Creating a turning point for Guadalajara.
The catalan architect and urban designer Joan Busquets was invited in Guadalajara by the Tec de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara for what is called by the ITESM the ‘Catedra Barragan’. This invitation of such a figure of the urban design practice happens before a future change for the city of Guadalajara.
Indeed, the city of Guadalajara is facing a major challenge in the near future by being the next destination for the Juegos Panamericanos of 2011. Some important urban design projects are starting to be drawn on the map of the city, particularly in the center such as the Villa Panamericana. Joan Busquets, who 'drew' the map of Barcelona for the Olympic games of 1992, played a role of a ‘messager’ to tell us the experience of the catalan capital as much as his own expertise and questions of urban designer.
Indeed, the city of Guadalajara is facing a major challenge in the near future by being the next destination for the Juegos Panamericanos of 2011. Some important urban design projects are starting to be drawn on the map of the city, particularly in the center such as the Villa Panamericana. Joan Busquets, who 'drew' the map of Barcelona for the Olympic games of 1992, played a role of a ‘messager’ to tell us the experience of the catalan capital as much as his own expertise and questions of urban designer.
1992 was a 'turning point' [1] for Barcelona and it could be the same for Guadalajara in 2011. Being an actor of this change would therefore modify the building capacity of the people from Guadalajara. And it could definitely build a new path in the trajectory of urbanism as a discipline and the urban designers. All depends if the practicioners and the academic world realize this long term retroactive process. In that sense, the Catedra Barragan is a constructive start to make it happen.
Read articles:
Published in El Informador: click here
Published in Mundo Tec: click here[pdf]
[1] we are making reference here to the work of Andrew Abbott.
