Topics
Cities the Magazine has organized three main categories around which to build the urban discourses. Cities the Magazine reveals processes that are sustaining public and private strategies, which are under development in order to create new urban forms.
Processes
is the broader category concerning the scope of the analysis. On a global scale, cities are expanding while other are reducing in size, some other cities are just brand new built while other display internal contrasts regarding the social composition and the built environment. Cities the magazine will firstly clear up some of the reasons behind those processes and then show you the concrete outcomes on a more man tailored way.
Examples
- Urban sprawl
- In 1900, 10% of the world population lived in cities, by the turn of the millennium, the world urban population reached the 50%... Many urban areas have not been able to regulate this influx of inhabitants. Cities have spread in different ways according to morphological, social, political and economic circumstances.
- Shrinking cities
- Not all cities are growing, while some have been able to adapt to global competition, others are diminishing their role and the population is migrating towards more attractive areas, leaving specific urban images behind�
- New towns
- It is the oldest global phenomenon. While in the past, to build a new town was a colonial and pioneer activity; nowadays it is an experimental practice to host the growing amount of urban population�
- Social segregation and spatial exclusion
- When the society is not able to create an egalitarian welfare system, the gap between poor and rich grows. The urban environment is the mirror of our society, the space in which social disparities are more visible�
STRATEGIES
is highlighting general ways to tackle the developments of cities. Public bodies are shifting their traditional approaches away from a hierarchical form of public government. The global competition is urging our municipalities to turn towards more market driven forms of management, often called governance. At the same time, the global discourse on climate change and about the dangers of our lifestyles is pushing the cities to become pioneers in the organization of environmentally sustainable projects. It may be about the urge to how to survive or to gain visibility, our cities are displaying new strategies, and Cities the Magazine want to dig deep into those�.
Examples
- City slogans
- Cities are competing; market driven strategies have come to the public administrative level. Exactly like companies, cities have their own brands, which are helpful to internationally promote their images; and what was previously called the souvenir, is nowadays a designed good of the city�s merchandise�.
- Infill as a strategy
- Infill strategies promote a development of new homes, commercial areas, and public facilities on vacant or underutilized land in existing communities. This strategy is now considered a viable more environmental friendly alternative to sprawl development�
- Public transports innovation
- Urban congestion is generally due to widespread car culture and inappropriate public transport system. Some urban areas are trying to be creative and find innovative solutions in order to provide a better way to move their cities users�
- Temporary usage
- Abandoned buildings are sometimes more economically fruitful when the cost of demolishment is compensated by renting out of their derelict spaces. Artists and creative entrepreneurs fit with this strategy as adaptable and not pretentious tenants�
- Pedestrainization and bikeability
- Pollution, car congestion and oil prices are creating awareness about the unfortunate outcomes of car-based transport system. Cities� administrations are converging towards the promotion of bike lanes and pedestrian areas.
FORMS AND FUNCTIONS
explores our cities on a lower scale. Some say that cities are converging towards homogeneity of urban landscapes. The raise of the global service oriented and creative economy seems like it reproduces typical architectures all over the world, standardizing our built environments. Is that true? Cities the Magazine wants to show new urban forms and urban functions, while discussing differences and similarities of specific phenomenon on a global scale.
Examples
- Industrial renewal
- The abandoned factory has been restored and now hosts all but manufacturing activities�
- Waterfront redevelopment
- The riverside of the city has been redeveloped. New buildings and activities provide new a identity to the shoreline�Harbours are brand new public beaches�
- Skyline development
- One of the most massive global urban phenomena going on all over the world. It seems that if global cities don�t keep on developing a set of high, titanic and architecturally notorious skyscrapers, the real estate (and financial) global market will crash�.
- Knowledge intensive clusters
- The industrial activities have been replaced by the new economy. Knowledge and information are raw material of present days. The urban environment adapted to this change by creating specialized areas in which knowledge activities (universities, scientific and research centres as examples) are hosted and promoted thanks to the potential of proximity.
- Vertical greenery
- Greenery is not only about parks. Greenery can also be vertical, climbing on walls and formed as roof gardens. Sky rise greenery: can it be truly labelled as a major component of sustainable development?
In order to explore the processes, strategies and forms the cities are facing; Cities the Magazine will handle one theme for every issue. As cities change, the themes of Cities the Magazine will change as well. Therefore this list of themes is a preliminary example of what Cities the Magazine wants to tackle. There is no risk of running out of topics.
