1. ArchDaily
  2. Urbanism

Urbanism: The Latest Architecture and News

Successes and Contradictions in Urban Center Retrofitting: The Case of São Paulo

Considered the fifth most populous city in the world as of 2022, São Paulo is confronted with a multitude of challenges befitting its over 22 million inhabitants. Among the numerous urban issues faced, the depopulation of the city's historic center has been a recurring topic for at least four decades, with governments announcing measures that could potentially reverse the situation. In the meantime, the same center has witnessed a rise in housing occupations in abandoned buildings, highlighting the importance of its redefinition and residential potential.

Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism

Throughout history, numerous cities worldwide have been settled and built on hillsides, where one can observe the myriad urban challenges they face due to their topographical conditions. However, beyond issues related to their urban infrastructure or transportation systems, which can become more complex due to the geography, hillside urban occupation typically involves various intersections of social, environmental, and economic issues.

These settlements are often inhabited by vulnerable and low-income communities, driven by a variety of motivations. Frequently, the lack of information about certain hazards, coupled with the scarcity of adequate housing policies, leads to decisions and actions that place these communities in high-risk situations, especially during the rainy season, resulting in a cycle that disproportionately affects the most marginalized residents.

Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism - Imagen 1 de 4Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism - Imagen 2 de 4Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism - Imagen 3 de 4Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism - Imagen 4 de 4Between Slopes and Inequalities: Risky Urban Occupations and Environmental Racism - More Images+ 4

Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture

Multifaceted and filled with complexities, the landscape of architecture and urbanism in Latin America unveils specific nuances and challenges in light of the issues faced by various countries, such as social inequality, violence, and rapid urban growth. Within this context, architectural practice assumes a significant role in crafting feasible and appropriate solutions tailored to each reality, emphasizing the importance of reaffirming local references and narratives in this process.

In the face of the established hegemony, particularly by North America and Europe, which often marginalizes Latin American architectural and urban achievements, especially those not even recognized as such, the appreciation of this diversity and complexity becomes imperative for any consideration and intervention in the region. Below, we have selected six interviews that aid in understanding the architecture of Latin America and contribute to a more contextualized and sensitive approach to its needs, potential, and richness.

Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture - Image 1 of 4Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture - Image 2 of 4Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture - Image 3 of 4Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture - Image 4 of 4Six Interviews to Understand Latin American Architecture - More Images+ 4

Urban Challenges of Hillside Cities

Living in cities built on geographical slopes is a unique and challenging experience. While these areas can offer panoramic views and impressive landscapes, the steep topography presents a series of challenges in terms of urban planning, structural safety, and socio-environmental risks. These cities require special care and solutions in the design of streets, buildings, and infrastructure, as well as an understanding that, for reasons of environmental safety and population well-being, not all areas should be occupied.

Artificial Intelligence and Urban Planning: Technology as a Tool for City Design

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and urban planning holds significant promise for creating more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable cities. This fusion entails the integration of cutting-edge technologies that can guide decision-making, enhance resource allocation, predict trends, engage citizens, and more. In this framework, where AI is seen as a tool for advancing various urban aspects, there has been a surge in the development of applications, software, and other technological systems tailored to support urban planning. Below, we have highlighted some global studies and technologies applied from urban morphology to community involvement.

How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries

Cities are not just inert landscapes or lifeless settings; they play active and significant roles in shaping numerous television narratives. Whether in series or soap operas, urban environments play a fundamental role not only as the backdrop where plots unfold but also in shaping the developments of storylines, their creations, guidelines, and contexts. While, on the one hand, cities and their urban cultures contribute to the composition of various small screen plots, on the other hand, television programs can also help shape a certain idealized imagination about these urban spaces, generating unrealistic expectations and perpetuating a series of stereotypes about the represented cities.

How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries - Image 1 of 4How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries - Image 2 of 4How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries - Image 3 of 4How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries - Image 4 of 4How Television Narratives Shape Urban Imaginaries - More Images+ 2

Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities

Staircases facilitate transit and movement within cities, influencing how communities interact and navigate their urban surroundings. Despite often going unnoticed within the cityscape, these staircases are significant witnesses to history. Beyond their architectural function, they are essential connectors, providing spaces where the pulse of urban life unfolds. Amidst buildings, hills, slopes, and bustling streets, staircases emerge as dynamic stages for movements, encounters, and disconnections, intertwining with the narratives embedded in each step.

Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities - Image 1 of 4Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities - Image 2 of 4Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities - Image 3 of 4Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities - Image 4 of 4Urban Staircases: Vertical Poetry in Cities - More Images+ 15

What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities

We are on the brink of concluding the hottest year in the past 125,000 years. Recently, elevated temperatures have adversely impacted the daily routines of a significant portion of the population, particularly those who spend most of their day outdoors without access to air-conditioned environments. Excessive heat stems from various sources, both natural and human-induced. Given the grim outlook on this matter, it becomes imperative to explore structural measures to address and mitigate the potential deterioration of public health caused by escalating temperatures.

What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities - Image 1 of 4What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities - Image 2 of 4What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities - Image 3 of 4What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities - Image 4 of 4What Is an Urban Oasis? Combating the Excessive Heat of Cities - More Images+ 2

Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities

In several cities in Brazil, the amount of rainfall has already surpassed the total accumulated for the rest of the year. Flooding, inundations, and landslides are commonplace news in regional newspapers. In this chaotic scenario, a study presented by the National Confederation of Municipalities states that, amidst the rains in the south and drought in the north, 5.8 million Brazilians have been directly affected by disasters in 2023, whether by loss of lives, displacements, or significant economic damages.

Unfortunately, the outlook is not promising either. The national version of the renowned IPCC climate change report, compiled by the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change (PBMC), has already warned that Brazil, along with other countries in Latin America, will not only experience rising temperatures due to climate change but will also witness a drastic shift in its rainfall patterns. In other words, here in the south, we better get used to the sound of rain on our windows, while the north should brace for historic droughts.

Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities - Image 1 of 4Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities - Image 2 of 4Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities - Image 3 of 4Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities - Image 4 of 4Urban Anti-Flooding Strategies in Latin American Cities - More Images+ 9

Designing Urban Blocks for Children

Have you ever considered how spaces are perceived, experienced, and enjoyed from a height of 95 cm? Considering urban design from the child's perspective is essential for fostering inclusive, healthy, and secure cities. Components tailored to these needs benefit children and enhance the experience for adults, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Blocks play a pivotal role in this discourse as key urban elements. These spaces provide several opportunities for utilization and adaptation within urban environments. They can be modified and designed in diverse ways, incorporating strategies to better cater to the specific needs of children.

Designing Urban Blocks for Children - Image 1 of 4Designing Urban Blocks for Children - Image 7 of 4Designing Urban Blocks for Children - Image 6 of 4Designing Urban Blocks for Children - Image 5 of 4Designing Urban Blocks for Children - More Images+ 10

San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Can telling the story of one building tell a larger story about the city it’s a part of? That’s the central premise of John King’s engaging new book, Portal: San Francisco’s Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities (W.W. Norton). The long-time urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle has written a brisk, lively history of this beloved edifice, which opened in 1898 and served as the principal gateway to the city until the emergence of the automobile (and the bridges that served them).

For decades it sat largely empty and neglected, cordoned off by the Embarcadero Freeway. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the damaged highway was eventually removed, freeing up the Ferry Building, which was given new life as a transportation hub, food hall, and office building. Last week I talked to King about the genesis for the book, the terminal’s seminal importance to the city of San Francisco, and the threat it faces from rising sea levels.

San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building - Image 1 of 4San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building - Image 2 of 4San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building - Image 3 of 4San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building - Image 4 of 4San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building - More Images+ 3

Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear'

With an air of simplicity and wisdom, engineer Julio Vargas Neumann welcomes us. His two dogs accompany us as we descend after the necessary ascent to enter, and we are also accompanied by the stone walls defining the lot. We sit down and begin - or continue - the interview and conversation regarding the value of 'shicras', local materials, and earth construction. We also discuss criticisms of cement, aluminum, and steel, as well as perspectives on the future of materials in Peru and the world. Likewise, we delve into the long-neglected and recurrent rural problem in South America, discussing the inexorable need to change paradigms and priorities.

Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear' - Image 1 of 4Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear' - Image 2 of 4Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear' - Image 3 of 4Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear' - Image 4 of 4Julio Vargas Neumann on the Future of Materials: 'Today's Reinforced Concrete will Disappear' - More Images+ 23

The VII International Congress of Architecture: Urban Controversies

The VII International Congress of Architecture, focusing on Urban Controversies, is a must- attend event set to take place at the Baluarte Auditorium from November 15th to 17th, 2023. This event, hosted in Pamplona, will bring together experts from around the world to discuss critical issues in architecture and sustainable urban development. Organized by the Architecture and Society Foundation, this seventh edition of the International Architecture Congress is dedicated to examining the complex challenges faced by cities.