The Public Spectacle

Season: Summer '14

September 5 - 12

An architectural workshop on the reordering of public life through interventions.  This workshop aims to investigate the intersection of the city scape and social life through the scope of San Francisco’s ‘Pavement to Parks’ program. The modernization of cities has prioritized technological advancement in transportation systems over pedestrian spaces in order to maximize efficiency. What we have been left with are urban schemes with largely isolated parks, rather than small pockets integrated into the public sphere.  Urban Think Tank’s parklet design questions this prioritization of efficiency over spaces of social exchange by providing a platform for public performance to serve as a catalyst for social reform.  These parklets transform parking spaces within San Francisco by placing upon them small scale structures infused with public program.  During this workshop, students will participate in workshops, city tours, site visits, and public lectures.

Public Lectures:

Monday, September 8th: Liz Ogbu and Kevin Conger UC Berkeley campus, Wurster Hall, room 112

Tuesday, September 9th: Margaret Crawford UC Berkeley campus, Wurster Hall, room 112

Wednesday, September 10th: Nicholas Polansky swissnex San Francisco, 730 Montgomery St., San Francisco

Thursday, September 11th: Future Cities Lab swissnex San Francisco, 730 Montgomery St., San Francisco

Friday, September 12th: Alfredo Brillembourg, John Bela, and Kristina Hill swissnex San Francisco, 730 Montgomery St., San Francisco

Office and Site Visits:

Gehl Architects, Envelope A+D, MIN | DAY, Public Architecture, Pavement to parks Program, SPUR, Living Innovation, Gray Area Art And Technology, Neighborland, Future Cities Lab, MIT Urban Risk Lab, Treasure Island Fabricators, Liz Ogbu, CMG Landscape Architects, Margaret Crawford, UC Berkeley, Hyphae Design Laboratory