Back around seventeen years ago, Switzerland came up with this idea of 'Begegnungszone' (Meeting Zones). Some will say that it originally came out of the Netherlands in the 1980s, as city planning reached a stage for 'Woonerfs'. This was supposed to be a regular street converted to less traffic, slower traffic, more trees, and increased park benches. The Swiss view....remodel the Dutch idea to have several benches in a confined area, and groups of people could meet up.
The Germans (at least out of Berlin) have picked up the idea and gone to the next model where a parking spot or two have been taken out of action, and enough benching have been put into place for twenty folks have replaced it.
The general idea? For people in the neighborhood to come out, have discussions and chats, and 'friendliness' (at least as much as the typical German can muster) would occur.
For the non-German (like us Brits and Americans), the German 'friendliness' factor is an amusing topic. It usually takes a long extended period (not just months) before Germans among strangers reach a friendly 'chat' stage. The idea with the Begegnungszone is that you'd create a outdoors spot....relaxed atmosphere, and you'd speed up the whole process.
The idea that you might eventually have a dozen Germans sitting in the Begegnungszone and discussing affordable housing, climate change, BREXIT, Putin, Trump, diesel car woes, increasing taxes, immigration, integration, bio eating habits, bad behavior kids, lateness of trains, potholes, public corruption, meddling cops, military sales to Saudi Arabia, the public TV tax, soccer scores, WW II guilt, nuke power, etc? If you ask me, this is opening up a Pandora's Box, and will eventually get the public intweened into dozens of subjects.....thinking they can control or correct political behavior/priorities.
So, if you live in Germany, and your neighbor has invited out to their favorite Begegungszone....at least you know what to expect.
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