The IBA/igs Dialoque with Citizens 

IBA Hamburg GmbH and the company operating the international garden show, igs 2013 gmbh, would like to meet local citizens on a regular basis for talks about their aims and projects. The Dialogue with Citizens events in Wilhelmsburg Bürgerhaus community centre at the heart of the Elbe islands provide an excellent platform.                                                               
IBA Hamburg is adopting the island’s fine tradition of dialogue which manifests, for example, in Wilhelmsburg’s longstanding participation process that is publicly supported and serves as a model for other parts of the country; it also shows in the numerous private and charitable initiatives and associations which have long been involved in the debate about the future of the Elbe island. In March 2007 some 250 men and women responded to the open invitation to the first event in the Dialogue with the Citizens series. At this meeting igs 2013 and IBA Hamburg presented an initial overview of their plans for the district. Now Dialogue with the Citizens meetings concentrate more on a personal exchange of views than on presentations. On 5 March 2008, for example, five different workshop events to “share thoughts, opinions and ideas” were held to discuss a number of current issues: what sports and exercise facilities will be available in and around the new igs park? Will there be new solutions for Wilhelmsburg’s traffic problems? What will the park offer residents when the garden show of 2013 is over? Wilhelmsburg will be more attractive, greener, more pleasant – but will it still be affordable? Does Wilhelmsburg need more space for arts and culture? Following the introduction in the large hall of the Bürgerhaus, the participants dispersed to smaller groups in order to discuss the projects suggested by the two companies and the citizens themselves in one of several workshops on different topics. In future igs 2013 gmbh and IBA Hamburg will invite the local residents to a Dialogue event twice a year. And if someone is only looking for information, both companies have liaison staff available.