URBAN PASSIONATES
Geographer, Berlin
Architect and Activist, Copenhagen
Art Director, Berlin
Architect, Brussels
Architect, Berlin
Artist and Activist, Copenhagen
Filmmaker and Photographer, Berlin
Architect, Urbanist
Journalist and Human Rights Activist
Social Innovation Consultant, Copenhagen
Artist, Istanbul
Art Therapist and Human Rights Activist
Media Consultant, Berlin
Urban Development, Berlin
Architect, Berlin
Dr. Martin Schwegmann
Architect, Urbanist
I work in the realm of urbanism: That is to my definition somehow the intersection between space, society, politics and economy. I am educated as an architect and urban designer. In my PhD I explored methods of qualitative social research.
In my work (workshops, lectures, surveys, competitions, planning, philantropy) I am interested in creating a diverse and authentic city. I am convinced that the expansion of the current tool kit of planners towards an incorporation of communication (participation) and urban research is inevitable if we want to find sustainable and inclusive answers to the challenges our cities are facing today.
Currently I am program manager for "Actors of Urban Change", a pilot program by the Robert Bosch Foundation and MitOst e.V. The program aims at a sustainable urban development through culture, focussing on cross-sector collaboration and participation.
I taught at the royal danish academy of fine arts, school of architecture, art academy helsinki and university of the arts in berlin.
"Istanbul and the Grassroots?"
Civil Society Organizations, Local Politics
and Gecekondu Development download
phd supervisors: Prof. Peter Herrle, Prof. Sonja Nebel
(Habitat Unit, TU Berlin) (RWTH Aachen; GUtech, Oman)
I was coordinator of the graduate studies group of the Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies at Humboldt-University Berlin. www.graduatesstudiesgroup.blogspot.com.
I am member of the urban research group of the Georg Simmel Center, currently working on a publication on urban commons. www.urbanresearchgroup.blogspot.de
I founded urban passion in 2008
I work and live in Berlin
Peter Bjerg
Social Innovation Consultant
I'm doing and supporting democratic action inside, outside and in between the ordinary democratic institutions and expectations.
Equally I believe in good governance and spontaneous action. For a living, I coordinate workshops and facilitate network cooperation with NGOs, academic institutions, communities and businesses - (community involvement, participatory social action, CSR, social entrepreneurship, social issues in city planning and more).
I'm active in different groups working with urban development through social and creative means: SUPERTANKER (supertanker.info) and not the least URBAN PASSION (urbanpassion.org). I am founder of KBH Projekthus in Copenhagen.
I live and work in Copenhagen
www.kph-projects.dk
www.supertanker.info
peter.bjerg@urbanpassion.org
Marcus Müller-Witte
Filmmaker and Photographer
I do documentaries, animation films and corporate films.
I taught Camerawork, Editing and Television Engineering for University of Arts Berlin, L4 Institute for Digital Media Berlin, Advanced Training Academy Berlin.
Currently I work on different projects in Africa and China
I live in Berlin
www.mueller-witte.de
http://ubuntu-tanzdeslebens.blogspot.com
www.chinasmusicunderground.blogspot.com
marcus.mueller-witte@urbanpassion.org
Johanna Kuna
Architect
My work comprises the planning and design of buildings, urban structures and the spaces in-between them.
In the last years for a living I redevelop, remodel and improve stations of public transport. It is mostly about converting existing structures designated for public use. With that I design or redesign public space around transport nodal points in German cities.
Besides I have a share in urban projects and competitions with friendly architects.
I started my dissertation on "The architect's responsibility towards society".
I work and live in Berlin.
I work and live in Berlin.
johanna.kuna@urbanpassion.org
Urban Development
complizen Planungsbüro Berlin
I practice communication and urban development with complizen Planungsbüro since 2003.
We consult municipal administrations and other organizations through processes of urban change.
In cooperation with architects and landscape architects we create a dialogue with individuals and public groups.
Main topics are: sustainable strategies for structural change and shrinking in post industrial regions, leisure orientation of public and private spaces, the sportification of urban space, and contemporary culture.
Project participation: sportification, shrinking cities, International Building Exhibition (IBA) Urban Redevelopment Saxony-Anhalt 2010, Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt).
I have a degree in Business Administration and Economics.
I teach at the Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU) of the Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany
I am visiting Professor 2011 (Junior) for "Public space, urban culture and markets: Economy and innovation" at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space (SKuOR) at the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Vienna University of Technology.
www.complizen.de
tore.dobberstein@urbanpassion.org
Mads Peter Laursen
Artist and Urban Activist.
He is member of Bureau Detours.
Mads Peter works and lives in Copenhagen.
Benny Jepsen
Architect and Urban Activist.
He is member of Bureau Detours.
Benny works and lives in Copenhagen.
www.detours.biz
benny.jepsen@urbanpassion.org
Art Director
Carlos worked for different advertising agencies in Berlin. His own agency is called lhamar.
