Hello blog readers!

The story that I highlight today occured in Hamburg, Germany. It is about how Daniel Richter, an established young artist, led a protest to save a section of Old Hamburg which is slotted to be torn down and replaced by office and living towers. The protest was meant to identify two problems that exist in cities all over the world.

The first is a decision to tear down historic buildings in an old neglected area of Hamburg. Policymakers all over the world employ these types of strategies to fight crime and poverty. Instead of getting to the root of the problem, historic buildings (and even entire neighborhoods) are torn down and those who are destitute that have made these buildings their homes will hopefully just move somewhere else.

The second point being made by Richter and the 200 other artists and protesters who gathered in the Gängeviertel was that old historic buildings in gritty neighborhoods can be used by artists and arts organizations who are typically in short supply of funds. Not only do these people need subsdized space in order to perform very important work, it is these kinds of activities that can help to regenerate an area of any city.

This is a problem that exists in Canadian cities too. In Calgary, we have some great examples of adaptive re-use of old buildings where arts organizations can benefit from subsidized spaces. The Pumphouse Theatres is one great example of this. However, Calgary is not without its share of historic buildings that are lost in the flurry of a boom/bust economy that prizes itself on making money fast.

This story outlines the courage, organization and action that is required to make a statement that is heard around the world. Governments need to hear from citizens and it is this kind of peaceful display that can grab everyone's attention and affect policy change.

For more on this story:

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/32435/daniel-richter-leads-massive-artist-protest-in-hamburg/