Our friend Francesco has shared the abstract [in Spanish] that was accepted today for URBAN HYBRIDIZATION in Contemporary Territories. Here it is in English:

In the past 20 years, the communications revolution produced by the Internet substantially affected the way we interact with the world. This has driven us to a change of perception in the traditionally recognized opposition between real and virtual. Nowadays, a new paradigm is actually re-drawing reality as a complex system of relations between layers as “face” (physical) and virtual. Architects and urban planners can no longer ignore this new reality generated by ubiquitous computer technologies that we have translated to the reconfiguration of physical space in urban areas, with the term “hybrid public spaces”.

This “hybridization” of space is only an expression of wider radical changes between analytical systems (order and spacing) to synthetic (complexity, connectivity, permeability) ones. In a system characterized by its high capacity for communication, if space becomes a mix between reality and virtual presence, the separation between private and public space becomes obsolete. According to this theory of urban permeability, the concept of “filter” is important as a new indispensable (Technological? Architectural? Social? Cultural? ) device. Filter as a mean of connection with the capacity of handling private/public, real/virtual, inside a system where the channels are not separated anymore. Now these channels are communicating -APERTURE-.

In this model, public space is defined as the space in which information can flow freely. The public information consists in the communication generated from private channels screened by urban filters. In our point of view, this filter function cannot be automated: only people, through his sensitivity and emotions, can solve this function of discernment.

We propose an anthropocentric definition of these «hybrid public space»: considering the technological importance of information channels but restoring spirituality and intelligence that can only be provided by humans beings.

Submmited by: Francesco Cingolani, Domenico Di Siena, Manu Fernández, Paco González, César Reyes Nájera and Ethel Baraona Pohl

Hace algunos meses, la revista Volume publicó su número Unsolicited Architecture, en un momento más que oportuno para la profesión del arquitecto. Un momento en el que todos [o la gran mayoría] nos cuestionamos las diversas vías del hacer arquitectónico, ya que a raíz de las dificultades económicas que atraviesa el planeta, ha surgido una tendencia reflexiva en torno a nuestra profesión: ¿cuáles son los lineamientos a seguir para un arquitecto? ¿cuál es el papel del arquitecto en la sociedad?

El post completo en Arkinet.

Just a few hours ago, we received a tweet sent by our friend @javierest and thougt that is an event with the perfect philosophy and a great program to post as our first review in this blog, that came out from a networking session via twitter in between some of us [bloggers, friends, architects and non-architects] that were just wondering about the future of the architectural profession and about the new ways that architects have to be involved in the real and current socio-political reality that we are living.

The program,  under the theme Ten Days for Oppositional Architecture is really amazing and you can have a complete overview here:

The event is public and will be at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, is a project developed by An Architektur and organized by Oliver Clemens, Sabine Horlitz, Anita Kaspar, Kim Förster. As they quotes in their web-site:

During the event we want to discuss the potential of the concept of commons as a political discourse and practice that sets a limit to capitalist accumulation but that also goes beyond it – a strategy of de-commodification and re-appropriation that tries to recognize and articulate the already existing though maybe minor and often micro-level alternative practices. Commons are an optimistic alternative, a grounded vision based on existing struggles but fundamentally questioning the hegemonic logic of today’s society. We want to explore the notion of commons in different historical situations and see how it can be actualized today. What are its potentials, limitations and can it be turned into a social and political force and perspective towards post-capitalist spaces?

The program includes multidisciplinary lecturers as James deFilippis [geographer], David Kotz [economist], Teddy Cruz [architect], Peter Linebaugh [historian], Lize Mogel ans Alexis Baghat, editors of An Atlas of Radical Cartography, among others. The complete program is here.

So, if you’re around New York in November 12th to 21th, don’t miss it… Did someone say #thinkark?