In Metropolis this week, author Annie Howard explores Chicago's Architecture Biennial, which opened to the public on September 17th, showcasing a series of 15 site-specific interventions. Arguing that "a tour of the Damen Silos and a celebration of the Wall of Respect show a biennial struggling to achieve longer-term engagement with the city it calls home", the editor questions how much work is needed in order to make the city fully usable to its residents.
What makes a city available to its residents? With an echo of the “Right to the City” framework first put forth by Henri Lefebvre, the theme of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, “The Available City,” proposes that the city becomes usable for its residents when its past, present, and future seem changeable, accessible, capable of deep engagement and contemplation for those looking for new ways of understanding the place they call home.
