I have been wondering about gender and urban built environments recently. Cities are often described
as male spaces. While there are the obvious arguments (tall buildings represent phallic symbols of
power, sports stadiums serve male pastime, streets are public spaces, the domain of women is domestic
space etc pp.) Although expressed rather simplistically, these arguments are interesting but not much
inspiring. The question remains, what aesthetic characteristics would a gender equal city have, what
will it look like? Maybe Aqua—a new, eighty-two-story apartment tower in the center of Chicago designed
by Jeanne Gang – is the answer.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/skyline/2010/02/01/100201crsk_skyline_goldberger
All over Europe, cities are faced with the challenge of using cultural resources to re-position their
city in an increasingly culturally and economically diversified European space. Related to this is a
clear recognition of the growing importance of cultural resources for economic and community
development. This produces new opportunities and challenges for local cultural planning and management.
In order to fully exploit the innovative and supportive role of culture in European urban development,
it will be necessary to develop a new socially and culturally sensitive professionalism, able to cross
the boundaries between the arts, design, urban and spatial planning, public policy and the market,
artistic creativity and cultural management.
The MA in European Urban Cultures offers a specialist programme aimed at graduate students from Europe
and elsewhere with undergraduate degrees in subject areas such as the social sciences; cultural and
leisure studies; art, design and architecture; urban theory and planning; cultural marketing and
management. The course is also targeted at professionals and administrators eager for the latest
experiences, ideas and insights in urban cultural policy.
