The Culture Dispatch: Is the 21st Century city beautiful?

With extraordinary technological and scientific advances our cities across the globe are growing at an exponential rate, but are they beautiful? Neo-Classic notions of proportion, harmony, cohesion and unified style, albeit ornate, are part of the architectural and historical fabric of cities like Paris, Rome and Istanbul and have been considered beautiful as a result.

In 2023, buildings are arguably erected to stand alone as the expression of a distinctive personality; the result of one’s prowess, of one’s freedom of expression, or simply of one’s real estate ambitions, but do they fit into a larger city-wide aesthetic? Should they?

Listen to this expert panel as they deep-dive into what drives today’s architectural trends and urban planning expectations, and if whether or not the cities we are building today will be considered beautiful tomorrow.

Moderator:
Alamira Reem Al Hashimi | PhD City and Regional Planning & Author of Planning Abu Dhabi: An Urban History

Panelists:
Ill Sam Park | Partner – Foster & Partners & Architect ICD Broofkfield DIFC
Brendan Mcgetrick | Creative Director – Museum of the Future
Hani Asfour | Dean – Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)