Projektwerkstatt WiSe 2024/25
Simten Önen, Ioanna Protopapadaki

Borders in Transition
Landscapes of conflict, connection & change

The Projektwerkstatt explores the concept of borders, examining their historical, sociopolitical, and environmental dimensions, with a focus on their implications for space. It delves into the complexities of borders as both physical and symbolic constructs, as separating and connecting elements, shaping urban and rural landscapes, identities, and power dynamics. While globalization is changing how we define boundaries by imposing new connections and promoting the interflow of people and goods, border territories are under constant change regarding policies, land use, infrastructure, services, political conflict, pandemics, war, capital interests, and more.

Photo © Protopapadaki, Önen

As a result, cities and towns located in or near border territories often accommodate conflicts and contradictions that are reflected in their landscapes in various ways. Furthermore, as contemporary borders adapt to globalized networks, their influence extends beyond traditional linear boundaries to include various types of spatialities, such as airports, marine ports, and refugee camps. These spaces function as critical nodes in the global network and illustrate how borders are now dynamic zones rather than just lines on a map.

In this context, we will particularly focus on exploring border landscapes through two major and continuous drivers of change: migration flows and tourism. While these two drivers imply often contrasting ways of people and goods traveling, their simultaneous existence poses socio-spatial, political, and economic challenges to cities and towns located in border regions. Throughout the course of the seminar, we will create a collective space for discussion and exchange, and work on different case studies. Students are encouraged to propose their own sub-topics and methods for the creation of diverse projects by the end of the semester.

Download poster here.