This summer I took part in the Osthang Project together with other 60 participants and around 30 tutors. During the same dates there were other similar (building) experimentations I was interested in, but unfortunately, I couldn´t participate. But my curiosity of how they were working made me compare them in diverse aspects.
It seems that such building initiatives in public spaces are quite common and they aim the re-activation of the space, but do they really achieve such a goal? Aren´t they too short in time to achieve a real re-use of the space? What is the role of the students that arrive from abroad to the certain spot and context? Could they really feel the atmosphere of the place and react by building an object to the current needs of the local population? What is the role of the neighbours that will use the public space/object - visitors or participants? Is it possible to intervene with local small businesses and are these initiatives beneficial for them? and many other questions. Some of them were discussed during the Osthang Project in Darmstadt.
Also I could visit Villena for a day and talk to tutors and organizers of elCASC where I received a lot of precious information and good vibes from the participants and the neighbours.