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Ryerson will be opening its doors on Thursday, March 8th to host Barcelona: the Metropolis of Cities, a lecture and exhibit discussing how contemporary issues of the 21st century give shape to new urban forms. Showing in the Paul H. Cocker Gallery in the Ryerson School of Architecture, the public will have a chance to hear visions and ideas from internationally renowned architect, urban planner and professor at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University Joan Busquets. The exhibit has been on display all over the world, stunning audiences with an insightful and innovative approach to design and city planning.
Barcelona: the Metropolis of Cities represents an open and multidisciplinary discussion in which the exhibition’s capacity for intervention extends to new spaces. The exhibit questions the future of cities poised on the edge of modern development, with concern for the environment, energy, sustainable mobility, and social equity—with cities requiring revised urban strategies for successful function and transformation. The exhibit builds on a case study undertaken in the 1980s that presented a series of critical studies of attempted urban transformations. Following the lecture, Busquets will introduce the exhibition opening in conjunction with Global South, Metropolis of Cities, curated by Dr. Shelagh McCartney.
Joan Busquets received is degree in architecture in 1969 and his doctoral degree in 1975 from the Architecture School in Barcelona. Busquets was Professor in Town Planning and Urban Design in the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Barcelona from 1979 until 2002, and served as the Head of Urban Planning for Barcelona City Council from 1983 to 1989, preparing the city for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. An extensively published and awarded visionary, he founded both architecture and planning firms based in Barcelona that have designed and executed urban and architectural projects throughout Europe, China, and Latin America.
The exhibit will run until April 20th, 2018 at the Paul H. Cocker Gallery, inside the Ryerson Architecture Building at 325 Church Street. The March 8, 6:30 PM lecture is free and open to the public, with registration required. Live-streaming of this event will be available on Ryecast. The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 AM - 5 PM, Fridays 9 AM - 4:30 PM, and is closed on weekends.
