Urban
Controversies
The Urban Controversies cycle aims to decode and deconstruct current models of urban development through multidisciplinary, open, and thought-provoking analysis of the social, economic, regulatory, and governance challenges faced by cities and territories. From 15 to 17 November 2023, Pamplona hosted the dialogues among architects, economists, sociologists, and urban experts who reflected on the planning and construction of “the urban”. Key concepts such as density, buildability, diversity of uses, land management, and urban planning regulations – forming the comprehensive regulatory framework of cities – were deliberated upon. The debate seeks to deepen our collective understanding of the decisions that are shaping and will continue to shape the future of our planet.
Sessions
Speakers
An esteemed gathering of architects and globally renowned urban experts from European countries, as well as from some of the world’s most populous countries, including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and the United States, among others, came together to tackle the critical challenges of unequal growth and the perpetuation of suboptimal urban developments.
Richard Sennett
Chair, The London Centre for the Humanities and Professor of Sociology emeritus, The London School of EconomicsLiu Thai Ker
Founding Chairman of Morrow Architects & PlannersKunlé Adeyemi
Founder, architect, designer and development researcher, NLÉJoan Clos
Director of the 7th International Congress of ArchitectureSheila Sri Prakash
Architect, Urban Designer and Sustainability Expert, founder of Shilpa Architects Planners DesignersOlajumoke Adenowo
Architect, Founder and Principal Architect of AD ConsultingMaimunah Mohd Sharif
Executive Director, UN-HabitatKen Yeang
Architect and Ecologist, T.R. Hamzah and YeangShlomo Angel
City Planning, NYU Marron Institute of Urban ManagementTracy Metz
Director of the John Adams InstituteMarina Otero Verzier
Architect, Dean's Visiting Assistant Professor at Columbia University GSAPP, Wheelwright Prize 2022, SpainAitor Hernández-Morales
Reporter, Living Cities Global Policy Lab, POLITICOKaren Kubey
Urbanist and Assistant Professor of Architecture, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of TorontoDhiru A. Thadani
Architect and urbanist, Thadani Architects + Urbanists, Washington DCBeatriz Lecumberri
Reporter, El PaísDy Currie
City Planner and Brisbane City Council’s Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Host City and Strategic Partnerships Executive General ManagerElena Rubio
Head of the department of planning and urban management, City of MálagaPaul Karakusevic
Architect and founder of Karakusevic Carson ArchitectsChampaka Rajagopal
urban planner and affiliated professor at the Urban School, SciencesPo (Paris), and Azim Premji University (Bengaluru)Anja Van der Watt
Anja Van der Watt, Interdisciplinary Urban Researcher and Communications' ExpertBrent Toderian
City planner and urbanist, founder of TODERIAN UrbanWORKSNorliza Hashim
Urban planner, Chief Executive of Urbanice MalaysiaBabatunde Raji Fashola SAN
Former Governor of Lagos State and former Federal Minister of Works and Housing of NigeriaVidhya Mohankumar
Architect, Urban Designer, Founder of Urban Design CollectiveWashington Fajardo
Architect and Urbanist, Harvard GSD Loeb FellowSibarani Sofian
Urban designer and planner, founder of URBAN+Pablo Lazo
Director of Urban Development, World Resources InstituteMauricio Rodas
Former Mayor of Quito, Senior Fellow Arsht-Rock Resilience CenterMiguel Hernández
Director of Strategy and Corporate Development CREA MADRID NUEVO NORTE (CreaMNN)Ciro Biderman
Economist and associate professor at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV)Oliver Alver
Architect, Deputy Head of the Tallinn Urban Planning DepartmentSofia Arraiza Ruiz de Galarreta
architect and city planner, Foster+PartnersStay
Connected
Follow the updates on the next Congress in 2025. Stay tuned for more announcements!
About
The International Congress of Architecture is a biennial event organized by the Fundación Arquitectura y Sociedad, aiming to promote a debate on architecture and the urban environment that transcends the traditional boundaries of this discipline. Since its creation in 2008, the Foundation has organized six congresses, bringing together over fifty architects, critics, and experts from all five continents.
The first cycle of congresses, held from 2010 to 2016, focused on fostering connections between architecture and the social sphere, sustainable development, and the rational use of material and energy resources. The second cycle, spanning from 2018 to 2021, directed its attention to the city as a realm of freedom, exploring topics such as urban political ecology, sustainable mobility, contemporary urban transformations, and the pursuit of urban equity.