Introduction

In this era of urban migration, the culturally diverse city is becoming a fragmented city. Gaps are growing between low- and high-income areas, between immigrants and ‘natives’, and even between globally connected individuals and their host city.

In their approach to conceiving public space, both Atelier Bow-Wow and Transsolar (Co-Initiator of FutureCityLab) have manipulated the relationship between people’s behaviour and their urban environment: playfully encouraging participation and thereby generating shared identities amongst users. On the occasion of the Aedes exhibitions of Atelier Bow-Wow and FutureCityLab, this debate explored the potential of equipping cities with public situations rather than public spaces – public situations that playfully initiate encounter.

Video © Reframe