"Quiet spaces for city centres" project

This article was provided to us by an activist from Mainz. She would like to improve the conditions for all those affected by noise and general sensory overload with quiet rooms in the city centre - with suggestions that are actually quite simple and obvious. But even for these, the answer is "no money, no chance". The "We care together" group mentioned in the text is a cooperation organisation in the Care Revolution network.

The "Quiet spaces for city centres" project was initiated by me - Trautchen. The idea was born out of my own experience: I have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD for short) and - like many other people - the fast, loud and hectic city centre is sometimes just too much for me. By many other people, I mean the following groups of people who are potential target groups for the project: Neurodivergent people[1], people with mental illnesses (PTSD, dissociations, etc.) and, in principle, ALL people, because - I think this is clear - the noisy city centre can simply be too much for everyone!

But why do we actually need quiet (spaces)?

We need quiet spaces to enable everyone to participate, because everyone should be able to attend medical appointments, visit the authorities or go shopping in city centres. Participation is a central human right! A quiet room is therefore not a luxury, but a form of accessibility comparable to a lift for people with mobility impairments! To make it palatable to local politicians: Participating city centres would of course also benefit from a more inclusive image! Many neurodivergent people, for example - with autism or ADHD - have a particularly sensitive nervous system and react more strongly to sensory impressions such as light, sounds, odours or social interactions. So we need rest...

- to reduce stress reactions

- to give the brain a break from processing stimuli

- for regeneration, self-regulation (⟶ Skills[2] & Stimming[3]) & calming down

- for concentration and performance

- for emotional balance

- to prevent illness, shutdowns[4], exhaustion, irritability, social withdrawal

- to counteract overstimulation through stimulus reduction [5]

- to reduce the overactivity of the amygdala (in people with PTSD) [6]

Of course, I recognise that implementing such spaces can be a (financial) challenge, but mental health, participation in everyday life and the well-being of ALL people should always take priority.

I have also given some thought to the (spatial) equipment:

A quiet room should also be a safe space, which is why the introduction of rules and possibly the presence of a social worker on site probably seems important to maintain it. This specialist would then also be directly available in the event of a crisis and could provide a very low-threshold form of help. I have two ideas with regard to the facilities. A: A Snoezelen room with colourful lights, a starry sky, fragrant scents etc.. However, that might be too many stimuli! Then B would be an option: Very simple furnishings, with dimmed lighting. How the room is ultimately designed would be decided by those affected / the users.

Now a few more sentences on the status quo of the project:
Right at the beginning of the project, I went to the citizens' consultation with the mayor of the city of Mainz, Nino Haase. The result was: the city is broke, the project cannot be financed for the time being. A little later, I had a meeting with Bernd Quick, the so-called Disability Commissioner[7] of the City of Mainz. I also spoke to the advisory board for the disabled, or more precisely the accessibility and culture working group of the city of Mainz. In this context, I came up with the idea that it would also be possible to install certificates in quieter places such as cafés or bookshops as an alternative emergency solution. At the same time, I started a petition, which - as of now - has 487 signatories. I am also looking for funding and cooperation partners, i.e. I have written to foundations and am campaigning politically in favour of the demand. We have also established a cooperation with "Wir sorgen gemeinsam" (collective for the development of care centres in Mainz/Wiesbaden), so we share the goal of 'quiet spaces for city centres'.

And where does the approach come from?
Such quiet spaces and safer spaces already exist, for example at (city) festivals, in daycare centres, universities, camps, etc.. They are often part of the awareness work there. I have set myself the task of transferring their structures, including the establishment of quiet spaces, to other areas of civil society. But such quiet spaces already exist there too: for example, the "Work and Relax Lounge" in Wiesbaden's Luisenforum or at airports.

Here is the link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/ruheraum-f%C3%BCr-die-mainzer-innenstadt?recruiter=993160103&recruited_by_id=46158a70-c0f8-11e9-9014-d3111b133860&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=de_web_gs_ua_sap_20241101_brand_conversions-sap&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_490412263_de-DE%3A5

And my short explanatory video: https://videos.simpleshow.com/K19vPU0hDn

[1] Neurodivergence is a concept that describes the fact that the human brain can function in different ways - i.e. neurologically deviates from what is considered neurotypical. The use of the term neurodivergence is an alternative to stigmatising, deficit-oriented and pathologising terms such as disorder or similar. Neurodivergence is therefore intended to express the fact that we are dealing with variations in human neurobiology. Neurodivergence includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia, Tourette's syndrome, high sensitivity or giftedness. (Source: see Behrendt, C. (2022): Neurodiversität - Die neurologische Vielfalt des Menschen verstehen und fördern, Weinheim: Beltz Verlag).

[2] Skills and techniques that are learnt in order to better deal with the symptoms and stresses of trauma-related disorders, for example self-regulation of tension using a nail ball.

[3] Self-stimulating behaviour, i.e. repetitive movements or sounds used by autistic people to regulate their emotions, process sensory stimuli or relax.

[4] Reaction to sensory overload in which a person withdraws from their environment and is no longer responsive.

[5] Source up to this point: see Roth, G. (2011): Bildung braucht Persönlichkeit: Wie Lernen gelingt, Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta.

[6] Source: see Fischer, G. & Riedesser, P. (2009): Textbook of Psychotraumatology, Stuttgart: Schattauer Verlag.

[7] I do not use the term "disabled person", but rather the term "people who are disabled by society", because the problem is not the person, but society, which is not geared towards this person!