Markus Miessen – författare

An investigation into social and political assembly and how urban infrastructure can support pluralism, social resilience, and democracy.Infrastructuring Assemblies investigates the phenomenon of social and political assembly while speculating on the potential of proximity and urban (micro-)infrastructure as a form of cultural resistance. Around the globe, pluralist democratic culture is under populist attack, and we are increasingly confronted with the question of what kind of democracy one is referring to—as if there were many. On campuses, which have been historically considered sites of free speech and protest, forms of assembly are now being carefully curated; manicured like framed self-referential objects in a white cube.As an initial point of departure, Infrastructuring Assemblies delivers a series of conceptual framings and door openers around the notion of urban agonism. Contrary to the conception of spatial production as an autonomous object with singular authorship, it argues that the methodologies inherent in critical spatial practices are crucial to activate processes of public negotiation and everyday urbanism in conversation and exchange with its environment. The action that is being described here will be referred to as infrastructuring—something you do rather than taking it for granted.When we consider forms of urban resistance, we may think of temporary instances such as the global Occupy! movement, the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, or most recently, the student protests across campuses in the United States. All of those modes of resistance have one aspect in common—their temporary nature, born out of the necessity of the moment. Yet we might also consider infrastructures and protocols that can assist more long-term forms of urban infrastructure and retrofitting towards democratic futures and agonistic assemblies.ContributorsAnita Osorio, Clemens v. Wedemeyer, Diane E. Davis, Georgeen Theodore, Gustav Eden, Hannes Grassegger, iLiana Fokianaki, Keller Easterling, Kenny Cupers, Mariette Schiltz & Edna Gee, Marija Maric, Markus Miessen & César Reyes, Martha Rosler, Miguel Robles-Duran, Mirjam Zadoff, Najha Zigbi-Johnson, Neeraj Bhatia, Neftalie Williams, Pablo Prado, and Torange Khonsari.

Leading scholars explore the connections between democracy and justice, architecture and urban design, the growth of cities, cosmopolitanism, inclusion, and free speech.This book builds on conversations that took place in the Fall of 2024 at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design marking the release of the book Democracy and Urban Form, a co-publication by Harvard Design Press and Sternberg Press. The original book showcased a series of six lectures that the sociologist Richard Sennett gave under the same name at the GSD in the fall of 1981. The original lectures, which happened more than forty years ago, addressed a much different political climate. Even so, Richard’s core insights into the connections between democracy and justice, matters of architecture and urban design, the growth of cities, cosmopolitanism, inclusion, free speech, and other related matters remain just as relevant today.In the spirit of reflecting on these urgencies, the GSD invited the political philosopher Michael Sandel to deliver a lecture that drew on themes from the new edition of his book Democracy’s Discontent. In his opening talk, which took place on the evening of Wednesday, October 9, Sandel encouraged the audience to consider what might account for the polarization that imperils democracy today, as well as what might be done about it? Beyond analyzing the forces that were about to decide the 2024 election, he proposed a bold project of civic renewal to reimagine the economy and empower citizens as participants in a shared public life. On Thursday, October 10, these provocations continued during a panel discussion that included Richard Sennett, Diane Davis, Claire Zimmerman, Markus Miessen, and Miguel Robles-Durán. All reflected on Sandel’s talk, as well as on the state of democracy as it related more specifically to architecture and the design and planning of cities and metropolitan regions.ContributorsDiane E. Davis, Markus Miessen, Miguel Robles-Durán, Richard Sennett, Claire Zimmerman

How has Berlin’s urban landscape changed in its remarkable transformation from divided city to creative capital? Despite the monumental heritage and grand development projects, Berlin still conjures up images of urban fragmentation and vacant inner-city land. The book reveals the changing nature and complex politics of this open space. A rephotographing of sites between 2001 and 2016 shows how no man’s land has made way for new apartments and underground hangouts have changed into commercial hubs, but it also transports us to remaining pockets of urban wilderness and unexpected freedom right next to the city’s most iconic squares. The accompanying essays by noted urban thinkers explore this little-known but vital reserve—forcing us to reflect on our unrelenting efforts to chart the future of the city at large.

Wie hat sich die Berliner Stadtlandschaft im Laufe der Verwandlung von einer geteilten Stadt zur Kreativmetropole verändert? Trotz des gewaltigen Erbes und großer Entwicklungsprojekte ruft Berlin immer noch Bilder von Lücken und innerstädtischer Brachen hervor. Das Buch macht die leicht veränderlichen und komplexen politischen Zusammenhänge dieser unbestimmten Orte deutlich.

Fotografien von Orten aus den Jahren 2001 und 2016 zeigen, wie aus Niemandsland neue Wohnbauten und wie aus Untergrundtreffpunkten Geschäftszentren geworden sind. Sie zeigen aber auch verbliebene Nischen unerwarteter Wildnis und Freiheit.

Die begleitenden Texte renommierter Urbanisten untersuchen diese wichtigen und oft stillen Reserven und fordern dazu auf unseren Einsatz für die Zukunft der Stadt zu hinterfragen.