Synopsis
Using the example of a controversy about a former industrial site in Cologne, Anna Ditges shines a light on a societal phenomenon that is currently being discussed all over Germany: the citizens' protest against investors' and politicians' plans for 'their' city. But who are the people who get involved in these movements? What is it that provokes their anger and rage? What do they fight for, and with what means? And what happens if the diverging interests of city administration, major investors, and long-term residents turn out to be irreconcilable? WHO OWNS THE CITY - CITIZENS IN ACTION offers a direct and personal insight into an individual case that vividly illustrates the general conflict between political involvement, self-interest, and the quest for meaning. The protagonists of this conflict are people from different environments and with conflicting sets of values, with individual definitions of responsibility and a critical stance on the democracy they live in.
