Summaery 2014

Car Culture Cities

Fakultät: Architektur und Urbanistik, Studiengang: European Urban Studies (M.Sc.)

For decades the idea of the car-friendly city dominated urban planning. It can be observed that since a couple of years new models of urban mobility are coming up. Cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen show the world how car traffic can be reduced and quality of living be improved. In Germany it is different. When it comes to change in urban mobility, the world wide renowned country of car-production is lagging behind. Germany’s prosperity is largely based on its well performing car industry. But that alone does not explain why it is so hard for Germans to give up on their car, at least a little bit. Why are we so much in love with cars? – Because cars are just great. They are the latest in technical achievements, they are convenient, they are strong and fast, they are cool, they give you privacy and protection. Walking, cycling or public transport can only have a chance, if we understand what we are competing with. That is why in this seminar we will look at movies, at advertisements, at photography, at architecture and urban structures to find out how cars became one of our most desired objects of cultural history and how car culture shaped our cities.