Agenda
Land and property have long been subjects of speculation in European cities. Many social and political grievances are closely tied to the spatial inequalities that result. One prominent yet underreported issue is the investor-driven mass demolition of buildings, which contributes to environmental harm, rising rents, and a growing sense of alienation among residents. To close these information gaps, CORRECTIV and SOLOMON joined forces to launch Demolition Atlas Europe – a crowdsourced investigative project around demolitions in Switzerland, Germany and Greece.
Through map-based crowd investigations in these three countries, citizens have shared their concerns and knowledge about demolition projects. So far, hundreds of individuals have contributed data for more than 3500 demolition sites through the CrowdNewsroom tool, an open-source platform developed by CORRECTIV. While journalists can use the crowdsourced data to investigate the systemic issues behind mass demolitions, some of the collected information is immediately available on an interactive map. Civil society organizations, including the Association of German Architects, Architects for Future, and numerous local heritage preservation groups, use this data for advocacy and awareness-raising, further encouraging public participation.
This case study presentation will showcase how cross-border journalistic investigations can shed light on investor-driven demolitions and growing spatial inequalities. It will highlight successful examples from Germany, Switzerland, and Greece, demonstrate the key functions of the CrowdNewsroom, and provide practical insights on how journalists can use it. Additionally, it will present a blueprint for implementing similar investigations in other countries using the Demolition Atlas methodology and the CrowdNewsroom tool.
