(In-)visibilities of water spaces in the urban sphere: a co-creative approach to explore (possible) adaptation strategies for Hamburg Lohbrügge

Water is one of the most controversial natural resources one can think of, especially when debating on climate change and possible ways of transformation. Contrary, in urban areas, water is nowadays mainly invisible, tamed and expelled to the underground, although many scholars discuss its urgent necessity in today's cities' landscapes. This presentation gives an insight in the conflicting area between visibility and invisibility of water in a micro-scale field from a socio-cultural perspective. The research focus lays on different perspectives on every-day water practices, self-biographies around water and institutional arrangements in the field of water adaptation in a region with great risks of flooding. Through a large-scale workshop and interview series with inhabitants and stakeholders of Hamburg Lohbrügge, data was collected and analysed. The results are presented in a Lohbrügge map, as well as a complex model that gives an insight into new water trends. As a new approach in the socio-cultural field of water reserach in urban areas, a co-creative and visual attempt was made to demonstrate how cross-over participation can benefit both, the scientific work and every-day practices in urban institutions. Thus, an urgent call is made for more transdisciplinary and co-creation bottom-up research to tackle today's challanges in climate research, as well as institutional work in urban areas.