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SUMMARY:Minimum.... or Maximum Cities? - Anna Minton (Author\, Ground Cont
 rol)\; Spencer de Grey (Foster + Partners)\; Marcial Echenique (Professor 
 of Land Use and Transport Studies\, University of Cambridge)\; Peter Guthr
 ie (Professor of Enginee
DTSTART:20091126T090000Z
DTEND:20091126T170000Z
UID:TALK20945@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ye ZHANG
DESCRIPTION:What is the future for cities? Are they expanding at an ever-i
 ncreasing rate or are they being abandoned and shrinking into oblivion? Ar
 e cities polluted\, overcrowded and anonymous\, or are they dynamic centre
 s of innovation and culture? Are they sociable or anti-social? Well\, it d
 epends who you read because each description reflects the confusion about 
 the state of the world's cities. Anxieties over urban space within western
  cities\, and fears over the dynamic growth of megacities in the developin
 g world have altered the way that we see the benefits and drawbacks of urb
 anisation. It has been said that a culture of shrinkage is set to develop\
 ; or alternatively\, that the city will have finally swallowed the world.\
 n\n\nSo one year on from the economic crash\, how should we seek to reinvi
 gorate our urban centres? Some welcome the current mood of caution as appr
 opriate for hazardous times. Others argue a lack of belief in the benefits
  of an urbanised future is a cause for concern.  So should the priority be
  to dampen expectations and settle for minimising potential problems?  Or 
 should we be more ambitious and experiment with new ideas and technologies
  that could maximise future gains? Are our creative talents best employed 
 in seeking a 'minimum' city as a means to retrench\, rethink and rebuild? 
 Or is a 'maximum' urbanism the answer\, based on expansive cities for a dy
 namic and globalised planet?\n\nFrom transport systems to energy grids\, f
 rom social networks to economic activity\, this is the forum in which to d
 ebate the implications of min/max alternatives.  And given the often fraug
 ht debates over lifestyles\, liberties\, aesthetic values and technologies
 \, to clarify the architectural and cultural attributes that can best help
  address the urban future.\n\nSessions include: \n\n· The Anxious City: T
 he Dilemmas of Growth\n\n· The Agile City: Local Ties versus Global Reach
 \n\n· Powering the City: Innovations in Energy \n\n· The Future City: Re
 writing the Rule Book\n\n
LOCATION:Department of Architecture\, University of Cambridge
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