At the moment he prefers sailing.
He works and lives in Berlin
www.lhamar.com
carlos.kraeusslein@urbanpassion.org
angry Architect
works as architect in Liege for FHW architects, an office specialized in passive and energy efficient buildings
studied architecture at St Luc Liège, Belgium and at the TU/Eindhoven, the Netherlands
worked for complizen Planungsbüro
since january 2009 member of urban passion
involved in Bocal Mostard, a skater and bmx'rider collective working on urban integration for their sports
works and lives in brussels
gregoire.fettweis@urbanpassion.org
Benjamin Kohlstadt
Geographer
The focus of my work and passion lies on a variety of urban issues and their interdependence, especially on creative industries, spatial analysis, subculture, temporal use, bottom-up-strategies of urban development and city images.
I organized the urban passion micro congress 2009.
Currently I live and work in Berlin.
benjamin.kohlstadt@urbanpassion.org
Seçil Yaylali
Artist
I work on multidisciplinary projects especially on the field of participatory arts.
The long term projects are with different social groups in diverse specific locations like disadvantaged areas with immigrant youth workers (Diyarbakir, Istanbul/Turkey), psychiatric hospital with patients (Novara/Italy), informal youth centres with adolescent teenagers (Alexandria/Egypt; Berlin/Germany). In each project I try to create an environment that supports collaborative production according to the specific needs/wills of participants.
I believe that art, design and creation are everywhere and everyone has to enjoy them! I think today's contemporary art can be produced only by the participation.
I have a city planning, industrial design, and applied arts background that I try to combine in my daily practice.
I am currently working on my dissertation about "Temporary Public Art Projects in Berlin & Istanbul".
I live and work in Turin, Berlin and Istanbul
www.secilyaylali.com
www.pasajist.wordpress.com
secil.yaylali@urbanpassion.org
Yves Mikelsons-Roloff
Architect
Yves is an expert in the creation of site specific spatial and programmatic interventions. One of his main focuses lies in temporary architecture plus music which he applied in many projects e.g.
www.myspace.com/spreekind
www.architekt-mikelsons.de
www.trippingtriangle.de
Lately he is working in the field of neighbourhood management (Soldiner Straße) in Berlin working on participatory tools and activating spatial interventions.
He studied architecture at the university of the arts in Berlin. He is a member of the chamber of architects in Berlin.
Further he worked for:
DB-Bahnhofsagentur, Sauer und Gränitz Architekten, Welter+Welter Architekten, Carola Schäfers Architekten, Von Bothmer Architekten, Drees&Sommer Projektmanagement und Tisch Gerüstbau GmbH.
yves.mikelsons-roloff@urbanpassion.org
Susina Lange
Media consultant and political scientist
Susina works as editor for public and private german television (ZDF, ARD, RTL2).
She works also as a Filmmaker making cooperate movies (Verein Berliner Kaufleute und Industrielle, Rias Jugendorchester, Audi, Jugendchorakademie)
Susina is DJing and works together with Yves Mikelsons-Roloff with their event agency Tripping Triangle.
www.trippingtriangle.de
susina.lange@urbanpassion.org
Mehmet Bakir
I am a freelance journalist since 1996. My topics were initially environment, women, labor, trade unions and social policy, later I was more interested into art. My activities were diverse: research, articles, comments threads, photographing and making documentaries, interviews, presentations and organizing events and festivals was as important as writing.
Since early 2000, I have dealt mainly with the arts. Some years later I was director and chief editor of a city magazine, Gürpinar Postasi, and most recently an art magazine, Güney, in Istanbul.
Currently I live in Berlin. I am less active as journalist than before. Film, Photo and art in general are still my interest. In Berlin, I am concerned rather with the human rights work and am a member and activist of a human rights organization.
I engage in the topic "living with dignity" when dealing with slums, eviction and displacement. So that is why I am at Urban Passion.
mehmet.bakir@urbanpassion.org
Since early 2000, I have dealt mainly with the arts. Some years later I was director and chief editor of a city magazine, Gürpinar Postasi, and most recently an art magazine, Güney, in Istanbul.
Currently I live in Berlin. I am less active as journalist than before. Film, Photo and art in general are still my interest. In Berlin, I am concerned rather with the human rights work and am a member and activist of a human rights organization.
I engage in the topic "living with dignity" when dealing with slums, eviction and displacement. So that is why I am at Urban Passion.
mehmet.bakir@urbanpassion.org
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sinje.kaetsch@urbanpassion.org
Sinje Kätsch
Art Therapist and Human Rights Activist
Since 2000 I engage in social and eco-political issues in the non-parliamentary field. I come orginally from Hamburg but live and work since 2010 in Berlin. I work as a Art Therapist and I am a member and activist of a human rights organization.
sinje.kaetsch@urbanpassion.org