To be held at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh. Organized with the support of an award from the Roberts Fund, University of Edinburgh.
The built landscape of a city provides tangible evidence of the cooperation and accommodation, or negotiation and conflict, that has taken place in a particular location. Cities are complex social enterprises formed through collaborative activities that draw together the technical and aesthetic, the political, commercial, professional and voluntary. The means to exert influence on the processes of city building has been found most often in organized action, in the formation of networks, and it is these networks that provide the focus for this symposium.
Networks can establish connections across the dividing lines between voluntary and professional sectors, state and civil society, public and private interests. Given the social nature of architecture and of city space, a concentration on networks suggests an approach to research that can provide a flexible register of the various ways in which individuals can organize and affect change. This focus is designed particularly to explore questions such as how ideas and activities are transferred from one place to another, how technical and stylistic innovations develop and become established, and how pressure for action mounts and is sustained.
This symposium brings together postgraduate and established researchers to explore various approaches to studying networks and city space. Attendance is free and open to all disciplines. We would particularly encourage postgraduate students interested in the subject to join in the day. There are limited places available, so please send an email to l.e.hewitt-2@sms.ed.ac.uk to confirm your place. |
