What Should be a City Planner’s Dream?
Cluster poses this question to four internationally renowned figures from different disciplines: Saskin Sassen, William Friedkin, Solomon Benjamin, and Jeremy Rifkin, their replies are accompanied by the photographs of Italian artist and photographer of urban environments, Olivo Barberi
Beijing 2001, China photo ©Olivo Barbieri
‘What should be a city planner’s dream while planning the future of cities?’
“Let there be room for making. Cities are about making yes, give us good infrastructure. But leave us room to make. Second, make the city’s infrastructure transparent. Why hide all the fascinating stuff? – the sewage pipes, the fiber optic cable, the telephone cables, and at least some of the surveillance cameras”. Saskia Sassen – Dutch-born sociologist and economist
Los Angeles 2005, China photo ©Olivo Barbieri
‘What should be a city planner’s dream while planning the future of cities?’
“In my opinion the priority for city planners should be trying to find for city planners should be trying to find a was to provide for and take care of the poor and needy. I’m aware that this is a big challenge but I seriously believe that no city can be a great city in the future without accounting for, and taking care of, its poor”. William Friedkin – American film director, producer and screenwriter
Montreal, Canada 2005 photo ©Olivo Barbieri
‘What should be a city planner’s dream while planning the future of cities?’
“One of the real problems has been the moral stand driving the planning process. Such morality establishes centralized power that dominate the intense locality of innovation in economy, in politics, and spatio-physical structures”. Solomon Benjamin – independent researcher on urban governance based in Bangalore
Las Vegas, USA 2005, photo ©Olivo Barbieri
‘What should be a city planner’s dream while planning the future of cities?’
“I believe that sustainable development and a clean hydrogen energy economy will promote both inclusivity and multi-cultural diversity”. Jeremy Rifkin – American economist, pacifist, environmentalist and government advisor
