About the project
Centers of Sharing
Researching and designing municipal sharing infrastructures in urban areas.
The “Centers of Sharing” (ZdT) research project is dedicated to the investigation, development, and prototypical testing of new sharing structures at the municipal level. Through close cooperation between academia, government, and civil society, concepts are being developed for physical locations where high-quality everyday items
(such as tools, kitchen appliances, or recreational equipment) can be shared, maintained, and repaired collectively.
The so-called “Centers of Sharing” aim to reduce resource consumption, promote participation, and foster ecological, social, and economic sustainability.
As part of the project, under the leadership of the City of Essen in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT and the Fachhochschule Dortmund and the Faculty of Design, various aspects of the “Centers of Sharing” are being addressed from both scientific and design perspectives. These include analyses of public demand and acceptance, studies on suitable business models and organizational structures, design planning, and the prototypical implementation and evaluation of exemplary lending stations in urban areas.
Fachhochschule Dortmund plays a central role in the design development and implementation of prototype systems. In interdisciplinary seminars, students develop, among other things, speculative design concepts and modular prototypes for various usage scenarios. The focus here is on integration into existing urban structures, social accessibility, and public visibility.
