‘Stuttgart 21’: Protest and democratic decision-making
For some, a ‘project of the century’; for others, a ‘money pit’: the relocation of Stuttgart’s main railway station underground sparked years of debate and protests. It was all about rock drilling and groundwater, stress tests and the Schlossgarten, ‘angry citizens’ and water cannons.
‘Stuttgart 21’ remains a perennial topic, even after mediation talks and a referendum. Partly because the conflict over the station escalated, no major project today proceeds without a public consultation process. And there is hardly a case that has been scrutinised as thoroughly as the one in Stuttgart: Who are the people who protested there? How can comparable conflicts be better managed in future? And what is the current level of acceptance of the democratic decision in favour of “Stuttgart 21”? This case study demonstrates how these and other questions can be explored in the classroom.
