Stadtdenker

Tell me what you see! How can one create a wide platform for communicating with citizens who may never have thought about topics such as architecture, the city, or building culture before? How can one get them to adopt the viewpoint of a traveler towards their own city and to embark on a journey of discovery with a completely open mind? Is it at all possible to come to a city as an outsider and to bring new outside perspectives to its residents? How does one achieve this objective without appearing presumptuous? This book documents the model project Du siehst was, was ich nicht sehe – als Stadtdenker in Paderborn, which was carried out as part of the ExWoSt research field “Baukultur in der Praxis”. It offers cities, groups, and interested citizens a wealth of suggestions, instructions, and guidelines for surprising journeys of discovery within their supposedly familiar everyday city, with its unnoticed sights by the wayside, its hidden urban qualities, and its allegedly ugly aspects, which suddenly reveal a charm of their own upon closer observation.