Network for Cultural Climate Adaptation
POLIS-SEA is a global initiative by cultural institutions to promote culture as a resource for local climate adaptation. Located in coastal metropolises in three continents, the members realize public programs independently and in co-operation, share best practices, experiences and ideas and cooperate on individual projects.

Schwankhalle

Bremer Zentrum für Baukultur (GER)
Goethe-Institut Jakarta (IND)
B’sarya for the Arts Alexandria (EG)
Civic Studio New Orleans (USA)
TBA21 Venice (IT)
CityScience Lab of HCU Hamburg (GER)
The network currently consists of seven cultural and scientific institutions based in six coastal metropolises across three continents:
Bremen
Schwankhalle
and
Bremer Zentrum für Baukultur
(GER)
Jakarta
Goethe-Institut (IND)
Alexandria
B’sarya for the Arts (EG)
New Orleans
Civic Studio
(USA)
Venice
TBA21 (IT)
Hamburg
CityScience Lab of HCU (GER)
Initiated in 2022 the network’s aim is to foster the exchange between cultural actors in communities faced with climate adaptation challenges and to promote cultural heritage as a valuable, democratic and widely neglected resource for sustainable and fair and socially inclusive climate adaptation.
Mostly social and spatial climate adaptation in coastal metropolises is a top down administrative and authoritarian enterprise, both in the Global South and North. But engineering is not enough, especially when we want to see communities become more resilient, more sustainable and more inclusive in the process. While the engineering might come from the Netherlands, the culture and ethics to apply it, comes from the “polis” itself. It’s a resource of the people. Climate adaptation needs to be space specific and culture specific to be successful.
The network was initaited by JP Possmann, Schwankhalle Bremen and Goethe Institut Jakarta and is coordinated by Jessica Fritz and JP Possmann from Bremen (GER).
POLIS-SEA – STORIES OF BELONGING, LOSS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
ResourceS for Adaptation to rising sea levels and sinking cities.
This is a blog containing images, stories, songs, rituals and traditions related to flooding and flood protection from the cultural heritage of coasts worldwide. It is continuously expanded and meant as a free repository to be used by anyone working to increase resilience and well-being for front line communitiies.
Please browse through the posts or search for themes, places or centuries using the Categories. Any email comments, hints or repostings are very much appreciated by the author.
San Francisco (1936)
The Ice Drift of 1784
Miller’s Apocalypse and Climate Doom
Proximity and distance in disaster representation
White Man’s Hole
The Great Smog
POLIS-SEA | jp@polis-sea.org | jf@polis-sea.org | Mannheim/Bremen (GER)