“Thriving and progressive democracy depends on vigorous public debate about public spaces,” says Michael Kimmelnam, the architecture critic of The New York Times and a frequent keynote speaker at reSITE events.
Can we design public spaces that represent us in our diversity? Can we design them specifically for protests? Who controls and shapes public spaces? What do protest spaces in different parts of the world have in common? In this inspiring lecture about politics and public spaces, Michael answers these and many more questions. He uses several examples of protests to point out the importance of public spaces and so in this keynote lecture you will hear the story of protests in Zuccotti park in New York, Tahrir square in Cairo or Gazi park in Ankara. For Michael Kimmelman, space is “a container as well as stage for action”, it is also a common ground where people of different backgrounds discover each other and their shared grievances.
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(c) reSITE 2014
reSITE is an international nonprofit platform based in Prague. We work at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, politics, culture, and economics. We act as a catalyst for social action and innovative leadership.
We encourage an exchange of ideas about making cities more livable, competitive and resilient. We protect and promote public space, architecture, and sustainable development in cities.
Why? To stimulate action for sustainable urban design and therefore better cities. We stand for public space.
