Cities: People, Society and Architecture

The 10th Venice Biennale in Architecture will focus on the design of cities, their urban infrastructure and social dynamics, providing a unique international perspective on the relationship between architecture, society and sustainability. Visited by over 125,000 people, with attendance of 2,500 accredited journalists from around the world, the 2006 Biennale in Architecture will overlap with the high profile Venice Film Festival, exposing the exhibition to even larger media and public attention.

The twelve-week exhibition will tackle the key issues facing cities today: from migration and growth, to mobility and sustainable development. It will examine the role of architects and architecture in constructing democratic and sustainable urban environments, and their links to policymaking, governance and social cohesion. It will propose a manifesto for Cities of the 21st Century – focusing on the potential of cities to contribute to a more sustainable, democratic and equitable world.

Covering over 6,000 square meters, the Biennale is the largest single exhibition on cities in the world. It takes place in the stunning Corderie building and throughout the Biennale Gardens. It will be designed to communicate to a diverse public audience, with state-of-the art graphics, striking large-scale images, film and sound. It will also provide the professional audience with new and detailed information of the complex issues that affect urban growth today: new developments in transport, emerging forms of urban governance and the new landscapes of housing, workplaces and public institutions that are shaping the contemporary world.

The public exhibition takes place from September 10 – November 19, 2006 Venice, Italy.

Visit www.labiennale.org/en

Source: Richard Burdett, Professor of Architecture and City Planning at the London School of Economics, Director of the 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture.