In Gottsbüren, a village of around 900 inhabitants that is part of the small town Trendelburg situated near Kassel (Germany), about one fourth of all houses are vacant or occupied by senior citizens. The houses are old and partly also in need of renovation. Many inhabitants fondly remember the time when Gottsbüren was a bustling settlement. Sometimes nostalgia of the “good old times” is conservative in nature. But this history offers the possibility of research in a context of hypermodernity. What things about the past were actually good; what has been lost—perhaps by accident; what can be repaired or reinterpreted and implemented in our contemporary society? For this purpose, students of space&designstrategies redefine our capitalist society; the objective is not to maximise profit, but to create pockets of freedom for the inhabitants. Planning thus rather becomes non-planning. Above all, the village needs space to rethink its present, room for improvisation and intuition about how to deal with the current situation. For one month, the students occupied some vacant houses, infusing them with new life. They presented their findings at the 2nd Centennial Gottsbüren. Project leader: Univ.Prof. Ton Matton
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