Stuttgart Reflections: A City in Transit(ion)
Our trip to Stuttgart was our first stop in Germany and as a visitor, the city stood out to me as a place that was figuring out its 21st century identity amidst the climate crisis and it being a “car” city. Much of this was laid out in our very first lecture in which Stuttgart’s head urban planner, Thorsten Donn, gave us a thorough run down of where Stuttgart is now, and where it needs to go. I found his presentation interesting as he noted his department’s desire to reduce parking spots further and implement greener climate initiatives such as green train tracks and roof gardens. Something that was very different from urban planning in the US was that Mr. Donn discussed the consideration of endangered animals and those whose habitats would be destroyed by development. Instead of disregarding their habitats, as planners might in US cities, Stuttgart planned to move the animals to nature preserves carved out of the city for these animals.
After this talk, I looked at Stuttgart in a new light. I looked out for roofs covered in solar panels and noted the congestion our train back from Tübingen experienced. There was greenspace by the city’s center and along our train route, but compared to Tübingen, there seemed to be more of a conflict between industrial space and public or green space. On our tour of Stuttgart, I noticed how much of the city’s central marketplace was covered in stone and was filled with commercial business. As a whole, Stuttgart came across as a more American city, steeped in capitalism and struggling to center green initiatives. Tübingen, on the other hand, seemed to understand and value their green spaces, especially those with historical value. When touring the French Quarter with our amazing tour guide, Gabrielle, it seemed as though people sacrificed cars and other high-tech city elements for communal living with green spaces, gardens, and community values. To me, the French Quarter seemed like a sustainable paradise with cows roaming in the background and rooftop herb gardens.
Upon reflection, Stuttgart seemed to be a city with many different values and pockets. At Impact Hub, there seemed to be young people and post-graduate students looking for different spaces within the modern workplace which was interesting, while other energy and money was devoted to Stuttgart 21, an extensive railway project. As Germany’s zeroes in on its Climate goals, Stuttgart may be forced to let go of its dedication to cars and redefine its goals.
