A western-European prosperous metropolis, seeking to amend its past, a decisive political player, captured in its stability and progressive statics, a home for thousands of migrants – on the one hand. An eastern-European dynamic capital, repeatedly fighting to preserve its past, a crossroads of history, a home for subversive thought – on the other. What can they say to one another?

Distant in terms of socio-economic and cultural contexts, the two capitals appear to be facing the same problem of monstrous urbanism at present. Today the internals of these cities are filled with bland standardized architecture, and the unstable rents detract from legal security. The general dissociation with the city surroundings questions the notion of safety for its residents, especially vulnerable groups, not to mention the threats brought by the recent war.

However, we believe the destructive effects may be traced, the technological utopia may be mediated, and the aesthetical course may be maneuvered. By raising the issue of reclaiming the streets, we may challenge the way we relate to city history and its social, cultural, and economic orders.