Pre-enactments as cultural methodologies for future knowledge production - Lecture Series "Urban Future-making"

Prof. Dr. Hanna Göbel

What if? Pre-enactments as cultural methodologies for future knowledge production

Over the course of the last decade, urban experimentations about sustainable futures have become a common method of knowledge production in the practices of planners, think tanks, agencies, architects, and urban designers. Especially in the context of tech developments and ‘smart city’-related activities, solutionist-oriented formats dominate the field, aiming at a time-efficient production of specific artefacts, such as pilots, prototypes, or related outcomes. These artefacts and the accompanying formats often provide a controlled experimental field in the urban realm, intending to literally test the envisioned future though remaining under the control of those who have set up these activities and artefacts. They last until the next experiment is about to come.