The Future of the European City.

The architecture critic Hans Ibelings, former editor of A10 – New European Architecture and author of the book European Architecture since 1890, will discuss what he believes to be the essence of the European city. He will explain why he believes that the concepts of public space and the public domain, which we sometimes assume are universal, are based on markedly European notions that are not necessarily shared by the rest of the world. He will also analyse the present state of European architecture and the outlook for the future, in which he foresees major changes as a result of the economic crisis and, in particular, the demographic evolution of Europe.

Emphasising the fact that architecture is always a reflection of the culture of a place, Ibelings will discuss the European city with a fellow architect Eugeni Bach as one of the activities related with the exhibition “Shared Cities: European Prize for Urban Public Space 2014”.