A Well-Attended Forum

Round Table Neustadviertel
Tuesday, 4th December 2007, 7 p.m.
Kunstraum Goethestraße

There was a good turnout at the round table held Tuesday evening in the Neustadtviertel section of Linz. More than 70 attendees considered the nice and not-so-nice features of their part of town and also discussed the first ideas to be submitted for the Capital of Culture Neighborhood of the Month project.

When it comes to Neustadtviertel, opinions diverge widely, and yesterday’s lively round table held at Kunstraum Goethestraße was no different. Several participants described the quarter as “the only one in town with some European flair,” a place where people of different ethnic backgrounds live next door to one another. But there were also those who see this development in a less positive light. Some rhapsodized about “idyllic inner courtyards”; others complained about “traffic that’s gotten completely out of hand.” Participants then went on to discuss initial approaches to possible European Capital of Culture Neighborhood of the Month projects: converting the “People’s Park” into a “Peoples’ Park” or setting up a “Library of 100 Languages.”

Numerous attendees were simply interested private parties; many others came as representatives of organizations that are actively involved in the neighborhood in one way or another: the Church, the kindergarten, the emigrants’ organization and the cultural association to name a few. Claudia Dworschak and Marie-Therese Strasser, two former cultural activists in Neustadtviertel, reported on their experiences in actual practice. Project director Tamara Schwarzmayr moderated the discussion.
Now that this second trial-run round table has been held, it’s time to launch the series of Quarter Hours designed to provide assistance to parties interested in submitting Neighborhood of the Month project proposals.

Over the coming weeks, the results will be evaluated and the decision will be made as to whether there’ll be additional round tables in 2008 in conjunction with the European Capital of Culture Neighborhood of the Month initiative. Project director Tamara Schwarzmayr is pleased with the response so far: “The reactions to the first round tables have been very positive. The impetus we’ve imparted has gotten a nice reception.” She went on to say: “Now, we have to see whether the seeds we’ve planted bear fruit and yield promising concepts. We’re eagerly anticipating the results.”