Verkehrsnöte. Rhythmus, Taktung und Störungen des Essener Straßenbahnverkehrs während des Ersten Weltkrieges

Mobility and urban traffic are polyrhythmic constellations which redefine the conditions of time and space
in cities. Referring to tramways in Essen, a major industrial city in the Ruhr district
before and during the First World War, the article sounds out the relations of
traffic, vehicles, consumers and urban space. Technical rhythms of mobility point
to the power relations that make social space. The term ‘Verkehrsnot’ refers to the
manner in which space is temporally structured, clocked and organized by repetition
and interruption. The analysis of rhythms supports the attempt to lay
open the social and technical conditions of communication.