The Invisible Design of Cities: Walking in Zürich

In this IRL salon, Patricia Hurducas will lead a discussion on walking, walkability, and the invisible design of cities. We will walk and explore three different places in Zürich and end our walking tour on the terrace of a café in the old city centre.

“Not to find one’s way around a city does not mean much. But to lose one’s way in a city, as one loses one’s way in a forest, requires some schooling. Street names must speak to the urban wanderer like the snapping of dry twigs, and little streets in the heart of the city must reflect the times of day, for him, as clearly as a mountain valley. This art I acquired rather late in life; it fulfilled a dream, of which the first traces were labyrinths on the blotting papers in my school notebooks.” – Walter Benjamin

How can we perceive more in detail the objects and buildings that surround us as we walk down the streets? Why is it important to pay attention to the shape of the street signs, the colours of the buildings, the motifs of the tiles, or the interior design of our favourite bookshop or café? How does design improve the walkability of a city? How is the (invisible) design of cities affecting our moods and our walking itineraries?

Let’s walk and find out the answers to some of these questions.

This is a members only event. Please sign in to RSVP.