Press release
Exhibition in Schwedt shows Students' Ideas for the Future of Urban Development
On the 13th of June, an exhibition entitled "Schwedt – Urban redevelopment and development perspectives" will open in Schwedt/Oder town hall, focusing on the sustainable transformation of Schwedt. As part of an interdisciplinary teaching and research project, students from the Architecture and Urban Development degree programme at the University of Applied Sciences POtsdam, led by Prof. Dr Silvia Malcovati and M.A. Vivien Nowak, have developed future-oriented concepts for the city of Schwedt/Oder – from new ideas for the use of existing buildings to visionary urban structures.
The exhibition runs until the 18th of July 2025 and shows creative designs, urban planning analyses and models that offer concrete solutions to current challenges such as demographic change, vacancies and climate-friendly urban development. The focus is on the idea of not only providing food for thought, but also thinking about urban development as a collaborative process and strengthening the dialogue between citizens, administration, politics and science.
The project was divided into two main areas: In the winter semester 2023/24, the focus was on the idea of an "Innovation Campus Schwedt" – a new training and research centre at the interface of industry and future technologies. In the winter semester 2024/25, the students took on central inner-city spaces – including the railway station district, Platz der Befreiung and the Alter Markt – and developed concepts for a liveable, networked and identity-creating city.
The exhibition invites you to think together about the future of Schwedt and shows how young planners are reinterpreting existing spaces with fresh perspectives.
Opening & finissage
The opening ceremony will take place on the 13th of June at 4.00 pm in the town hall foyer in Schwedt/Oder. All interested parties are cordially invited to take a first look at the works together with the project participants. At the end of the exhibition, the finissage on the 18th of July from 10.30 am invites you to an inspiring morning with impulses from practice, research and teaching.
The programme is as follows:
- 10.30 am – Welcome by the mayor
- 11.00 am – InPut: History of the town of Schwedt, Ulrich Hartung
- 11.30 am – InPut: Schwedt three times up close, Alexander Conrad
- 12.00 pm – InPut: Schwedt's future prospects, Johann Reichstein
- 12.30 pm – Presentation of the students' work by the project group
"The exhibition is intended to be a place of exchange – between students, urban society and decision-makers," says project manager Vivien Nowak from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. "We want to think together about how Schwedt can be designed as a place worth living in for future generations."
The project is supported by the Schwedt | Uckermark Presence Centre, the Schwedt/Oder City Museum and the Schwedt/Oder City Council and funded by the InNoWest Transfer Fund.
When: 13/06/2025 – 18/07/2025
Where: Schwedt Town Hall, Dr.-Theodor-Neubauer-Straße 5, 16303 Schwedt/Oder
Admission: free
