Book

Urbanity Twenty Years Later - Project for Central European capitals

 

The publication we present here shows a path of the cooperation of seven universities from Central European capital cities. Thanks to the willingness of the students and tutors, these universities have become part of two-year research activities by which we are jointly defining and creating Central Europe twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first question by many students asking why we are here and if we are really part of Central Europe opened up room to mutual recognition and understanding. The search of an answer to the question of what is Central European space aroused a series of discussions. A sincere understanding of their surroundings and stereotypes by which everyone from the environment lives became a starting point for future cooperation. Two workshops were jointly organised in Prague, further work took place in individual studios. An informal form of communication by email and facebook then became a real space where ideas appeared, visits were organised to other cities and discussions developed about the senselessness or essence of the project “Urbanity – Twenty Years Later”. The publication does not offer the range of procedures dealing with the problems of cities, but projects the thoughts of a generation of upcoming architects about the city and it’s potential. At the same time it offers a comparison of various educational approaches which led to projects from paper architecture to the architecture of deeds.

 

Has someone been talking about Central Europe again?
Interview with Elia Zenghelis
Interview with Lieven de Cauter