ARCH+ Features 129: The City That Could Be

In 2016, ARCH+ presented the acclaimed design for the new Esso Houses as part of the ARCH+ Features in cooperation with BDA Hamburg at the Hamburgr Botschaft – a result of the unique Planbude process and two competitions. The project was seen as a pioneer of a new, transformative “Urban Practice.”

Today, nearly a decade later, little remains of the initial enthusiasm. Although SAGA, private developers, and the Hamburg Senate announced in November 2024 the “end of the standstill,” it quickly became clear that the central achievements of the internationally recognized participatory process were being overlooked. Back then, Planbude demonstrated what “Urban Practice” can achieve: it translated the “tactical knowledge of the many” into “strategic planning” – a milestone for a different kind of urban development.

The second ARCH+ Feature on the Esso Houses debate addresses this moment of disillusionment – and makes it productive. At the center is the concept of Nonsolution: a plea for not clearing away conflicts, for solutions that keep questions open rather than answering them hastily. Against the constraints of feasibility, the Planbude firmly asserts: “Stop! In the name of love!”

“Nonsolution means objection to the prescribed solution, a resumption of problematization. It is about solutions that present their contentiousness and thus remain true to the problem.” (Gabu Heindl, Drehli Robnik)