Portfolio | Design as Politics

Stadmakerscongres 2014

Image by Fred Ernst A Couple of weeks ago, our Design as Politics students took part in the 2014 Stadsmakerscongres (City Makers Congress), organized by the Rotterdam Architecture Foundation. The event was concentrated around the central theme of ‘connectivity’ – a crucial issue in an age in which ‘city making’ is not only done by formal and institutional actors, but more and more also by entrepreneurs, activist and citizens. The Stadmakerscongres 2014 brought these parties and their practices together, investigated its potential and explored how it already works in Rotterdam. Our students took part in the Tours & Stories program,… Read More

Lecture: We The People – Democracy, Architecture and the City

Next Monday, Wouter Vanstiphout will lecture about the strong but complex relationship between Architecture and Democracy. Starting with traditional democratic architecture – such as palaces and parliament buildings that represent the ideas and values of democracy – we move to architecture and urban design, which provides the necessary spatial facilities for democracy to happen. Spaces in which democracy becomes manifest, in which confrontations between ideologies happen, and in which new forces take their role in shaping our cities. The lecture is open for all, so Join us on Monday 8 December at 08:45 in Room F of the TU Delft… Read More

Workshop by Ton Matton

On the 16 of September we took our students to the city of Almere for a workshop with urban planner and artist Ton Matton, who positions his own work somewhere between object-design, society-shape, ecological urban planning and artist-actionismus. Matton received us at the building site of his Type EW58/08 house – a replica of a very simple GDR working class dwelling – which is currently being constructed in one of Almere’s new neighbourhoods. In an improvised outdoor lecture room, with chairs made from cargo pallets and a white minivan functioning as a projection screen, he gave an inspiring lecture explaining… Read More

The New Town- From Welfare City to Neoliberal Utopia

New Towns are Politics! That’s why, at the end of this month we will start a public lecture series organized in collaboration with the International New Town Institute carrying the title ‘The New Town– From Welfare City to Neoliberal Utopia.’ The lectures will follow a chronological story on new town planning in the 20th century, explaining how the design of New Towns was based on experiments in the pre-war period with utopian, communal living, was then discovered by national governments as ways to further their very diverse political agendas, later became a symbol of modernization and progress in the postwar… Read More

Hoog Catharijne’s Concrete Rigidity

Last month Design as Politics, together with Failed Architecture and the University of Amsterdam, organized a workshop and debate on the redevelopment of Utrecht’s central station area, and the adjacent Hoog Catharijne business and shopping centre. The workshop and debate focused on the financing models behind large-scale real estate projects and the historical roles and responsibilities of architects and planners in designing these. Our aim was to discuss Hoog Catharijne’s original and current redevelopment plans with experts, students and local stakeholders as part of the Design as Politics graduation studio ‘Follow the Money’. Jan Loerakker and Tim Verlaan of Failed… Read More

Architecture and Urbanism After the Nation State

Last Monday, Design as Politics’ professor Wouter Vanstiphout gave his third lecture for students following the Urbanism Masters track. After discussing Money in the first quarter, and Democracy during the second, he now confronted the students with the topic of decentralization. Starting from the basic principles of the nation state and the rise and fall of Dutch planning, he discussed the idea of a federal Europe, the concept of charter cities and even autarkic, anarchist and Tolstoyan communities. Wanna know more? Check out the lecture recordings here

Lecture Monday 18 Nov. 10:45-12:30 Room B

Click on Image to see the lecture. On monday 18 November, Wouter Vanstiphout gave the second lecture in a series of three for students at Delft University of Technology. The recordings of the lecture titled ‘We the People – Design, Democracy and the City’ can be seen here. After our Money lecture last September, we will now take you on a journey along architecture projects in order to explore their democratic value. From large iconic projects as a representation of democracy, like the Houses of Parliament in London, or the National Mall in Washington DC to small-scale, “big society-like” participation… Read More

The Rotterdamse Rekenkamer

Last month we took our ‘Follow the Money’ students to the Rotterdamse rekenkamer for a lesson on finical issues related to municipal land development and the consequences of the current economic crisis on municipal policies. Researcher Evelien van Rij and director Paul Hofstra received us at their office for an introductory lecture about their work, followed by a hands-on workshop with the students. The Rekenkamer (court of audit) is an independent institution, which conducts research into the efficiency, effectiveness, legality and transparency of policies issued by the municipal administration. Their scope is not limited only to the effects of direct… Read More

Workshop by Jelte Boeijenga

‘Follow the Money’ Students working on the assignment. For the first workshop of this year’s graduation studio ‘Follow the Money’ we invited Jelte Boeijenga; researcher/advisor on spatial planning and urbanism, with a strong focus on the aspect of finance in city making. Jelte started the workshop with an eye-opening lecture based on his research ‘Money and the City’ – sketching the sometimes alarming financial situation of the 25 largest Dutch municipalities. As a consequence of the current financial and economic crisis the national government is taking harsh austerity measures, while following a policy of decentralisation. This means that more and… Read More

Lecture: Follow the Money

Click to see the lecture Last Monday, Wouter Vanstiphout gave a lecture at the TU Delft architecture faculty as part of the master education in urbanism. Just as our current graduation studio, the lecture was titled ‘Follow the Money,’ and was focused on the complex correlation between economy and architecture or urban planning. Wouter started his lecture with an explanation of the current financial crisis and its effects on architecture. From foreclosures in Las Vegas, through ghost towns in Spain and China, to the risky politics of ground development in the Netherlands, he ended his lecture with a more positive… Read More