Seminar SoSe 2022
Dr. Juliana Canedo, Dr. Hassan Elmouelhi, Prof. Dr. Elke Beyer, Prof. Anke Hagemann

Integration Through Collaboration

Transforming Spaces and Practices

The seminar focuses on the integration of refugees living in refugee shelters in the city of Berlin considering the push and pull factors regarding space and governance. By working with real and complex cases, and getting in close contact with real relevant stakeholders, the seminar intends to promote a transdisciplinar debate, encouraging the students to develop a critical and propositive reflection on the integrative and co-productive role of city-building professionals by developing scenarios towards the transformation of the current situation.

The seminar combines theoretical inputs related to topics including the right to the city, housing vs. shelter, integration of vulnerable groups, insurgent planning, social space, cultural barriers, and conflicts resolution with practical activities involving applying collaborative design and participatory research tools.

The Seminar is part of the research project “Building Refugees Integration through urban development and social work” (BRICK), funded by DAAD 2021& 2022, coordinated by Dr. Hassan Elmouelhi, and the research project “Beyond the Shelter: understanding limits and potentialities between emergence and endurance in refugee shelters in Berlin” funded by DFG 2020-2023, led by Dr. Juliana Canedo.

Integrated to the seminar, two workshops will be offered this semester: the workshop ”Integration through collaboration: Public space in Palestinian Refugee camps”  will be held in Jordan in May, and the Summer School “Collaborative design methods: building communities through spatial intervention” will happen in Berlin in September. Although it is not mandatory to participate in these workshops as part of the seminar program, the activities are connected, and we encourage students who are interested in joining the seminar to also consider participating in one or the two workshops.

Photo: © Juliana Canedo