Urban Plants of Braunschweig

“He has a need to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, and the need to gather these perceptions in a ‘world’.” (Lefebvre, Writing on Cities, 147)

The urban environment is a key habitat for both humans and plant species. People interact with plants in various spaces, whether consciously or not. These spaces could be a garden, a park, a cemetery, by the river, along the sidewalk, on front steps, or cracks in facades.

In gardens, people cultivate and harvest. In parks, they forage and relax. People step gently through fallen leaves and place bouquets. They sense the changing seasons or recall pieces of their past through the trees, flowers, and grass.

Facing climate breakdown and increasing urban migration, people confront food shortages, cultural displacement, family alienation, nostalgia, and other pressures on survival. How can these interactions between people and plants contribute to addressing these crises? What challenges or obstacles lie ahead for these interactions?

In the summer semester of 2026, this SQ/PRO invites you to explore the scattered spaces in Braunschweig where people and plants coexist, fostering meaningful connections. Through observation, interviews, mapping, walking, and other critical methods, we will examine these spaces, the people who engage with them, how interactions in these spaces bring people together, and how they can contribute to addressing manifold challenges.

The course will connect to events of the mobile kitchen (MOCHI) and the Climate Garden on Nordcampus, both linked to the OpenCultures project.

The final submission will be compiled into a booklet.