Public toilets everywhere for everyone to ensure participation in public space.
We demand a city that can be used equally by all citizens.
During the global pandemic, many activities are shifted from private into public space, at the same time restaurants, libraries, department stores etc. are closed. Not only a part of public life is shut down, but also the places where you can go to the toilet.The public toilet being shifted to private service providers emphasizes all kinds of social issues, inclusion, race, sexuality, homelessness, etc. THE LACK OF TOILETS PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM PARTICIPATING FULLY IN PUBLIC LIFE. The existing toilets in public spaces do not meet our needs, as they are often exclusively for men (urinals) or cost money, are divided into binary gender categories or not inclusive, not clean, do not radiate safety, have limited opening times or they are defective.
In our Utopee the toilet is sufficiently available in public space and is a place to satisfy other needs that we cannot satisfy on the road in the city. The toilet becomes a place to rest, drink water, change diapers and wash hands, and other functions can be added, such as bicycle pumps or parcel stations.
We were inspired by the existing infrastructure for cars. There are rest stops at regular intervals along the autobahn. The next stop is always foreseeable, so you can decide whether you can wait or should stop at the next opportunity. If, on the other hand, you are experiencing the city as a pedestrian or by bike, there is no autonomy in this respect, you have to plan in advance when and where the next opportunity to go to the toilet would be.
Not being able to spontaneously respond to a need, which is usually not predictable, results in the fact that drinking is often avoided on the go, meetings with friends in the city have to be broken off or people do not even participate in public life.
IN "I HAVE TO GO!" THERE IS AN URGENCY AND WE THINK SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE CHANGED URGENTLY.
The aim is to improve the toilet infrastructure in order to democratize participation in public space. The image of the public toilet should be freed from disgust and fear by adding other functions and through an aesthetic design. The toilets should not disappear inconspicuously in the urban landscape. They have to be colorful and illuminated in the dark so that they cannot be overlooked. The public toilets could be linked to existing infrastructures such as parcel stations (DHL, amazon) as they are already implemented into the cityscape and our consciousness.
