Day 1: Chemnitz, November 7th
Berlin Conference 2021: Europe Bottom-Up!
Kicking off the day in Chemnitz, Mayor Ralph Burghart introduced the city with its complex history full of fractures and challenges. In the presentation of both European Capitals of Culture cities 2025, two topics were brought to attention: on the one side Chemnitz, where ECoC 2025 is a chance to put the city on the map but also to create reference values for policy makers by adopting new policies for the city´s society; on the other side Nova Gorica, where the ECoC 2025 programme is based on the city’s cross-border position and the potential to create a new space for dialogue and interaction.
In the following discussion several important points were made:
→ There is a change in the concept of ECoC towards going more into rural areas (with Bad Ischl being the first city from a rural region that received the title for 2024) as well as the fact that cities no longer want to showcase their existing cultural highlights but also want to use the chance of becoming ECoC to steer towards an intended development in the city (be it culture, mobility, sustainability or another field of city development). This is an interesting next step and the initiative for it it’s an example for a bottom-up contribution.
→ The ECoC potential is visible as a tool, which can help push development in cities and regions and raise awareness on diverse topics. But according to Carolin Hochleichter and Lene Wagner this concept also needs innovation — through sharing the learning experience between cities who have applied for this title, new ideas of possible recalibration arise: it would, for example, contribute more to the long-term sustainable cultural development if the Plan B for cities that did not receive the title had been Plan A from the very beginning. Instead of a competition with one winner, ECoC could be awarded for initiating certain processes in the city population and for committing to certain principles and goals.
→ Peripheral areas are inherently connected with issues such as missing infrastructure, civic engagement, and cultural spaces, but they also have a lot of advantages, such as close communities and engagement when dealing with problems on a local level. Moreover, since peripheries in comparison to big cities make the most of the territory and are home to the majority of Europe’s citizens, they also have the power to determine our society and decide about its direction. Most of the big cities are places where more liberal and progressive politics are being practised, but the fate of Europa is being decided in its periphery. Therefore, it is essential to involve the people living in these areas in the discussion and to get their input on topics concerning Europe.
→ There must be a communication between bottom-up and top-down. It is not enough to have initiatives coming from the communities, which cannot get any funding or are not being carried on to a higher level. Common experience is that this process needs to be done from both sides and top-down and bottom-up action need to be harmonized. E.g. when making a decision on a political level it is important to create opportunities and involve communities in the discussion and take their contribution and ideas for a new concept of the city into consideration. These inputs from the citizens must be taken seriously and included in the decision-making policies also on the European level, a task assigned to the attending Members of the European Parliament.
The “Europe Bottom-Up” conference day in Chemnitz ended with a visit to the Garagen-Campus ECoC project and a dinner hosted by Mayor Sven Schulze.
