The international conference "Past Present and Future of Public Space," which will take place next June 25-27 in Bologna (Italy), is getting closer! But there is still time to contribute.
We are very proud to announce that City Space Architecture in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna and Ottagono.com have just launched a national competition for short films, called "Beyond the ideal city".
Not just words then, but also images, stories and emotions to describe and discuss the Past Present and Future of Public Space. In line with the international academic research project, the main purpose of this competition is to investigate the contemporary city, the connections, intersections and urban activities that take place inside it, seen through complex social issues, contexts and human geographies. Forgetting those seducing shapes of the ideal city, the competition asks to explore the public realm beyond the stereotypes and well-known images of consumerism, looking for hidden aspects that our eyes, deliberately or unconsciously, in the daily experience don't want or cannot see.
The deadline for sending short films is June 3, 2014. No registration fee is required.
On June 25, during the international conference, in a special session at Cinema Europa (via Pietralata 55), the jury will award the winner in front of a large audience, with the "Prize Ottagono.com", worth euro 2,000 in cash. The short film will then be presented and discussed.
The competition announcement (in Italian) can be downloaded HERE (as a .pdf file).

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ART, ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN
Bologna, Italy, 25-27 June 2014

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"Past present and future of public space" is an Italian project, developed as an academic postdoctoral research activity by our President Luisa Bravo during the past two years, at the Department of Architecture, University of Bologna (Italy). It aims to explore new dimensions of public realm and to discuss results of research activities, through a multidisciplinary approach, on public space and related topics, comparing theories and projects with advisors and correspondents from different contexts.
Started in 2012, the project has  involved many international scholars and professionals.
First results were presented and discussed at the Biennale dello spazio pubblico on May 2013 in Rome, during an international session promoted by City Space Architecture and coordinated by our President Luisa Bravo, and then published in a special issue of the open access e-journal "IN_BO. Ricerche e progetti per il territorio, la città e l'architettura", entitled "The public space of education", edited by Luisa Bravo and Claudio Sgarbi. During the Roman session a call for proposals has been launched in order to invite scholars, architects, urban designers, planners, photographers and artists to join the project. 
The research project was then discussed in Bologna, on 9 November 2013 during a symposium and exhibition at Quartiere San Vitale, Municipality of Bologna, promoted by City Space Architecture.
The international conference that will take place in Bologna, next 25-27 June 2014, is intended to be the final result of this research activity, as a large public event.

During the Art City White Night, a special event within “Arte Fiera. International Fair of Modern and Contemporary Art”, on January 25, 2014, we presented [The urban lounge and a green view], a collaborative project developed with bAQ, a young group created in Florence by several students from the Faculty of Architecture.
Our installation took place in Via Santo Stefano 7, in the urban core of the city of Bologna, close to the Leaning Towers, within the footprint of 2.5 by 10 meters of two parking spots. From 6:00 pm to midnight we transformed a small outdooor space into a private/public domestic living room and its garden. 
We met many citizens from Bologna and had a fun and pleasant time with them and with our friends, sitting on the sofa or surrounded by the nature. They all shared our vision of a road made for people to meet and socialize, with a very positive attitude and a friendly interest. Thanks you all!

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[To read and download the first edition of our magazine "la Res publica" (in Italian),

click on the image]

[The urban lounge and a green view] is a collaborative event promoted by City Space Architecture together with bAQ, a young group created in Florence by several students from the Faculty of Architecture, with the purpose of acting from the inside heart of the city, exploiting hidden places and establishing an everyday interaction with urban residents and users.
[The urban lounge and a green view] event has been organized for “Arte Fiera. International fair of Modern and Contemporary Art” as a part of the Art City White Night and will take place on January 25, 2014. It has been inspired by the worldwide famous "Parking Day", intended to transform certain parking spots into places of social interaction, highlighting the potential associated to their transformation.

Last November 9, 2013 our "Past present and future of public space" international research project was presented in a public symposium and exhibition at the Quartiere San Vitale, Municipality of Bologna.
Students from University of Bologna and University of Florence discussed about public space referring mainly to the city of Bologna, presenting results from research activities. Using provocative images and a conceptual approach, they tried to establish a new perception of the public realm, both for the historic centre and the suburb. By twinning central and peripheral public spaces, mixing their functions and enhancing their potentialities through a network of urban sequences, they tried to underline similarities and differences between different places, thus suggesting new ways through which they could benefit each one with another.
An urban regeneration strategy for the Via Emilia, the territorial public space backbone, was presented. Working on a lighter, quicker, cheaper approach, suggesting simple improvements of places, proposing a large involvement of residents, associations and ordinary people as main performers in the design and transformation process, the project develops a new vision for this 12 Km long public space as a means for reconnecting citizens to public life, in the city centre and suburbs.
Invited speakers from University of Bologna presented different research projects, currently underway, related to art (Pop-up city) and technology (Hic svnt leones) as tools to describe embedded values in the contemporary public realm.
A final round table with scholars, public administrators and professionals opened a discussion about the role of architects and planners in those processes that transform places in which we live every day. How to design or regenerate spaces able to attract people and promote vibrant activities? A new awareness and cultural knowledge of the contemporary city needs to be established, referring to the urban and suburban contexts as part of the same whole, where opportunities can be shared in order to achieve a common good.

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