{"id":3029,"date":"2025-09-05T15:40:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freiraumwende.de\/?p=3029"},"modified":"2025-09-25T14:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T12:21:10","slug":"open-space-is-never-neutral-it-either-heals-or-divides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/republic-space.org\/en\/open-space-is-never-neutral-it-either-heals-or-divides\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cOpen space is never neutral \u2013 it either heals or divides\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What role has open space played in your work as an architect, researcher, and planner?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Open space has always fascinated me \u2013 it is where architecture becomes porous. From the Copenhagen Wheel to Unparking, much of our work explores how mobility and data reshape public space. We have tried to treat streets and plazas as dynamic systems \u2013 sensitive to both people and the environment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Was there a project or moment that fundamentally changed your view of open space?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Too many to think of \u2013 like working on HubCab, a project mapping taxi trips in New York City. It revealed the enormous amount of unused road capacity. Open space isn\u2019t only physical \u2013 it\u2019s temporal at times, and even informal. You can redesign a street just by reprogramming its use.<\/span> <\/p>\n

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Which countries or cities have taken a leading role in rethinking open space planning globally? What are the key factors for their success? <\/b><\/p>\n

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I would highlight Medell\u00edn, Colombia, where urban acupuncture turned disused slopes into connected public parks. Or Seoul with the Cheonggyecheon stream. Their success lies in three key factors: political will, in-depth local knowledge, and a willingness to co-design with citizens, not just for them. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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AquaPra\u00e7a is designed as adaptive infrastructure for rising sea levels, the mobile plaza will travel from the Venice Architecture Biennale to COP30 in Bel\u00e9m, creating space for dialogue on climate, water, and the future of public areas. <\/div>\n \n
Photo:
\r\nCRA-Carlo Ratti Associati + H\u00f6weler + Yoon Architecture<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Speakers\u2019 Corner at the Venice Architecture Biennale offers a space for spontaneous dialogue and public exchange, part of the GENS programme that reimagines architecture as a platform for collective encounter. <\/div>\n \n
Photo:
\r\nFoto: Andrea Avezz\u00f9 Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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What are, in your opinion, the biggest challenges for an open space transition \u2013 both globally and locally?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We need to shift from thinking of open space as leftover land to understanding it as core urban infrastructure. That shift requires a quieter change: a shift in authorship. Despite its inherently collaborative nature, architecture still clings to the myth of Prometheus. Biennales love to celebrate \u201cvisionaries,\u201d even as they showcase interdisciplinary work. We proposed a different model, inspired by academic research: co-authorship. All are credited as equals, with a description of their contribution. If adaptation is a collective response to global necessity, then its authorship must be locally collective by design. <\/p>\n

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Your curatorial concept for the Biennale aims to rethink architecture. Does this also apply to open space planning? <\/b><\/p>\n

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Absolutely. In fact, open space is where the boundaries between natural, artificial, and collective intelligences are most vividly negotiated. Streets, squares, waterfronts \u2013 they are where architecture becomes an ecological interface. So yes, rethinking architecture today must<\/span> include rethinking open space as an adaptive space. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Take AquaPra\u00e7a<\/span>, a floating public square that travels from Venice to COP30 in Bel\u00e9m<\/span> \u2013 it\u2019s an open space designed to host encounters, serving as mobile infrastructure that adjusts to fluctuating sea levels. Or consider Canal Caf\u00e9, which turns water into a commons, coffee made with purified lagoon water. The idea is to bring complex environmental issues \u2013 such as water quality or rising sea levels \u2013 into the simplest acts of our everyday lives. That means, I believe we\u2019re only beginning to explore the full potential. There\u2019s more room to grow. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What role did open space planning play in this year\u2019s Biennale concept \u2013 and was it
sufficiently represented in your view?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It played a fundamental role. Many of the projects explore how public and open spaces can absorb climate shocks, foster civic inclusion, or mediate between species. The Giardini are traditionally seen as a backdrop, but they are also a historical artefact of open space design. This year, we encouraged projects to spill out \u2013 to blur the lines between inside and out. Future Biennales could do more to activate the gardens and unused spaces, not just as a temporary set-up, but as a prototype for activation. Post Office Pods asked the question: How to work in a garden? Reimagining the office as a space where human connection and innovation thrive even in an era dominated by digital tools. This outdoor co-working space installation is a prototype for the \u201coffice pods\u201d that will be situated within the renovated external areas of rural Poste Italiane post offices or vacant spaces converted into co-working spaces. <\/p>\n

