The city, obscure object of desire

The new conference cycle has started!

Together, the speakers propose to decipher what the new desires of the city are today, through the issues of sustainability, public health, mobility, cultural activities and inclusiveness. As city practitioners, we need to understand how to address these issues at a time of global urban restructuring.

At a time when epidemics, wars, riots and climatic and environmental crises are rekindling urban fears, the question of the desirability of cities is hotter than ever. Successive confinements have changed our relationship with urban space, fuelling resentment and doubts about the quality of life in metropolises.

While numerous studies in France have shown that there is no urban exodus, the emergence of a contemporary discourse of mistrust towards large cities is justified by the threats – real or imagined – that they embody: density, promiscuity, insalubrity… coupled with new challenges.

Internationally, the financial and technological centres of New York and San Francisco are being depopulated by gentrification and the democratisation of teleworking, while Airbnb and overtourism are robbing Barcelona and Florence of their authenticity and liveliness.Conversely, in Paris, the influence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games could boost the capital’s urban appeal.
So how do we explain what attracts people to a city and what irritates them to the point of disliking it.

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