Creative Urbanism, Installation, mixed techniques on wood W 400 x H240 cm x D50 cm

This installation critiques urbanism for potentially perpetuating a systemic gentrify-cation, emphasizing that the ideal of creating cultural-historical homogenic modern real estate overlooks the economic realities faced by many inhabitants of poorer neighborhoods, which often cannot sustain such developments. The European subsides for such projects are too often getting into the pockets of real estate project developers, while the neighbourhood’s original habitants are getting dispersed towards the city’s suburbs.
Instead of promoting inclusive amenities that build community, urbanists tend to engage in technical debates about zoning standards and housing units without genuinely considering the needs of all community members, particularly marginalized groups.
This installation introduces the Fantasy Method of Urban Design, an experimental approach that encourages urbanists to envision future developments through the lens of three influential texts: Utopia, by Thomas More (1516); Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818); and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (1978).
By expanding their understanding of social and political complexities, this method seeks to inspire Urbanists with narratives of change rather than to escape into elitist culturalism, highlighting the importance of responding to contemporary urban challenges with creative thinking.