Boundaries of Architecture: Commercialization of Public Space

The second discussion in the series of public debates "The Boundaries of Architecture" will be on the topic of "Commercialization of Public Space." It will take place on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, again at the Scout Institute.

Date: March 20, 2018

Venue: Scout Institute, Staroměstské nám. 1/4, Old Town, Prague

Start of discussion: 19:00
 hours
Admission: free

Guests: Anna Beata Háblová (architect, urbanist, poet), Michal Lehečka (social anthropologist)
Organizer: Architects Without Borders, z. s.

The series of public discussions "The Boundaries of Architecture," organized by Architects Without Borders, addresses the intersection of architecture with everyday life. The second debate features architect Anna Beata Háblová and social anthropologist Michal Lehečka.
The discussion evening is open to both professionals and the general public. Everyone interested in the environment they live in and wishing to contribute to its cultivation is invited. There will be space for questions from the audience during the evening.

The topics of the discussion will include:
1) Public Space from the Perspective of a Sociologist and an Architect

2) Shopping Centers and Their Influence on the City. Are There Good Shopping Centers?

3) The Relationship Between Public and Private: Where is the Boundary?

Anna Beata Háblová (1983, Prague): architect, urbanist, poet.
She has received awards for her architectural designs and theoretical works including the Young Architect Award 2010, Young Planning Professionals Award 2012, and Juniorstav 2012. She has published poetry collections "Kry" (Mox Nox, 2013), "Rýhy" (Arbor Vitae, 2015), and poems in literary magazines "Host," "Tvar," "Weles," and "Pandora." At the cultural center Dominikánská 8, she moderates evenings on topics of poetry, art, and architecture. In 2017, her comic-scientific book "Cities of Walls" about the history, interpretation, and origins of shopping centers in relation to the city was published.

Michal Lehečka is a social anthropologist active in the associations Anthropictures, Auto*Mat, and as an external lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague. He has been focusing on the application of anthropological research methods in spatial development for a long time. In an academic context, his research concentrates on panel housing estates and their spatiality. In public discussions about contemporary cities, he particularly comments on manifestations of the "right to the city," commodification, or displacement.

Architects Without Borders is a non-profit organization that brings together architects and designers interested in public space. The organization's goal is to initiate and participate in projects for disadvantaged people, cultivate public space, and strengthen interpersonal relationships. Architects Without Borders, among other things, is behind the implementation of the Orientation System in the underpasses under the Hlávka Bridge and the initiative for Public Wardrobes in Prague.

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