Sky high - Down Low: Architecture and the City in the financial crisis

Urban Passion was invited to an expert workshop and conference at Bauhaus Foundation Dessau, Germany,
13th - 14th of November 2009

"The global financial crisis is confronting architecture and urbanism with its consequences. Vacant houses in the US post signs of the decline of entire residential streets and neighbourhoods after the mortgage crisis. In many cities camping sites have popped up where previous house owners take refuge after foreclosures: They are no longer able to amortize the mortgages, which exceed the value of their property. Is the living concept of suburbia questioned? The financial crisis has changed architectural practice. Architectural firms around the world respond to collapsed demand by cutting jobs and closing branch offices. The building industry is suffering from drastic staff and financial cuts. In addition massive geographic dislocations are taking place. Do architects and urbanists share the responsibility for the artificial stimulation of the building boom prior to the crisis? Form Follows Finance: To what degree do instruments of the financial market influence the direction of
architecture and urban development? What is the impact of the financial crises on urban settlements and infrastructures worldwide? Has the financial crisis finally resulted in a crisis of architecture and urban design?" text from the official flyer