The keynote investigates high-rise living as one of the dominant global forms of housing in selected cities around
the world as part of a lifestyle of the first quarter of the 21st century. It addresses the origins of this form of living with specific technological innovations in the 19th century, as well as a shift in cultural understandings of how cities can be built in the 20th century, to today’s reality of the omnipresence of high-rise structures around the world. Of particular interest are the questions: What constitutes a tall building? How does cultural context contribute to either the stigmatization or distinction of this form of living? How is public and private negotiated within these structures? What role has the social construction of a lifestyle in the form of advertisement? What function do amenities play in the conception of this form of living versus its lived experience? Is there a difference between high-rise living in the center as opposed to the periphery? What role does financialization play in the multiplication of boxes in the sky? And finally what impact does this form of living have on governance of a place?While this talk will address the conceptual questions on a general level, most of the examples will be from Toronto, Canada, where until very recently, a particular high-rise frenzy took place.
Ute Lehrer holds degrees from University of Zurich, Switzerland, and University of California, Los Angeles in urban planning, art and architectural history, sociology and economic and social history. She is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Urban and Environmental Change, York University. Taking a critical and comparative approach, her research interests include urban design and land use; housing, gentrification and the condominium boom; discourse and mega-projects; as well as the social construction of public space.
digitale Teilnahme: BigBlueButton (Zugangscode: btw1xo)
https://meeting.uni-weimar.de/b/rooms/zzw-tfn-xqy-ngl/join