This summer I researched the social dynamics of public spaces in Madrid, specifically looking at how design might influence these dynamics and how these spaces are occupied at night. I created a schedule of parks and plazas to visit almost every night. I went to some of these only once, and some of them many…
Week
Final Thoughts
This summer has been very enlightening for me. I think I went into this experience with very few expectations, and I felt a bit unprepared. The last minute community partner switch left me with very little time to consider and plan my research project, so I arrived in Spain without having much actual direction. It…
On Worlding
The type of art that could best be put in dialogue with my project is large scale sculpture and installations. There are many contemporary artists that work within this medium, using their exhibitions as a tool to connect the viewers to one another, or to nature/other living entities. One of my favorite artists that creates…
Public Space Map
I have created a map that indicates all of the parks and plazas I visited while in Madrid. These spaces are marked with blue arrows, and I have written short descriptions for all of them. The link to this map is here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1cIHxC5hNpa3MJPp1f7jo8Xcch1dA-DE&usp=sharing I also wanted to include photos I have taken of many…
Interview with Belinda Tato
Belinda Tato founded Ecosistema Urbano with Jose Luis Vallejo in 2000, and is the director of the firm. In addition to this, she is a professor of landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I will be asking her some questions related to her career trajectory up to this point, as well as…
Imagining Shared Urban Futures
The fact that Ecosistema Urbano works internationally makes their efforts a bit decentralized, however, they are an architecture firm, not a non-profit organization. They work on their projects independently, usually commissioned by city governments and other similar groups, while also consulting community stakeholders. They don’t usually work in collaboration with other architecture firms, which…
Survey of the Field
There are several organizations that I know of that work within the realm of studying and building in public space. Most of these are architecture and urban design firms, including, of course, Ecosistema Urbano, as well as Paisaje Transversal, ZuloArk, Todo Por La Praxis, Pez Estudio and Basurama. I would also like to mention the…
On Public Space
There are three main texts that I am relying on for my research, two books plus one more abstract essay, to supplement them. The first of these texts is The Production of Space, published in 1974, and written by Henri Lefebvre, who was a Marxist French philosopher. His main focuses were sociology, geography, and urban…
Public Space in Madrid
Madrid is an extremely old city, it has been the capital of Spain since 1561, when Philip II decided to move his court here. It is also a very dense city, with this density being accumulated over hundreds of years, with many kings and royals influencing the makeup of its urban fabric. Many new buildings…
Settling In
I did not arrive in Madrid until June 15th. As of now, on June 28th, I am at the beginning of my second week of working at Ecosistema Urbano. Everyone at the office has been super kind and welcoming to me, though it does feel a little strange to be doing my own personal research…
