Selected Projects
Stuttgart is disconnected from its river. The Neckar, an active shipping route, barely appears in the city’s image. Instead, the river is bordered by industrial infrastructure, making it difficult to access. Additionally, a strict bathing ban prevents people from entering the water altogether.
As the climate crisis intensifies, it becomes increasingly urgent to build a new relationship with the river and collectively care for our natural resources. To help spark this transition, we activated a small concrete island in Bad Cannstatt—the Neckarinsel—and designed two interconnected elements.
First, we created a physical space where we can collectively explore our connection to the river and learn about the value of biodiversity alongside local residents. Second, we developed a carefully curated program that invites diverse users to actively engage with the island and discover its potential.
Although the island is not officially a public space, it offers a rare opportunity: a place where people can gather and learn together.
My tasks ranged from improving accessibility and co-developing the program to organizing sponsorships and material donations. However, the main focus was on the on-site building process. As an employee of Agency Apéro, I was particularly interested in creating a transparent process in which everyone could contribute as they saw fit. Together with the volunteers, I co-designed and co-created the research station. Together, we built a platform and modified two shipping containers—one for storage and the other a multifunctional space providing power, lighting, tables, and chairs. This formed the base for a place where different programs could come together.
Since summer 2023, a closed-loop water cycle has been in place at the base of the research station, starting with a rooftop constructed wetland. The goal is to create a purification system to provide on-site access to water and transform the station into a living lab—an open, experimental model for decentralized resource use and river-based infrastructure.
These spatial elements are accompanied by a program built around knowledge sharing. The program offers activities such as island walks to explore biodiversity, as well as more informal experiences that allow people to connect with the river through direct, embodied interaction rather than top-down instruction. Activities such as sunbathing and participating in the critical nass—a collective paddle that challenges the swimming ban and advocates for access to the river—make the water feel tangible and personally relevant for people who are actively interested in learning as well as for those who learn through experience.
Although my part in the project was more action-driven than grounded in formal academic research, it revealed the importance of creating spaces where people can directly experience ecological systems. Additionally, it demonstrated the transformative potential of co-creation in building community and attaching meaning to space. This experience taught me that, to co-create effectively, we must break free from existing structures and approach these processes more slowly and carefully. Additionally, it sparked my interest in structured, reflective, research-oriented approaches, such as action research, to better understand, evaluate, and guide co-creative processes.
action research, responsible for co-design and co-creation with Agency Apéro and volunteers, 2022-23