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SUMMARY:ISPA conference: "Public Space - the Real and the Ideal"
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210702
DTSTAMP:20260916T045147Z
UID:e962531e6071c316e16dd820c4b569d7af431528412093ba3f8e0279
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Kenneth Frampton | Chantal Mouffe | Margaret Crawford | Sven-O
 lov Wallenstein / & / Tom Spector | Christophe van Gerrewey | Luca Ortelli
  | Tom Avermaete | An Fonteyne\nAlthough public spaces are everywhere\, an
 d used extensively\, the term itself is a contested notion. Many architect
 s\, urban designers\, philosophers\, and political theorists – like Cami
 llo Sitte\, Rem Koolhaas\, Hannah Arendt\, and Henri Lefebvre – have emp
 hasized the importance of understanding public space from a humanistic and
  a democratic perspective. This is often inspired by an ideal of social in
 teraction and democratic pluralism that should somehow be tangible in publ
 ic spaces. The built environment is thus understood as offering more than 
 just a functional space or an aesthetic experience. It is rather seen as a
  force shaping a world-incommon\, which in turn shapes the human experienc
 e of this commonness and the understanding of the world itself\, both cons
 ciously and unconsciously.\n \nHowever\, current developments in cities a
 nd societies\, from smart-cities and Big Data to gentrification\, surveill
 ance and commodification\, seem to make it increasingly difficult for publ
 ic spaces to live up to this ideal. Public spaces are increasingly privati
 zed\, commodified\, controlled\, monitored\, and scripted\; they are desig
 ned to accommodate leisure and tourism\, shopping and sporting\, or transp
 ortation and travelling. Such spaces have\, at first sight\, little regard
  for the social and political ideal of encounter and exchange. On the othe
 r hand\, even in highly controlled spaces\, social life and also political
  protests can occur\, as is shown by the ongoing protests in Hong Kong\, t
 hat even stretch to spaces that are privatized\, heavily controlled\, moni
 tored\, and scripted towards a single purpose. This presses the questions:
  How important is architecture and urban design for public life after all?
  Does design still trace concrete outlines for it\, or can these be found 
 elsewhere?\n \nThe 5th Biennial Conference of the International Society f
 or the Philosophy of Architecture examines public space and its architectu
 re in a rapidly changing societal\, political\, and technological context.
  Issues that might be tackled include (but are not limited to):\n\n	Public
  space and the collective ideal. Is the collective ideal that lies behind 
 the social\, humanistic and democratic perspective still relevant in such 
 a context? How was this ideal realized in the past? Is it still accommodat
 ed by public spaces\, or is there a need to look for other structures\, sp
 aces\, spheres in society that can cater collectivity and serve social and
  political movements?\n	Public space and privatization. When cities\, buil
 dings and transportation turn into personalized services\, what would be t
 he ‘service’ of public space\, and what does this mean for the plannin
 g\, design and ordering of these spaces? How can public spaces embody coll
 ective ideals in a time of privatization and personalization? What are the
  implications of such developments for the relationship between public and
  private space\, public and private interests\, publicness and privacy?\n	
 Public space and participation. How can inhabitants and users be involved 
 in the development of public spaces\, alongside designers\, planners\, pol
 iticians\, investors\, and developers?\n	Public space and commodification.
  What does the commodification of public spaces in the economic competitio
 n of cities around the globe mean for their social and political role?\n	P
 ublic space and technological innovation. How do public spaces and their u
 se change due to selfdriving cars\, Virtual Reality Applications or smartp
 hones? What is the relevance of concrete public spaces facing the increasi
 ng impact of virtual public sphere of social media? How might the effect o
 f the built environment on us change in the era of the internet of things\
 , and what does this mean for the commonality of the world?\n\n \nPhiloso
 phers\, architectural theorists\, architects\, urban planners\, urban desi
 gners and landscape architects and others are invited to consider such que
 stions about public space\, or redraw the assumptions behind them. Theoret
 ical analyses as well as case studies are welcome. Contributors are encour
 aged to give equal consideration to philosophical analysis and concrete st
 ructures of the built environment.\n​\nThe conference will be held at Mo
 nte Verità\, a former utopian-like hub of alternative cooperative life an
 d now site for numerous formidable architectural works\, standing in the b
 eautiful landscape between the Alps and Lago Maggiore in the Swiss canton 
 of Ticino.
LOCATION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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