“Buntes Amt Zukunft Nürnberg” (@buntes_amt_zukunft_nürnberg) is the name of an Instagram account that has been around for about a month and draws attention to itself with visualized images of a greener – much much greener – Nuremberg. Perhaps you have already discovered it and asked yourself who and what mission is actually behind it? We felt the same way, which is why we asked founder Ulrich Schmitt ourselves.
Mr. Schmitt, who is actually behind the account “Buntes Amt Zukunft Nürnberg” (BAZN)?
Behind the BAZN is an initiative that is still in the making. I’m an art teacher in Nuremberg, but some of my friends, some from Nuremberg and some from elsewhere, are happy to get involved. We like to discuss and look for solutions that can really work and ask the question how to bring about change. We also want to test this in practice.
Why the name “Buntes Amt”?
On the one hand, of course, the proximity to the “Federal Office” is desired. Here the wish resonates that a real Federal Office for the future would exist. On the other hand, it reflects the conviction that a desirable future must also include diversity, equal opportunities, peace, awakening and change.
What is your goal with your account?
For many people, a more sustainable urban design and generally an ecological change is mainly characterized by renunciation. Even for many who consider this renunciation necessary and are happy to accept it. But it is also important to show the other side of the coin: maybe a sustainable city is just nicer to live in? Maybe we should be a little braver to make the city really liveable.
And a livable design simply has to face the challenges of climate change and prepare today for the heat waves of the future. They won’t just go away. They will still be there in 100 or 1000 years and even longer. And nobody has a plan on how to proceed – except until the next election. You could discuss all this with a raised index finger. But that’s not what should happen here. In short: We want to inspire people to be more courageous about sustainability in an amusing way and expand their imagination.
And you do that by visualizing Nuremberg squares in “green”. Do you have a professional background, for example in the field of urban planning?
The BAZN is more of an art project than actual urban planning. The boundaries are of course fluid, as we see when we think of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Modern visualization techniques are more like an artist’s brush than a drawing board, as it will be very difficult to identify actual places in Nuremberg in the pictures.
However, we also have a civil engineer who makes sure that we don’t stay too far from feasibility. But every now and then you need a crazy idea, like roller coasters as public transport. But we also realize that the screaming in the loops would be far too noisy to be really practical. You can’t do that to the local residents.
How long have you been dealing with the topic of climate change/cities of the future?
When I was a small child in the 90s and first heard about the forest dieback, my grandmother said to me: You have to deal with the world in such a way that the children will still have a good life in it. I understood that very well as a child. I think since then I’ve had an eye for what humanity is doing and I really missed that attitude. And in the end I was wondering what I could do…
And that’s why you founded the BAZN?
I believe that at the BAZN we have exactly this attitude and the belief that we are now the generation that has to bring about change. A lot of people have come up with the idea. But perhaps the feasibility still requires the assumption that it won’t be that bad and that doing without will also mean a gain in quality of life.
For example in the form of greener cities. Why is there a need for action, especially in Nuremberg?
There is certainly a need for action in almost all cities and not just Nuremberg. There are a few corners in Nuremberg that are actually very nicely designed. But of course I see the potential right on our doorstep. And maybe you should always start on your own doorstep.
What positive effects would a greener cityscape have in your eyes?
To put it bluntly: fewer deaths. We believe that this needs to be expressed in such a radical way: Statistically, behind heat waves that hit cities in particular, behind fine dust levels and noise are death and illness. Not to mention mental health. What would a city look like that could be designed by psychologists and doctors to do us as good as possible? And if a few artists were allowed to get involved… It could be a little paradise! At the moment, however, it seems that the design is subject to investors and economic interests.
More green is, I think, a general solution to the problems that big cities face: we make room for nature, which cleans the air, absorbs noise, cools through evaporation and provides shade. Then you also have to give some thought to water… and we’ve come to solutions that involve water reservoirs that could also mitigate heavy rain events. When we give space to nature, we all feel better mentally and physically. Who wouldn’t rather look out over the countryside from their window or from their work, or drink a beer under the trees and fairy lights in the summer evenings?
And then you started the Instagram account. You now have 295 followers. What feedback do you get about the account?
So far consistently positive! We’re almost a little taken by surprise. In fact, a number of other initiatives have already contacted us and I think we have a lot to do in the near future!
What is planned for the future?
A good network should now be established with the other initiatives for a change to a sustainable Nuremberg in order to also provide them with visualizations. Furthermore, the space of the Internet should be left in order to spread pictures outside of social networks. Exhibitions, more of an artistic nature, would be very welcome here. Of course, we continue to offer our services as consultants to all visionless politicians who don’t just want to do greenwashing. In addition, our homepage (bazn.org) is currently under construction.
For example, you link Lord Mayor Marcus König under the photos. Has he ever responded to this?
He has not yet left any visible traces on our channel. But he made a comment on our part about the plans at the fruit market. But we are sure that he has already been inspired by our profile. Three days later he reported to the Nürnberger Nachrichten about new trees for Königsstrasse.
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2023-04-29 13:02:50
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