Lilly M. Bozzo-Costa
Architect

L21, which stands for Leipzig in the 21st century, was a network of architects who dealt with the transformative processes of shrinking cities between 2000 and 2005.

From the book L21 Protokolle 2000-2002:

“…L21 seeks to identify the chances and potentials of a city without growth and to draw attention to these using universally comprehensible images and concepts. New questions and new solutions are being formulated, and the group’s own positions on the city in the 21st century are being developed and put up for discussion…. The compelling and thought-provoking events, projects and campaigns can be understood as a series of experiments with surprising and open results. The group uses defamiliarisation, rapture and provocation to expand horizons and explore new perspectives.”

Leipzig today.

Today, it is interesting to observe how the situation, particularly here in Leipzig, has changed. Leipzig has stopped shrinking and is now even growing. Many of L21’s proposals were criticised at the time. Scenarios with shopping centres in the city centre had triggered great anxiety. Today, many of these scenarios have become reality: for example, an Obi (home improvement supplies retailer) has even been established beside the main station! Everything is in a state of flux and change.

L21  2000-2005

Leiv-Patrick Berthel, Jens-Uwe Boldt, Lilly M.Bozzo-Costa, Tobias Franke, Ute Frank-Ehret, Bert Hafermalz, Antje Heuer, Tom Hobusch, Martin Morkramer, Sabine Eling Papenhagen, Heiko Kuppardt, Stefan Rettich, Kai-Uwe Schott and Dirk Stenzel.

Press

Urban reGENeration-Città delle immagini
Ed. Alinea Editrice s.r.l., Florence 2004

“L21 und Leipzig den Rest”
Author Susanne Schindler

Arch+, Issue 158, 12/2001

“Die gehackte Stadt. Das Leipziger Architektenetzwerk L21 schrumpft ostdeutsche Quartier”
Author Andreas Höll
Süddeutsche Zeitung March 2001

“Im lautem Plasma wächst Wald”
Author G. Kowa
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung August 2001

“Der Atem der Stadt”
Author Marta Doehler
Polis, Issue 2-3/2002

L21 Protokolle 2000-2002
Authors Jens-Uwe Boldt, Antje Heuer, Tom Hobusch, Wofgang Kil, Stefan Rettich, Dirk Stenzel
Publisher L21
ISBN 3-00-01022-9

ort.zukunft – Neue Ideen für den Stadtumbau/Patchworkcity
Authors Stephan Rettich, Kai Vöckler
Published by Stiftung Bauhaus-Dessau 2002

“Het daghet in het Osten”
Author Claus Kläppinger
de architekt-Niederlande, February 2003

“In Leipzig-Den Abriss entwerfen”
Author Jan Friederich
Bauwelt, Issue 25/2003

“Architektengruppe installiert Lokal der Wahlauf Gründerzeit Trümmern”
Leipziger Volkszeitung, 19 September 2002

“Diskurs darf auch Spaß machen”
Author Frank Peter Jäger
Deutsches Architekten Blatt 04/2003

Urban reGENeration-Città delle immagini
Ed. Alinea Editrice s.r.l., Florence 2004
ISBN 88-8125-873-0

“Import-Export Storia di un gemellaggio tra Lipsia e Genova”
Authors Lilly M. Bozzo-Costa, Stefan Rettich, Dirk Stenzel
Publisher Alinea Editrice 2004

“Anderer Natur”
Author Stefan Rettich
Baukultur-Das Bauzentrum
Issue 10/2004

Wie Architektur sozial denken kann/How architecture can think socially
Authors Stefan Rettich, Dirk Stenzel
Verlag für Moderne Kunst Nürnberg 2004
Published by Stiftung Federkiel Leipzig
ISBN 3-936711-48-8

“Sampierdarena vista da Lipsia”
Author Emilio Plebe
Il Secolo XIX, 14 November 2004

“Il lungomare degli architetti”
Author Giuliano Macciò
Il Secolo XIX, 18 November 2004

“Kern und Plasma”
Schrumpfende Städte
Vol. 2 Handlungskonzepte
Authors Lilly M. Bozzo-Costa, Tom Hobusch, Stefan Rettich, Dirk Stenzel
Published by Philipp Oswald, on behalf of the German Federal Cultural Foundation 2005
Hatje Cantz Verlag
ISBN 3-7757-1558-4

Città latenti-Un progetto per l´Italia abusiva
Author Federico Zanfi
Published by Bruno Mondadori 2008
ISBN 9-78886-1-592285