Emblazoned with the motto “Don’t Waste the Crisis”, the Association of German Architects (BDA) is using its “BDA-Denklabor” (“thinking lab”) to explore current design issues through podcasts. Be it climate change, urbanisation, the housing crisis, digital transformation or demographic change, much of it is described as directly or indirectly connected to our built environment: “Architecture and urban development are now called on to fulfil their design mission and devise visionary forms of living, housing and building.” The mayor of Paris, for example, talks about the “15-minute city” and how the city centres of the future should be home to mixed uses within a small radius.
In the 13th episode of Denklabor, entitled “Current Challenges for Cities and Local Authorities – Opportunities for Change”, Helmut Dedy, chief executive officer of the Association of German Cities, and BDA President Susanne Wartzeck discuss the transformation that began in city centres even before the coronavirus arrived. What are the consequences when shopping habits change and real estate sits vacant? Are economic functions being replaced by environmental and social ones? How can a strengthening of urban centres be paired with a transport revolution? The podcasts are available on iTunes, Spotify, Podcast Addict and Vimeo as well as the BDA website.
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