City Design in conversation

About this event

Join Dubravka Sekulić (Head of Programme, City Design MA) and others in the 'City Design in conversation' series to learn more about designing cities to thrive and the key approaches that shape MA City Design at the RCA as a world-leading research-led design programme dedicated to justice and equity in urban space. In the first conversation in the series, we will be joined by Prof Adrian Lahoud (Dean of the School of Architecture), to discuss the rights of future generations and why everything we design and learn now has to consider the lives of those who will inherit the Earth from us.

Attending this series of events will help gain a deeper understanding of what MA City Design is, the key role that urban design plays in shaping more just societies in the future, and what groundbreaking new ways of designing in and for cities are being developed in the programme.

Who is this event for

• Those interested in postgraduate study at the Royal College of Art
• Current RCA applicants and offer holders
• Friends and family are also welcome to join, though please ensure they have a ticket

How to join

This event will take place virtually on Zoom. The event is free to attend, but you will need to register through Eventbrite to guarantee your spot and receive the Zoom link.

To avoid any technical issues on the day, we recommend you download the latest version of Zoom in advance.

When it’s time, come back to this Eventbrite page to join the event - you’ll get an email reminder on the day too.

Joining from a country where Zoom doesn't work?
Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Ukraine (Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk regions) have restricted Zoom for regulatory reasons. Please reach out to [email protected] if this affects you.

What to expect

Thursday 9 January 2025, 2-3pm

Introduction (10 minutes)

Conversation: On the Rights of Future Generations, with Prof Adrian Lahoud (40 minutes)

Q&A (10 minutes)

Thursday 23 January 2025, 2-3pm

Introduction (10 minutes)

Conversation: On Heritage as a Site of Urban Struggle, with Dima Srouji (40 minutes)

Q&A (10 minutes)

Thursday 6 February 2025, 2-3pm

Introduction (10 minutes)

Conversation: On Right to the City and Social Reproduction, with Riccardo Badano and Helen Brewer (40 minutes)

Q&A (10 minutes)

Thursday 27 February 2025, 2-3pm

Introduction (10 minutes)

Conversation: On Spatial Labour and Politics of Place, with Dr Charlotte Grace (40 minutes)

Q&A (10 minutes)

More information on the talks

On the Rights of Future Generations with Prof. Adrian Lahoud

Philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò stresses that "we are defined by what kind of ancestors we choose to be." For decades, urban design has been driven by the increasingly shorter cycles of urban redevelopment with the sole purpose of maximising profit, which usually means demolition and displacement. Besides the immense environmental cost, the endless cycle of demolition and construction of new brings, the societal harm caused by gentrification, which should be understood as the erasure of intergenerational presence and knowledge in the neighbourhoods, looms as a threat even if the discipline promises to introduce the more environmentally conscious modes of practice. How do we design cities if we take Táíwò's invitation as guidance? How can we design cities when climate collapse makes the future increasingly unstable, and the only certainty for some cities and areas is that the future means flooding and land disappearance? Intergenerational thinking presumes not only the transfer of knowledges and skills from one generation to others, but also of stories, rituals, and ways of being in the world. In the increasingly unstable world in which environmental migration and genocide are becoming normalised conditions, we not only need but have to design cities to support life of all who inhabit them and help them thrive. This won't be done by a top-down masterplan but by a minor plan, the aggregation of the small and medium-scale interventions in coordination, which empower all inhabitants, past, present and future, to lead the way. With Adrian Lahoud, we will discuss why the future cities will have to be based on intergenerational justice.

Other events at the RCA

We are continually adding to our diverse programme of events: conversations on key topics such as funding advice and portfolio development, symposia, exhibitions, open days and more. Many are free and open to the public.