Urban image sociology: On empty containers and the risk-free city of the 21st century

Gabu Heindls Comment on Klaus Ronneberger „Container des 21. Jahrhunderts“ (2000) in sub\urban – a scientific journal that creates a place predominantly for a German-speaking inter­disciplinary debate in critical urban research.

Abstract
The text combines an appreciation of Klaus Ronneberger’s contribution to critical urban sociology with an analysis of racist shifts in the current discourse on urban space. The starting point is a debate on the „urban image“ forced in Germany in 2025, which does not target real urban policy deficits – such as lack of infrastructure, sealed spaces, or speculative vacancies – but serves as a projection field for racially charged arguments. Under the pretext of protecting women and girls, migrant men are singled out as „a problem“ and deportations are legitimized. The text makes it clear that this logic ties in seamlessly with other discourses in which poverty, begging, and homelessness are treated as „disturbances“ of the urban image. This is countered by a central insight from Ronneberger’s critical urban research: to understand social injustice and inequality as the result of political decisions and social power relations. This exposes the „urban image“ as a contested space – an expression of social exclusion and inclusion.