Interventions in public space, bike tours, walks hartera-kvartera (local board)

Hartera ©Nina Majcan Šprajc

27 June, Project start: introducing the Dictionary of Collective Action and bike tour

Rijeka

Within the framework of Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture

In 2020, under the motto „Port of Diversity“, the Croatian city of Rijeka bears the title of European Capital of Culture (ECC). Within the framework of the ECC programme strand „Sweet and Salt“, the Centre for Art and Urbanistics from Berlin (ZK/U Berlin), the international network CityToolbox, the Rijeka NGO Urbani separe, the University of Rijeka, the Centre for Urban Transition, Architecture and Urban Planning – DeltaLab and the Goethe-Institut Kroatien are jointly managing a project meant to contribute to connecting the people, places and existing narratives in Rijeka's neighbourhoods of Školjić and Sušak.
The LB (Local Board) HARTERA=kvARTera is a community development project which tries to spur discussions on the future of the post-industrial remains of the Hartera paper factory and the area of Vodovodna Street and Ružićeva Street along the canyon of River Rječina. In addition to this, the project's goal is to emphasize the historical importance of these neighbourhoods and explore the potential for participatory development in the area, both in connection to its artistic production and its social and urban identity. The project explores various scenarios of development based on the idea of collective action, the activation of public space and neighbourhood solidarity.
The initiative for the rejuvenation and citizens' governance of the area of the Rječina Canyon beside the Hartera factory started in 2019. Thanks to the initiative, the public space of Hartera has been awarded to the Department of Culture of the City of Rijeka, which has delegated part of its management to interested NGOs and groups of citizens. Naš list The cover of the programme brochure of the Goethe-Institut Kroatien for February and March 2020: the visual identity has been inspired by the cover of „Our Paper” (i.e. „Naš list“), the fanzine of the Rijeka Paper Factory Hartera, dating from 1990. The first edition of „Our Paper” was published in 1961. Its textual content was produced by the factory workers until 1992, when the final 303rd edition was released. The rights to use the cover have been provided by the Maritime and Historical Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka. | ©Marin Nižić, Kombinat
The selected micro-locations along the Rječina River have been conceptually grouped in the project around the idea of a collectively built dictionary, where each individual “letter” represents the lesser known historical facts and local challenges – e.g. the letter “D” raises questions about deindustrialization. New forms of cooperation are being created around these challenges, new questions asked and discussions started. Much like the network of partners in the project, the Dictionary can gradually be expanded, in pursuit of the long-term goal of bringing together a critical mass of active citizens by the end of 2020, who could then continue developing the programme in 2021 and 2022.
In response to the cycling trend which has been taking on in Rijeka during the COVID-19 pandemic, a circular educational cycling route is being developed within the zone encompassed by the Dictionary of Collective Action.
The project also aims towards the development of a new political culture through cooperation with citizens and the preparation of uncommon forms of parliamentary discussion, formats for knowledge exchange, sporting events and guided tours which position Hartera as a future social and cultural centre.
A series of local partners takes part in the project by contributing to mini-initiatives included in it:
The Kortil Gallery (Kortil Live) of the Croatian Cultural Centre on Sušak, the Kvarner Skateboard Club, the Kombinat Creative Collective, the Beekeepers Association “Milutin Barač”, the Alliance of Associations Molekula (RiUse Centre), the Rijeka Transitional Initiative, the Café Skradin and Radio Roža.
Kvartera uses the methodology of the international network Citytoolbox, an educational platform which encourages citizens in local communities to take on an active role in the transformation of their cities by offering practical know-how in the form of tested tools and by facilitating knowledge exchange.
 


 

Back