Event

Thomas Sieverts: Reimagining Urban Spaces

Some might call Tukwila, Des Moines, and Burien "suburbs" or, more derisively, "sprawl," but German architect and urban planner Thomas Sieverts has a bigger name (and vision) for these "in-between" areas: Zwischenstadt. In Sieverts' view, the transformation and reimagination of these places is the key to urban planning, and maybe more; with the growth of spaces between city centers and the countryside, he believes "The fate of the in-between landscape is the fate of humanity." To resensitize ourselves to this landscape, and to counter that "sprawl" stigma, Sieverts challenges people and architects to view these places without old prejudices, revisiting "the unloved areas of the periphery" and discovering things to change their attitudes. Sieverts' engagement with the Northwest began last year in Portland with the debut of Suddenly, a multifaceted project examining the new shape of cities. Sieverts, author of Where We Live Now, returns to the area (again through Suddenly) for a four-day Seattle itinerary that also includes a tour of Burien; talks with local leaders and planners; a series of films presented at NW Film Forum; and a Corridor Project dinner, produced by one pot. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life.