UPD Lecture: Felipe Hernández, “Articulatory Urbanism”

The concept of “articulation,” which has a long trajectory in geography, philosophy, social studies, and cultural theory, has had a much lesser impact on urban studies and architecture. In the work of Cities South of Cancer, ­the research group created and chaired by Felipe Hernández at the University of Cambridge, articulation has inherent potential for the study of the impact of subaltern agencies in the continuous development of cities. This talk explores the notion of articulatory urbanism, both theoretically and through the work of the CSC in various developing-world cities: Cali and Pereira (Colombia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Queretaro (Mexico) and Nanjing (China). The CSC proposes an approach to urbanism geared towards articulation rather then absorption and/or eradication. It seeks to strategically articulate diverse and often antagonistic elements in order to reconfigure the notion of city, helping to improve conditions of life for people in conflict-ridden communities. 

At the invitation of Rahul Mehrotra, chair of the Urban Planning and Design Department.

Felipe Hernández, a lecturer in urban planning and design at Harvard GSD, is an architect and professor of architectural design, history, and theory. He is director of the M.Phil. in Architecture and Urban Studies, fellow architect, and director of studies at King’s College Cambridge. 

Dr. Hernández, who has worked and published extensively on Latin America and other areas in the developing world, is author of Bhabha for Architects (Routledge 2010) and Beyond Modernist Masters: Contemporary Architecture in Latin America (Birkhauser 2009). He is co-editor of Rethinking the Informal City: Critical Perspectives from Latin America (Berghahn 2009) and Transculturation: Cities, Spaces and Architectures in Latin America (Rodopi 2005). He is currently co-editing a second volume on Latin American informal settlements for Cambridge Scholar Publishing and writing a monograph on modern architecture in Africa and South America. 

In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Hernández is chair of Cities South of Cancer, an interdisciplinary Research Group that offers consultancy to governmental, non-governmental, and private institutions involved in urban development projects in cities around the world. 

This event is co-sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School Indonesia Program at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

For accessibility accommodations, please contact the events office two weeks in advance at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected].

Principal Speaker: 5468

Additional Speakers: 2337

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