Social cohesion requires trust, a sense of community, and tangible places. The BOB CAMPUS in Wuppertal is one such place-a social construct and a learning space, created and shaped collectively by many people. This book tells its story-personal, honest, and inspiring. Following the first volume in the Gemeinwohl bauen series, which focused on the structural and spatial transformation of a former textile factory, this second volume explores the socially transformative potential of participatory and cooperative processes in the creation and appropriation of the site. Around thirty people-from the neighborhood, volunteer initiatives, non-profit and migrant self-organizations, the Montag Stiftung Urbane Räume, and the municipal administration-share their personal perspectives on the project, supplemented by expert insights from urban planning as well as the social and educational sciences. Their stories illustrate what it takes to spark-and continually nurture-the magic of community spirit within a neighborhood.

• Good-practice example of a community-oriented, participatory transformation based on the "principle of initial investment"
• Focus on social processes, approaches, and lessons learned
• With portrait photography by Caroline Schreer and personal contributions from around thirty project participants from Wuppertal and the Oberbarmen neighborhood
• Background information on BOB CAMPUS, the award-winning neighborhood development project (including the 2025 German Urban Development Award)