The world is turned upside down, the streets are empty. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there is a storm raging through our values and structures. This gives us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’. How can we restructure existing dysfunctional systems? In this new series, we will showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on this present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the Creative Industry. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left within the aftermath? During these times, it is the creatives who can visualise new scenarios and through hypothesising can develop new insights into our future.
Lyongo Juliana, director of OZ Caribbean, fell in love with Architecture when he was a student in Architectural Engineering at TU/Eindhoven. For Lyongo, architecture is not just about making locations more beautiful and in balance, it is about creating a people’s experience. As the first Architect in Residence (AiR) of 2020 at ARCAM Architecture Centre Amsterdam, today he is investigating the degree of diversity and inclusiveness of architecture in Amsterdam. Lyongo hopes to plant the first seed in the process of creating a broader cultural perspective within the architectural world. Now our city is facing a pandemic that comes with its own set of challenges which forced everyone to stay inside, the pressure on our public space will increase now we are slowly allowed to leave our homes again. How can architecture and urban design contribute to a living environment in which all Amsterdam citizens recognise themselves and feel at home?
Alejandro Echeverri is the co-founder and Director of URBAM, the Center for Urban and Environmental Studies at EAFIT University in Medellín (Colombia), and a Loeb Fellow from Harvard GSD. His experience combines architectural, urban, environmental projects, and planning. Alejandro believes in the ethical responsibility of designers to contribute towards a better society. Between 2004 and 2008, while working for the Municipality of Medellín, he led the Social Urbanism strategy to improve the city’s most impoverished neighbourhoods by ‘social urbanism’, making Medellín a blueprint for the future for other distressed cities worldwide. He is also active in design through his studio Alejandro Echeverri + Valencia Architects, focusing on projects with low environmental impact for tropic regions.
Het Parool - Architect in residence Lyongo Juliana signaleert dat Amsterdam het grootste deel van de bevolking, mensen met een migratieachtergrond, vergeet op het gebied van woonwensen. ‘We moeten betere gebouwen maken voor alle Amsterdammers.’ >>
Populyst - One of the most important actors in Medellín transformation is architect Alejandro Echeverri. With the inspired leadership of Mayor Sergio Fajardo and a team of architects, engineers, communicators and social workers, Echeverri in his post as Medellín’s Director of Urban Projects set out to bring real improvements through a strategy of “social urbanism”. >>
The Conversation - In modern cities, our public spaces represent our shared values. They are our common assets, owned, maintained and used by all members of our society. The outbreak of coronavirus and its immediate impacts, such as social distancing, have raised many questions about the role of public space in such times. >>
Gebiedsontwikkeling.nu - De openbare ruimte als ultieme plek van sociale en economische interactie, is ‘omgevallen’. Hoe zal deze stedelijke infrastructuur zich herstellen van de rampspoed waarmee zij door de pandemie en de daarbij horende maatregelen zijn getroffen? >>
