Spaces have inner and outer lives that inevitably make for a multi-dimensional experience. We just need to observe, listen and map all their layers with dimensions and care. This is especially true in a place like Ebertplatz – a complex square and transport hub in Cologne whose future has been in the spotlight of a polarizing public debate for years. The six students of the GDI workshop who worked on this space (Cen, Samreetha, Hwain, Ryan, Reona, Febi) did precisely that, to eventually conclude that empathy is the force that holds Ebertplatz together - despite the perennial threat of closure by civic authorities.

A 10-minute walk North of Cologne Central Station, the square and transport hub of Ebertplatz has a reputation of being intimidating and chaotic at best or sketchy and dangerous at worst.

This is probably due to the fact that it is an important dealing point in Cologne; or it could be something to do with its architecture and morphology: Ebertplatz is built on different layers of concrete, and its cavernous lower-level areas are dark and run down. At first glance, this underground area seems full of empty shops and broken escalators, which the city keeps planning to fill up with concrete.

In reality, it is brimming with life. A large and knitted community of contemporary artists, curators, galleries, and creative practitioners has been renting the abandoned shops since 2018, creating an unprecedented dynamism in the area through a daily presence on site, and the organization of exhibitions, concerts, and events. Mobilized for a bottom-led revitalization of Ebertplatz, via a movement called “Unsere (our) Ebertplatz”, they have been working with the cultural department of the city of Cologne to organize art installations and public events. They are constantly negotiating with the planning department to prevent a top-down refurbishment of the plaza which would chase out most of its current inhabitants and users – artists, curators, dealers…

The six GDI students who were assigned to work on Ebertplatz had a very sensitive and complex subject to dissect. During their very methodic observation / interview phase, they met different people and gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. Through an exercise of “empathetic mapping”, they understood something key about the square – that it is many things at the same time:

_a place of passage for commuters and Cologne citizens at large – due to several metro lines crossing at Ebertplatz;

_a square in the midst of a large residential and commercial neighborhood, which often hosts events, and whose outdoor ground-level area is – particularly in summer – a playground for local families and children;

_a well-recognized and extremely dynamic artistic hub for the contemporary Cologne scene;

_a place of exchange for dealers and marijuana users.

If one goes beyond its stigma and reputation, the reality of Ebertplatz is thus three-dimensional: complex, multifaceted (its perception changes based on who you ask), multilayered (because of its physical morphology and different uses), and above all, it concerns different types of users and stakeholders. “Sketchy” to some, it is in fact a Third Place for many others who frequent it daily.

The students decided to take on a challenge: proposing an intervention which embraces the three-dimensionality of Ebertplatz, and which allows for the cohabitation and encounter of all its users and stakeholders, while contributing to overcoming its prejudice among Cologne residents at large.

Their project, “Ebertplatz für alle” (Ebertplatz for all), is an invitation to imagine a different future for Ebertplatz, one in which everyone can remain and thrive:

_These include some small-scale urban interventions on site, mostly in its underground area, aimed at making it more pleasant and walkable: light interventions to mark passageways, greening of the columns, sound installations, small spaces for conviviality and exchange…

_ A 4-dimensional visual communication campaign aimed at overcoming the prejudice against some groups of users over others, which recognizes everyone’s legitimacy in this urban space:

* Ebertplatz für Dealer (dealers)

* Ebertplatz für Künstler (artists)

* Ebertplatz für Pendler (commuters)

* Ebertplatz für Familien (families)

Ebertplatz für alle, which the students illustrated through the construction of a low-tech 3D model of Ebertplatz and its layers, reminds us that Third Places are complex and multi-dimensional. We cannot understand them without engaging directly with their daily users: only then can we see that behind stigmas or prejudices there are often whole ecosystems at work to protect and improve the places they love. As urbz has been saying for years now, mess is more: the solution to complex urban situations is not to simplify – but to recognize, understand, and embrace the multi-dimensionality of places.