Demo:Polis

DEMO:POLIS is a sociological and urbanist research undertaking comprehensively examining what ‘public space’ means today. After two decades of appropriation of the internet’s anonymous, virtual public space, people are once again taking to streets and squares for their concern. Public space today is no longer merely a large square in the heart of town: it is traffic hub, advertising medium, multi-functional space, or simply a place to hang out. It can be a combat zone for various interest groups at one time and a place for individual self-projection and collective experience another time, but also a strong manifestation of social segregation and neglect. The DEMO:POLIS project has resulted in this new book. It features a vast range of exemplary public spaces and presents controversial artistic and urban design interventions that demonstrate protests against and criticisms of the status quo. Richly illustrated, it also presents various artistic and scientific approaches and working principles, offering manifold design options for the public space. The book is published to coincide with an exhibition at Berlin’s Akademie der Künste in spring 2016.