Critical Heritages - BARCELONA

BARCELONA: Cultural Pasts - Urban Futures Part of the Critical Heritages Series: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Dates: 15-17 July, 2024 Place: Barcelona (with virtual options) Abstracts: 15 July, 2023 (early) | 10 Dec, 2023 (Round 1) https://amps-research.com/conference/barcelona/ PUBLISHERS: UCL Press | Routledge, Taylor and Francis ORGANISERS: AMPS, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Call: Every region of the world has its particular cultural, social and artistic heritage. In urban centres this is at its most pronounced. The city, as we see it today, results from a history of planning initiatives, artistic visions, social forces and engineering projects. In thinking about its future, we are obliged to build on its past and its present: its varied buildings and urban plans; its artistic heritage and craft traditions; its design vernaculars and regional practices; its neighborhood bonds and community ties; its economic conditions and social norms, and more. The city, then, is a living question: past, present and future. When thinking about the future of specific cities we are also obliged to think more broadly - to understand the local and the global context in which we live: the transnational forces of globalization, the universal concern for sustainability; and the worldwide trends of consumerist cultures etc. In this regard too, the city is a complex issue: a question of specific responses to global issues. The host city of this event, Barcelona, and by extension the whole region of Catalonia, is a perfect example of this. A place of cultural identity; a site of architectural masterworks; a centre of visionary urbanism; and a place of artistic creation over centuries, it is also a place of contestation. Alongside its celebrated public art is unaffordable housing; next to its tourist sites are pockets of industrial decline; alongside its cultural heritage are forces of political and social unrest. In celebrating and conserving the history and present of the place, there is a need to plan a future that is fair, just, open and, in the final analysis, sustainable. In addressing the questions and issues raised by the region, this conference opens debates relevant to cities the world over. Across the Mediterranean, issues of sustainable futures are paramount. In Europe more widely, the gentrification of traditional neighborhoods is endemic. In North America and Australasia, the respect for Indigenous cultures and crafts is urgently needed. In Africa and Asia, how to sustainably design for growth in existing contexts is a pressing problem. In Latin America and the Middle-East, development that avoids the homogenizing forces of globalization is vital. In these contexts this conference argues that these interchangeable global issues are key to our pasts, but also to our sustainable futures. - MORE DETAILS: https://amps-research.com/conference/barcelona/ Enquiries: team@amps-research.com