UrgentCity is a project by
Amateur Cities and
New Generations

‘UrgentCity, Towards a New Vocabulary of Terms’ is a research project paired with a program of activities, which investigates the challenges present in communication and collaboration between disciplines involved in city making and addressing urban challenges. We start from the premise that the language we use does not only describe our reality but also actively shapes it. Our contemporary vocabulary is dominated by terms which may appear generic, confusing, hyped, redundant or simply understood differently by people from different disciplines. How can we trace these terms and compose them in a contemporary vocabulary? And what does the language we use say about our contemporary society?

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The project addresses four umbrella topics of New Ecologies, Urban Assets, Digital Toolkit and New Collectives and comprises of three phases: crowdsourcing of terms, a series interviews with Dutch and Italian experts and a public event in Florence.

THEME

NEW ECOLOGIES

In the wake of the environmental crisis we look for new ways to protect biodiversity in and outside of cities. Looking for new possibilities for nature and cities to coexist we have already found: biodegradable materials, new ways of remediation, renewable energy or urban farming. But at the same time, progressing human interference with natural processes seems to make us lose faith in the very existence of nature proclaiming our time as anthropocene or capitalocene.
 

THEME

URBAN ASSETS

Urban assets are the hardware of the city: houses, offices, shops, cinemas, roads, bridges, embarkments and all other physical structures that build it. While European cities shrink and suffer from abundance of vacant buildings, in other parts of the globe there is shortage of housing and infrastructure. Regardless of location the availability and management of urban resources including buildings, public space, infrastructure and land poses many challenges that are yet to be addressed.

THEME

DIGITAL TOOLKIT

New technologies and media relate to digital governance, e-learning, information, automation, hacking, artificial intelligence algorithms and the way we spend free time. To understand their impact we need to take a closer look at the growing hybridisation of urban space and digital media and its effect on mobility, information access, data management, empowerment, privacy and surveillance.

THEME

NEW COLLECTIVES

Cities not only become denser, but also more multicultural and more complex. Bigger agglomerations provide bigger opportunities, but at the same time alienation, exclusion and isolation remain in striking contrast to the emerging sentiment for community, new forms of cooperation, communication and their potential to change the traditional way of shaping our cities.

URGENT CITY
Ania Molenda & Cristina Ampatzidou - Amateur Cities
Gianpiero Venturini - New Generations

RESEARCH & EDITORIAL TEAM
Daphne Bakker, Giulia Cosenza, William Priestley, Michela Di Saverio

GRAPHIC & INTERACTION DESIGN 
Saskia Pouwels & Hanneke Minten - Hats & Tales

VIDEO MAKERS & EDITING
Wilbert Eerland (NL) 
Luca Chiaudano (IT)

MEDIA & COMMUNICATION
Maria Azzurra Rossi & Giulia Milza - Mint List
Marco Brizzi & Paola Giaconia - Image

INTERVIEWS IT
Yulya Besplemennova - Designer
Emanuela De Cecco - Art Critic
Daniele Fanzini & Flaviano Celaschi - Architects, Academics
Christian Iaione - Director LabGov
Davide dal Maso & Claudio Calvaresi - Sustainable Development Consultants 
Stefano Mirti - Designer, teacher
Luca Molinari - Architecture historian, critic and curator
Bertram Niessen - Researcher, Activist 
Piero Pelizzaro - Resiliency Consultant 
Giulia Pesaro - Economist 
Tiziana Villani - Philosopher

INTERVIEWS NL
Lilet Breddels - Director Archis
Mathijs de Bruin - Philosopher, researcher
Frank Keizer - Poet
Koert van Mensvoort - Director Next Nature
Jip de Ridder - Economist 
Willem Schinkel - Sociologist, philosopher 
Marleen Stikker - Director Waag Society
Willem Velthoven - Founder Mediamatic
Wigger Verschoor - Sustainable developer