A miracle has happened! In times of extraordinary shortage of space in large cities, the city of Cologne has unexpectedly made a free space available and – following a democratic process – wants to fulfill the community’s needs. The space is to be handed over to a social organisation or initiative. The citizens shall make suggestions and then decide what is most urgently needed. The competition for the space begins and things quickly get heated. Should a women’s refuge be built here? An addiction centre? A day care centre? A student residence? Or a cultural centre for the city’s Sinti:zze and Romn:ja? There are many good arguments for the various initiatives, but how do you measure need? Whose right to the space is greatest?
From the perspective of Cologne’s Sinti:zze and Rom:nja, we take a look at social negotiation processes in urban space. Who is granted how much space in the city of Cologne? Who decides on the allocation of space and what does it tell us about our community when social movements have to assert themselves against each other? And how is dealt with a marginalised group’s need for space, such as Sinti:zze and Rom:nja, who have no lobby and therefore little chance of asserting themselves in such a competition?
