Ricky Burdett will join a panel to discuss the UK premiere of the documentary ‘Beijing Taxi’ at 6:30pm on 23 May at the Curzon Soho in London. The film, which received the New York Magazine’s critic’s pick, takes an intimate and compelling look at the lives of three cab drivers as they confront modern issues and changing values against the backdrop of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Following the screening there will be a Skype link up with the director in New York, looking into the film and the forthcoming London Olympics.
Mining data on London’s tube
The era of “big data” has transformed the way businesses gather information about customers, the way governments assess the needs of citizens, and led to new areas of scientific research. In a news report by Deutsche Welle, Philipp Rode comments on new data generated by commuters on the London underground and if this can tell us new things about the city, its residents, and their habits. Listen here (5:16).
Cities and the Green Economy
On 11-12 May Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities, presented the preliminary results of the LSE Cities/ICLEI survey “Cities and the Green Economy” in Bonn, at the conference Green Urban Economy: New drivers for a sustainable urban development.
For more details about this conference, visit the Bonn Perspectives website at http://www.bonn-perspectives.de/
2012 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship for recycling in informal African settlements
Thomas Aquilina of Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture awarded 2012 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship for ”Material Economies: recycling practices in informal settlements along African longitude 30ºE,” which addresses recycling in informal African settlements. Ricky Burdett on the jury. Read more here.
Jonas Schorr in Global Urbanist on the explosion of city networks
Jonas Schorr addresses the recent growth of city networks, and their overduplification in a two-part series. Along with co-author Andrew Stevens, he argues against the proliferation of grand city-senate ideas and instead to ‘concentrate on creating popular democratic demand for city networking, and on giving more power and media visibility to the knowledge exchange efforts that cities already pursue.’ Read part one here. Read part two here.
Legacy linchpin: Ricky Burdett on Chobham Academy
Ricky Burdett in Architecture Today describes the architectural and urban features of the new school: ’Over time, it has the potential to act as a social condenser for both existing and new communities in the area – a litmus test of whether the entire Olympic project will become an integrated part of East London or stand as an isolated ghetto.’ Read the full article here.
Mothers Unite wins Deutsche Bank Urban Age Award in Cape Town
Mothers Unite was founded in 2007 in a mother’s home and provides a safe haven from gang pressures, drugs and violence that affect parts of the street and home life in the area. It wins R750 000 and was chosen by an independent jury from a record breaking 254 entries. Read more here.
Alejandro Zaera-Polo named Dean of Princeton’s School of Architecture
Alejandro Zaera-Polo, a long-time contributor to the Urban Age and a member of LSE Cities Advisory Board, has been made Dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University. Read the press release.
254 projects entered Deutsche Bank Urban Age Award
The fifth Deutsche Bank Urban Age Award in Cape Town has received the highest number of applications since its establishment in 2007. The submissions reflect the vibrancy and creativity of Cape Town dwellers in facing the social and urban challenges of their city. The winner will be announced on April 19, 2012 at the Civic Centre, Cape Town. Read the full press release (pdf).
‘Under the Cranes’: LSE Cities Literary Festival film screening and discussion full success
Last Saturday saw a packed Sheikh Zayed Theatre at the LSE for the screening of Emma-Louise William’s debuting film, Under the Cranes (2011). The film was part of LSE’s week long Space for Thought Literary Festival and hosted by LSE Cities.