Seminar SoSe 2026
Dr. Moritz Ahlert

Kiosk of Solidarity IV
Collective Urban Practice in Contested Public Space

The Kiosk of Solidarity is an urban practice format that intervenes in the contested social fields of work, health, and housing in Berlin. Since 2023, more than 30 solidarity-based initiatives have activated the kiosk over 50 times at locations in Berlin and beyond. It began as a spin-off of the Transforming Solidarities research project and has operated autonomously since 2024 within the Constructlab e.V. network. Through diverse formats, the kiosk brings together neighbors, activists, and other participants, temporarily transferring solidarity practices into public space. It creates visibility for marginalized groups (e.g., migrants, refugees, queer communities, people affected by addiction, and unhoused people) and connects them with other initiatives. Thus, the kiosk is solidarity-based space for encounter, protest, appropriation, mutual support, and participation in public space. Together with students from TU Berlin, the project team supports initiatives in realizing their kiosk ideas: designing posters, applying for permits, logistics, documentation, and financing.

In 2026, the Kiosk of Solidarity (with the social designer Felix Egle) is part of the World Design Capital 26 program in Frankfurt am Main, collaborating with initiatives around the Bahnhofsviertel district. Seminar participants will co-produce kiosk formats with local initiatives in Berlin and Frankfurt.

Seminar readings introduce debates on solidarity in urban studies and the social sciences. Participants also reflect on the spatial and social impact of the kiosk. 

Funded by TD-Lab – Laboratory for Transdisciplinary Research of the Berlin University Alliance.

More info: kioskofsolidarity.net

Photo: © Monika Keiler

Download poster here.