Urban Interventions Košice 2011

After Prague, Brno and Bratislava now Košice is hosting a modern, so much needed project that is challenging architects, artists, activists or any citizen to propose new ideas on how to improve quality of urban life. Sixty-four works are the result of this effort, some of them are megalomanic and some are inexpensive and very real to bring into practice.

The project is alive due to the collaboration with the architecture studio Atrium and the financial support of Ministry of culture. The output of the initiative is a book with all authors interventions, aiming to become a new creative manual and map for the city Košice 2011 (with slovak, english and french description). The vernissage and the exhibition of all works  took place a few weeks ago. Now people have the possibility to vote online for the most popular project that should be realized by the municipality. Or maybe more of them?

The intersection of concerns is definitely the need for more green areas and leisure spaces in our town. Some projects were orientated on the possible use of panel block roofs, as a garden, cinema, swimming pool, event place or atelier. Another group of architects is calling for missing bicycle lines. A mill race, that used to be filled with water and swimming ducks is empty and unused for many years, now it is a hot candidate to win public election for the best intervention.

One of the practical solutions is a boulder wall for climbing, situated under the bridge with using of 

existing poles. It is covered by a road, so it could be active all year long, protected from rain and snow. A project with more historical value represents the light effect for unfinished southern tower of St. Elisabeth cathedral, a dominant element in the city panorama.

Continuing with the history there is another project asking for attention, a sculpture of city coat of arms. Documents prove that it is the oldest in Europe. However, the sculpture is almost hidden in the park, thus the project demands for more representative space or even the own square for such important symbol.

There were students as well as eighty year old men working in Urban Interventions. The most expensive project could cost one billion Euro, the cheapest around 200 Euro (photo at the top). I wish that most of the projects could be realised in near future and make our town even more beautiful as it already is. 

 

All projects at the website of the project organizer UzemnePlany.sk (after click on project name scroll down for english).