What does a city smell like? How does it feel? Why do we prefer one place and dislike another? These are some of the questions that will be asked to children in a workshop at the innovation stage in the Swedish pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai China. The headline and main subject is ”When people matter”.
The World Expo in Shanghai is about “Better City, Better Life” and in line with this, a workshop for all ages will be held in the Swedish pavilion September 24. During the whole day, this playful workshop will explore the co-existence in the city, borders and geography within the city, the city memory and traditions. Individual and common perspectives will be described and discussed, such as scents, sounds, feelings and social agreements of the city habitants.
The idea is to create a conversation between children and adults on ideas of the city, how it looks, works and affects us. A small model city will be built, and both children and adults will be encouraged to share stories about their cities. On the way home, all visitors will be given a challenge, a task, which might give them new experiences of the city.
This workshop forms part of the Sweden Architecture Week, which will be held in the Swedish pavilion September 23-27. It is also a part of a Governmental remit given to the Museum of Architecture, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning and the Swedish National Heritage Board. The main purpose of the remit is to highlight the positive effects of a sustainable urban development.
