This summer I had the pleasure of joining a group of judges for the Open City's Architecture in Schools initiative. This creative learning programme for primary school pupils aims to inspire the next generation of city-shapers, building an understanding how architecture informs the world around us. I was particularly pleased to be involved this year as the theme was Shared City – opening up the debate beyond architecture of buildings to all the places and spaces between them where we meet and play every day.
urban planning
17 July 2016 Unpublished
The London School of Architecture Summer Show&Tell
On Thursday 16 June at the Design Museum, this year’s final Show & Tell unveiled the work of five Design Think Tanks, all of which offered daring new proposals for London. The Unstable City Think Tank led by Marko&Placemakers and Grimshaw recalibrated Rotherhithe to benefit from new organisations of economic, political, social and environmental instability.
25 April 2016 Unpublished
Lisbon Masterclass on City Making and Tourism Gentrification
Stadslab International Master Class on City Making & Tourism Gentrification supervised by Igor Marko (Marko&Placemakers) and Marc Glaudemans (Stadslab Stadslab European Urban Design Laboratory) took place 15-22 April 2016 in Lison. The highly challenging urban regeneration case-study was focused on one of Lisbon’s oldest districts – Mouraria. The Master Class was organised in partnership with Academia Cidadã | Citizenship Academy and the City of Lisbon.
14 March 2014 Unpublished
Appearances and Concealment: the Two Faces of Seoul’s Public Space
Being half Korean, I had already visited the country's capital city a few times. However, as a child who could not speak the language, my perception of the built environment had always been filtered and guided by the adults of my family. I took the opportunity now, following my degree in town planning and with fairly improved language skills, to experience life as a Seoulite for a few months at my own pace, through my own eyes and ears, naturally biased by my academic background.
16 December 2013 Unpublished
Changwon Diary
I was recently invited to visit the city of Changwon, South Korea, to give a keynote lecture about the role of placemaking at the annual Eco-city Conference. During my short stay I had the opportunity to discuss the vision for Changwon through experiencing the city’s past and present urban development and discussions with the Mayor, his advisory team, architects and planners, centred around the city’s future ambition as a truly sustainable place to live in, work in and visit. I have also witnessed the efforts on ground, through walking around old and new parts of Changwon and talking to the local residents, clearly indicating that the ambition for the city is not merely a written policy, but is being successfully implemented.