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Was there a submission in the context of open space that particularly impressed or inspired you, and why?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Open Regeneration of Housing Estates,<\/span> which pioneers an open modular system to transform housing estates across Barcelona, was very interesting. Utilising innovative wooden exoskeletons that snap onto existing buildings, these enable sustainable upgrades to homes and shared spaces. The design integrates adaptable \u201ckits\u201d for repair, expansion, or functional enhancements \u2013 future-proofing neighbourhoods through flexible, user-driven improvements. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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The Copenhagen Wheel transforms any bicycle into a smart hybrid e-bike, capturing and redistributing energy while collecting urban data. A symbol of how mobility, technology, and open space can interact to reshape the city from the street up. <\/div>\n \n
Photo: Max Tomasinelli <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\u201eWe need to shift from thinking of open space as leftover land to understanding it as core urban infrastructure.\u201c
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Carlo Ratti,
\r\nCurator of the Venice Biennale Architettura 2025<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The Biennale presents scenarios between dystopian isolation and adaptation to planetary realities. What can open space planning learn from this? <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It reminds us that open space is never neutral \u2013 it either heals or divides. In climate adaptation, open spaces are our first line of reference: floodable parks, cooling corridors using trees, and refuge during crises. The challenge is designing these places not to be fixed, but open to evolving and adapting, even in their resilience. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The opposition between \u2018Natural\u2019 and \u2018Artificial\u2019 runs through your exhibition. How can this tension be addressed in the design of open spaces? <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I don\u2019t see it as opposition, but dialogue. Projects like Talking to Elephants show how open space can welcome non-human intelligences. Design must let nature and technology inform one another \u2013 so our parks are sensor-equipped and canopies shade our data infrastructures. Technology is essential \u2013 but only if used wisely. Sensors can tell us how people move, but not how they feel. We need hybrid approaches: real-time data for responsiveness, and storytelling for empathy. The goal isn\u2019t a \u201csmart\u201d space \u2013 it\u2019s an intelligent one: aware, adaptive, and inclusive. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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How can we design public spaces to become collective spaces again \u2013 in times of polarization and cleavage?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We need to create conditions for encounter \u2013 not just occupancy. Spaces like Speakers\u2019 Corner at the Biennale di Venezia, which host our ongoing GENS public programme, encourage debate without control. Architecture cannot force dialogue, but it can suggest it: by creating spaces that are legible, accessible, and open-ended. Small things \u2013 benches that face each other, thresholds that invite \u2013 can have an large impact. <\/p>\n

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Would it be reasonable to require all future Biennale submissions to address the open space context?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Open space is too important to be a second thought. If we want architecture to meet the challenges of our century \u2013 climate, equity, livability \u2013 then the question of open spaces as adaptable spaces has to be a central point. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Canal Caf\u00e9 uses purified lagoon water to brew coffee, turning water quality into
a shared urban experience. The installation transforms infrastructure into a visible,
sensual commons. <\/div>\n \n
Photo:
\r\nMarco Zorzanello Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Photo:
\r\nWorld Economic Forum | Mattias Nutt<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Biography<\/h3>\n

Carlo Ratti is a Professor of the Practice of Urban Technologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, where he directs the Senseable City Lab, and is a Full Professor in the Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. He is a founding partner of the international architecture and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and has established several tech start-ups in the United States and Europe. Ratti studied in Turin, Paris, and Cambridge, completing his PhD as a Fulbright Scholar at MIT. In December 2023, he was named as the Curator of the Venice Biennale Architettura 2025. <\/p>\n

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Latest
\r\nposts<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n Projects<\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n Positions<\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n # Climate<\/a>\n # Design<\/a>\n # Society<\/a>\n # Urban green<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \t <\/span>\n Bruno Marques,
\nPresident of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)<\/span>\n \u201eStop preaching \u2013 start demonstrating\u201c<\/span>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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