On 22 June, Dr Carmen Mendoza, assistant director of the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, director of the Area of Urbanism and co-director of the Master's Degree in International Cooperation, delivered the closing lecture at the conference series "Thinking Outside the Box - Innovative Approaches to Current Urban Challenges".
Under the title “Urban Upgrading through Socio-Spatial Interventions”, Dr Mendoza's presentation focused on informal urban settlements in Latin America as an example of urban upgrading through socio-spatial interventions. She showed how spontaneous urban locations, such as vacant lots or streets, are essential to successfully developing an inclusive solution when identified and incorporated into a process of urban regeneration.
The conference series, organised in parallel to the exhibition "Thinking Outside the Box" by Darmstadt University of Technology, was held at the German Architecture Museum (DAM) between 20 May and 22 June 2016. The aim of the exhibition and lecture series was to promote different forms of thinking from different perspectives and through different means. It touched upon socio-economic issues, the uncertainty of climate change and the unpredictable effects of rapid urbanisation.
