Restoring, Regenerating, Rethinking: The Urban Transformation

Through the eyes of renowned Spanish architects, this lecture series explores how, in the last 25 years, the urban landscape of Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao has changed dramatically. These cities have been able to restore their historic areas, regenerate their public spaces, and rethink their futures. For their bold vision, all three cities were selected to be part of the Expo 2010 Shanghai, China within the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA). Free and open to the public, the series is directed by architect and urban designer Iker Gil. Mr. Gil is the recipient of the 2010 Emerging Visions Award from the Chicago Architectural Club, director and founder of MAS Studio, editor-in-chief of MAS Context, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture Lecture Series Schedule: ▪ Bilbao—“Bilbao’s Strategic Evolution: From the Industrial to the Post-Industrial City” with Ibon Areso Thursday, November 18, 6:00 p.m. Presented in Spanish with simultaneous English translation Bilbao gradually acquired relevance as a mercantile town due to its geographical location as a link between Spain and Northern Europe. However, this growth slowed down in the 1970s. The economical and social transformations of those years altered the structure of the world economy, and their effects were especially detrimental to the former driving forces sectors of the great industry: the iron-and-steel, shipbuilding and textile sectors. In the face of a decline situation similar to that of other former industrial areas in Europe and other regions of the world, Bilbao had to commit itself to finding a new model for the future, while starting from the existing one. Mr. Areso is Deputy Mayor of the Bilbao Town Hall and Councilor for the Circulation and Transport Section. He has participated in the development of several master plans, both as an architect as well as part of the local government. He has been the delegate of the urbanism and environmental department of Bilbao City Hall, as well as an advisor to Bilbao Ria 2000 since its foundation, member of the board of directors of Bilbao Metropoli-30, and the Guggenheim, Museum among others. ▪ Madrid—“Urban Social Design” with Belinda Tato Wednesday, December 1, 6:00 p.m. Presented in English How can we - using design, participation, regeneration and communication - improve/enhance/multiply/promote the interaction, creativity and auto- organization dynamics between people? This is one of the questions Ms. Tato will help us to answer in this lecture, based on her extensive experience and multiple projects. Belinda Tato is one of the founding members of Ecosistema Urbano, an innovative agency focused on the understanding of the city as a complex phenomenon, from a special point of view between architecture, urbanism, engineering and sociology. She and her team have received over 30 awards for their projects since 2000, both in national and international design competitions including the European Acknowledgement Award from the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction (Geneva, 2005). She has also been teaching as a visiting professor giving workshops and lectures at the most prestigious institutions worldwide. For detailed information, visit www.chicago.cervantes.es