Experience crisis preparedness in a playful way: Heinerblock Rally for families kicks off
2026/03/18
How can neighborhoods become more resilient, sustainable, and livable? To explore this question, families are invited to take part in the Heinerblock Rally from March 21 to May 31, 2026. The rally covers around two kilometers and includes ten stations throughout the historic Lichtenbergblock in the Martinsviertel district of Darmstadt. It was developed by the LOEWE Center emergenCITY and the Application and Transfer Center Digital Resilience Xchange (DiReX) at the Technical University of Darmstadt.
The research conducted by emergenCITY and DiReX on digital resilience, crisis preparedness, and sustainable urban planning is made tangible through the rally in a playful way. What do the small boxes high up on streetlights mean? How were fires reported in the past? What is the city doing to ensure children can get to school safely? By the end of the rally, families will have learned more about the Heinerboxes, historical crisis research, and safe school routes.
The rally kicks off on March 21 with a special action day. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., families can pick up the free rally booklet and a stamp card at the event space of Zucker e.V., Liebfrauenstraße 66, and start their discovery tour. Along the way, participants solve tricky questions and complete exciting challenges.
About emergenCITY
EmergenCITY is an interdisciplinary collaborative research project involving three universities and a total of 23 academic disciplines. It also includes partners from politics, business, and the City of Science Darmstadt. Its goal is to study the resilience of future digital cities, with a focus on critical infrastructures and the key role of information and communication technologies (ICT).
One of the participating groups is the Chair of Design and Urban Development in the Department of Architecture. Its special role is to pursue a holistic, networked, and integrative approach—combining technical solutions with socio-spatial strategies and developing appropriate responses at the scale of individual buildings, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.