Understanding the City: An Introduction to Urbanism

In this salon Camilo Arturo Suárez leads a discussion on the range of starting points from which one can begin to understand the city as a place of intersectional human experience and it’s relation to the built environment.

Cities are incredibly complex places, but often, they are complex in ways we do not always perceive. How does our relationship to the street layout by our front door, and for that matter, the immense urban environment beyond it, affect our every day life and all around human experience?

How do policy makers, urban planners, and schools of thought affect the way we buy groceries? How do they impact our preference in choosing a mode of transport? Whose interests are they prioritizing?

If you have stopped to considered why cities are as they are, or how, for that matter, they can be a better place to live in, then this salon may be a perfect opportunity to start making the relationship with your hometown or adopted city a closer one.

Reading and watching list:

• Urbanization and the future of cities
• Urban Geography: Why we live where we do
• Life Between Buildings by Jan Gehl (The first chapter’s two initial sections, pages 9 to 29 in the linked file)
• The Death and Life of Great American cities by Jane Jacobs (reading just the introduction is fine! Also, this is just a PDF I found, I highly recommend purchasing the book in itself)

Salon format:

First 30 mins: Introductions and starting points

– What does your city do well? What does it not?
– What is your favorite place in your city?
– How do you think cities can be better for women?
– How do you think cities can be better for people of color and minorities?
– If you could magically change one big piece of infrastructure in your city what would it be?

Next 1-1.5 hours: Discussion

We’ll go ahead and share our experience from our own cities and see what patterns emerge as they pertain to human experience and needs.

Last 20 min or so: Conclusions

If this salon goes well, and there is genuine interest, it can become a series on various urbanism and city related salons where we can discuss many aspects of urban planning and living in the city, from mobilities to infrastructure.

Image from Freepik.

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