The sudden adoption of working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic has required the reconfiguration of home spaces to fit space for remote work into existing spaces already filled with other domestic functions. This resulted in blurring of home and work boundaries, the potential lack of space for telecommuting from home, and telecommuters’ feelings of crowding. Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of crowding feelings on workers’ responses. This study focused on the issue of crowding in the residential workspace. An online survey was conducted to investigate how features of the home workspace correlate with telecommuters’ feelings of crowding and how these feelings affect satisfaction, health, and productivity. As a result, we found that various environmental features of home workspaces (e.g., house size, purpose of workspace, accessible balcony, lighting, noise, etc.), as well as psychological aspects (e.g., individual control over space use), had significant effects on telecommuters’ feelings of crowdedness. It was also found that feelings of crowding in the WFH environment can directly and indirectly affect teleworkers’ satisfaction with work environments, well-being, and work performance. Based on the results, we offered various potential ways to alleviate overcrowding issues in the WFH context.

Als so genannte„Spielwiese des Kalten Krieges“ war das postkoloniale Subsahara-Afrika ein umkämpftes Territorium im ideologischen Machtspiel, das die zweite Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts beherrschte. Doch trotz der Spannungen zwischen Ost- und Westblock boten die blockfreien Nationen des „Südens“ auch Möglichkeiten für unwahrscheinliche Kollaborationen. Im Bereich der Stadtplanung ist dies bei der Entwicklung neuer Hauptstädte zu beobachten. Abuja, die neue Hauptstadt Nigerias, dient als ein anschauliches Beispiel. Unter Einbeziehung verschiedener Stimmen (vor allem aus den USA und dem Vereinigten Königreich) konzentrieren wir uns in diesem Artikel auf das Engagement der DDR und insbesondere auf den Beitrag von Heinz Schwarzbach. Durch die Analysen auf Makro- und Mikroebene hoffen wir, die bestehenden Planungsgeschichten des Kalten Krieges zu differenzieren. Und auch wenn die DDR als zweit- oder drittrangiger Spieler erscheint, stellt die Tatsache, dass überhaupt Personen aus der DDR am Abuja-Projekt beteiligt waren, die allgemeine Erzählung des Kalten Krieges in Afrika grund- sätzlich in Frage.

This book is the outcome of an experimental research and teaching project, aimed at rethinking how the garments we wear create relationships between producers, designers and wearers. The project has researched these relationships centered on the production of a dedicated t-shirt, designed, produced and put to use by the project partners, who are located in the Netherlands and India. This book provides an overview of the project trajectory, focusing on how the project has facilitated students from the vocational training colleges in Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Erode (India) to engage in co-creation, and encourage conversations on design, materials, labour, social inequality (caste), gender and value. The book is a resource for students and educators working in fashion related fields at high-school, vocational training and early bachelor degree levels. Integral to the book are a number of short video clips, dedicated to the crucial phases of the process.