Author Description

One night, in 2012, the tenants' initiative Kotti & Co built a gecekondu (an informal dwelling built overnight) at Kottbusser Tor in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In conjunction with wide-ranging protest actions, the initiative formed itself into the main venue for negotiating new rent and urban development policies and for tackling issues relating to migration, racism, and poverty. The book documents the history of this social protest and the central role played by Kotti & Co. Within the context of the Wohnungsfrage project, Kotti & Co have teamed up with architect Teddy Cruz and political scientist Fonna Forman to develop a socio-spatial model that draws a connection between housing issues in Berlin and the informal design practices found in the Mexican border town of Tijuana. This is a 2-volume set. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin) project Wohnungsfrage investigates the fraught relationship between architecture, housing, and social reality in an exhibition of experimental housing models, an international academy, and a publication series that examines various options for self-determined, social and affordable housing. This publication series presents key historical works accompanied by new commentaries, contemporary case studies from around the world, and publications by activists concerned with urban policy issues, architects, and artists.