Multicultural Public Spaces

The IBA's focus on multicultural urban communities extends beyond educational concerns. It addresses the question of how to configure public spaces in such a way that they appeal to different cultures and ethnic groups in equal measure. This is the prime concern of the IBA's cross-cutting Multicultural Public Spaces project.


From squares to waterside paths, schools to bus stops, public spaces belong to everyone. By this token, everyone should feel equally at home when making use of them. People of different ethnic groups and cultures, however, often have very distinct ideas as to how shared spaces and buildings should function. How loud, how lively, how discreet, how functional, and how flamboyant should these major areas and spaces of the city be? Which rules should apply to them? Which style, colours, dimensions, and proportions should prevail? Depending on one's cultural background, views on such matters may differ greatly. Everyone, though, has an equal right to participate in public urban life.

The IBA Hamburg has set itself the key goal of creating public spaces that cater to a wide range of cultural backgrounds and different outlooks on life. As this approach has a bearing on the whole island, the concept of multicultural spaces has been raised to the level of a cross-cutting project. Many locations and forums covered by the IBA are now looking at how to implement this idea, and collaboration with the international garden show Hamburg igs 2013 is being explicitly sought in this field. The first project to be jointly implemented by both parties will be a "multi-purpose trail" - a circular route around the Elbe islands that can be used by cyclists, inline skaters, runners, and walkers.