Mayor honours creative contribution to urban development

The opening of the exhibition was accompanied by mayor Annekathrin Hoppe, who emphasised the commitment of the students and the project management in her speech. She emphasised the need for creative and courageous impulses for the further development of Schwedt as a location worth living in and praised the exhibition as an important contribution to public discourse. Her speech was both an invitation and an appreciation - to a generation that has the courage to rethink the city.

Prof Dr Silvia Malcovati, who is managing the project together with Vivien Nowak, M.A., placed the project in a larger urban planning and social context. In particular, she emphasised the "potential of the unfinished" and the relevance of integrated urban redevelopment that takes both spatial and social aspects into account.

Vivien Nowak, project manager and editor of the accompanying exhibition brochure, then led the audience through the programme. The exhibition brochure, which she curated and edited together with Prof Malcovati, was presented for the first time at the vernissage. It not only documents the designs on display, but also frames them theoretically and methodically - with texts on the project structure, background and reflections on urban development, student teaching and cooperative planning practice.

Lively exchange

The students presented their work in person - including concepts for the Bahnhofsquartier, Platz der Befreiung, Alter Markt and the vision of an innovation campus at the interface of education and industry.

The guests - including representatives from administration, culture, education, civil society and the general public - took the opportunity to engage in lively dialogue with the young planners. The evening turned into a lively exchange about the challenges and opportunities of a city undergoing structural change.

The positive response to the opening showed that the combination of research, teaching and local dialogue is having an impact.

Exhibition open until the 18^th of July 2025 - finissage

The exhibition "Schwedt/Oder. Urban Redevelopment and Development Perspectives" can be seen in the foyer of Schwedt/Oder town hall until the 18^th of July 2025. It is aimed at all interested citizens, experts and decision-makers and invites them to engage with issues of urban development, sustainability, mobility and participation.

At the end of the exhibition, the finissage on the 18^th of July from 10.30 am. will once again invite dialogue. There are plans for impulses, discussions with the project participants and a joint look ahead: What will become of the ideas? Where is the potential for further collaboration?

About the project

The exhibition is the result of a two-semester teaching and research project in the Architecture and Urban Design degree programme at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. In the winter semester 2023/24, the focus was on the idea of an innovation campus in Schwedt, while in the winter semester 2024/25, central inner-city spaces were rethought in terms of planning.

The project was conceived and managed by Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati and Vivien Nowak, M.A. It was developed in close collaboration with local partners - including the Schwedt city administration, the city museum, the city archive, the PCK refinery and committed citizens from the region.

The exhibition was made possible by funding from the InNoWest Transfer Fund and the support of the Schwedt | Uckermark Presence Centre.

• Flyer zur Ausstellung "Schwedt an der Oder. Stadtumbau und Entwicklungsperspektiven" (PDF, 638.66 KB)