects include building exhibition models that experiment with alternative technologies and urban design theories that seek to bring together an under represented community of architects and planners to immigrant communities. The project aims to create closer ties between old and new parts of the city, closing social and economic gaps, which are at the core of the project. If urban development is done right, this project can show how a healthy mix of housing, incorporation of industry and emphasis on green space can consolidate a sustainable path. This is the top-down approach. | Gängeviertel community. A civic initiative launched by people from all walks of life has saved a run-down historic quarter in the centre of Hamburg from demolition. Some 200 activists moved into the twelve empty buildings; the last remains of the historic workers’ quarter that once stretched from the port right up to the new town. Ever since, they have brought the district to life with exhibitions, parties, concerts and discussion evenings – their slogan is “Komm in die Gänge” – a play on words meaning both “Come into the alleyways” and “Get things moving," showing how close community relationship can also yield positive sustainable options. This is the bottom-up approach. |
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The last day in the city we visited the both controversial and influential project of HafenCity. An area that was once warehouses and part of the free port. with the rise of the EU free trade zone and the large shipping container, the area fell to marginalized development. Now, Close to 750 architectural firms from all over the world have been participating in competitions, workshops and in realizing buildings and public spaces in HafenCity since work began in 1999 to redevelop the area. No speculation in property has been allowed. Investors and developers go through an initial 12-month tendering phase, where plans are scrutinized, before the final deal is signed. It is definitely a different type of development: luxury apartments, star architects and a waterfront promenade; a five-star hotel, a university, plenty of residential and office space and excellent public transportation. This is what I call master-planned urbanization. Everything here is perfectly aligned and thought of, and the expectations for the development are astonishing. I saw various issues, including lack of engaging public space, green washing, block after block of modern architecture that washes away any sense of history and context, proportions that are too big for the human scale, and lack of economic planning.But at the same time the goals of economic and social revitalization are on point. Regardless, since it is the largest development project in Germany, it stands out as significant and relevant.
The last day in the city we visited the both controversial and influential project of HafenCity. An area that was once warehouses and part of the free port. with the rise of the EU free trade zone and the large shipping container, the area fell to marginalized development. Now, Close to 750 architectural firms from all over the world have been participating in competitions, workshops and in realizing buildings and public spaces in HafenCity since work began in 1999 to redevelop the area. No speculation in property has been allowed. Investors and developers go through an initial 12-month tendering phase, where plans are scrutinized, before the final deal is signed. It is definitely a different type of development: luxury apartments, star architects and a waterfront promenade; a five-star hotel, a university, plenty of residential and office space and excellent public transportation. This is what I call master-planned urbanization. Everything here is perfectly aligned and thought of, and the expectations for the development are astonishing. I saw various issues, including lack of engaging public space, green washing, block after block of modern architecture that washes away any sense of history and context, proportions that are too big for the human scale, and lack of economic planning.But at the same time the goals of economic and social revitalization are on point. Regardless, since it is the largest development project in Germany, it stands out as significant and relevant.
Germany was definitely everything I wanted it to be. A lot of food. A lot of beer. and a lot of happy unfulfilled memories that will only be complete once I come back again! Which, btw, I know for a fact it will be very very soon. Once good part about the study tour too was the fact that I really got a chance to get to know most and/or all of my classmates. If at this point I was ever finding it hard to connect to people from my class, it is now gone. We played Charades in the train ride, shared questions and stories, went out together for beer extravaganzas, made inside jokes, shared smoking breaks, hanged in the Hostel room and bad, and exchanged quirky moments in the city. It was very nice.