An alternative development proposal has been made for the abandoned brown zone of the Hernád bank in Košice. The Spolka group in Košice organized the interdisciplinary summer university in which Valyo was the Hungarian partner. From history and perception-based mapping of the area, the process progressed to the creation of a utopia, with the help of several international experts.
In contemporary urban dialogues, cities are considered an ever-growing structure, where the solution is the usual directions of development, from unemployment to climate change. In post-socialist European cities with declining populations, we dream of huge investments in large, abandoned brownfields. Alternative uses for these areas are rarely planned, and are quickly swept off the table. A Spolka group of architects, sociologists and anthropologists from Košice organized a ten-day camp to map such an area with contemporary tools (storytelling, sound mapping, body and emotion mapping) and shape its vision.
Photos: Poppy Illsley
