Life on the streets has its own rules: everything is public, nothing is private. People who become homeless see the city through different eyes: streets, squares and train stations become places to live.
Our city tours in Essen bring this perspective to life. People who have been homeless themselves talk about their everyday lives and show how poverty and exclusion are visible in the cityscape. They talk about personal experiences and structural problems in society, giving the issue a human face.
In addition to tours on homelessness, we also offer a tour on hostile architecture – the architecture of displacement – as well as school workshops that encourage reflection and participation.
The city tour is about individual perspectives. Here, people talk about their own experiences, but also as representatives of a group that is otherwise often and readily discussed. They invite you to engage in dialogue and take a different look at the city of Essen.
Our city tours are a form of political education in urban spaces.
They are aimed at both Essen residents and visitors to the city, adults and young people aged 14 and above.
No locations where people currently live will be visited. If affected individuals are present along the route, the group will continue on its way. The privacy of those affected is our top priority.
Architecture can invite people to linger and interact — or deliberately prevent them from settling. This is rarely left to chance. The tour invites participants to view Essen’s urban spaces from the perspective of people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness.
On her tour, Julia shows how diverse the realities of housing insecurity and homelessness in Essen can be. She guides participants through the city center and shares a range of insights into the topic, including personal experiences from her own time living on the streets:
What does daily life look like without a permanent home? What specific challenges do girls and women face when they become homeless? And what role do friendships play?
