Book launch : Quito Papers and the New Urban Agenda

The prevailing model of urbanization still adheres to the rigidly technocratic Charter of Athens, whose strict functionalist separation of activities continues to dominate planning practices worldwide. The Quito Papers and the New Urban Agenda, which has just been published by Routledge, starts a discussion that both challenges this status quo and opens up new lines of enquiry. It does not propose a manifesto made up of simplistic slogans and recommendations. Instead, its content is intentionally broad, ranging from architecture, planning and urban design, to land ownership and regulation, water management and environmental philosophy. This multifaceted assembly of perspectives critiques the tenets of the Charter of Athens, identifies new trends and proposes new insights on contemporary urbanization. This event will formally launch the book and feature a discussion between authors Joan Clos and Serge Salat, reviewers Eugénie Birch and Mayor Mauricio Rodas [TBC] and editors Filiep Decorte and Andrew Rudd.