Paper short abstract:

The presentation seeks to analyze diverse approaches to urban development in Nuremberg. It will focus on negotiations between a group of creative residents of the former warehouse Quelle and the city administration as well as on the challenges the stakeholders are facing.

Paper long abstract:

This thesis investigates urban development in the Western part of Nuremberg, an area severely hit by structural change. Formerly home of various industrial businesses, the area is now facing decline with a concurrent struggle over new identities and uses. Located in this area is the former warehouse "Quelle", a global player of retail sale in post war Germany. Having gone bankrupt in 2009, the empty building, being the second largest vacancy in Germany, has been temporarily used by a heterogeneous group of local artists/activists until 2015, when the complex was sold to an international investor. The artists have launched a series of 'attention-raising' events, such as expositions and congresses about the lack of creative space in Nuremberg. These have led to continuing negotiations between the artists, the city management and the investor. This debate is further exacerbated by statements regarding monument conservation, the iconic architecture of the warehouse building and the cities' application to become European Capital of Culture in 2025.

This thesis aims to analyze the process of restoration and reinterpretation of the building through alternative narratives. The following questions are addressed: How do the two stakeholders perceive the building's potentials and risks? How is the creation of a public discourse on creative space achieved by the two sides? How do the allegedly diverse understandings of urban development build the basis for 'attention-raising' events and affect negotiations?