Historically the urban festival served as an occasion for affirming shared convictions and identities in the life of the city. Whether religious or civic in nature, these events provided tangible expressions of social, cultural, political, and religious cohesion, often reaffirming a particular shared ethos within diverse urban landscapes. Architecture has long served as a key aspect of this process exhibiting continuity in the flux of these representations through the parading of elaborate ceremonial floats, the construction of temporary buildings, the ‘dressing’ of existing urban space, the alternative occupations of the everyday, and the construction of new buildings and spaces which then become a part of the background fabric of the city. This book examines how festivals can be used as a lens to examine the relationship between city and citizen and questions whether this is fixed through time, or has been transformed as a response to changes in the modern urban condition. Architecture, Festival and the City looks at the multilayered nature of a diverse selection of festivals and the way they incorporate both orderly (authoritative) and disorderly (subversive) components. The aim is to reveal how the civic nature of urban space is utilised through festival to represent ideas of belonging and identity. Recent political and social gatherings also raise questions about the relationship of these events to ‘ritual’ and whether traditional practices can serve as meaningful references in the twenty-first century.

With contributions from provocative art and architectural historians, this book is a unique exposition of the temporary architecture erected for festivals and the role it has played in developing Western architectural and urban theory. Festival Architecture is arranged in historical periods – from Antiquity to the modern era – and divided between analyses of specific festivals, set in relation to contemporary architecture and urban design ideas and theories. Illustrated with a wealth of unusual and rarely-seen images from the European festival tradition, this is a fascinating outline of the history of festival architecture ideal for postgraduate architecture and urban design students.

A beautifully designed guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities, from the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast

In recent decades, suburban growth and the decline of industry have left cities throughout Europe and America searching for creative and effective ways to revitalize blighted areas and reclaim underused land. In Grounds for Review, Andrew Theokas examines one particularly exciting tool for reinvigorating urban areas: the garden festival. These festivals, which began in post-war Europe, have been popular throughout the Continent for decades but are just beginning to gain currency in the United States. A garden festival temporarily transforms a previously derelict area, such as an abandoned factory lot, into a festival of horticulture, combining luxurious landscapes with exhibits and carnival rides. Most garden festivals last about six months--during which time they draw millions of visitors--but the success of the fair itself is only the initial step in a detailed plan for urban improvement. At the conclusion of the festival, funds from its operation are used to transform the grounds once again, this time with an eye toward the long-term use of the land. The enduring result of a successful garden festival is thus the transformation of derelict land into a community asset, such as a new urban park or an affordable housing project. Theokas considers here fifteen garden festivals--in Europe, England, and the United States--in all their dimensions. He examines the role they play in stimulating urban redevelopment, their effects on the practice of landscape architecture, and the contentious debates over their financing, purposes, and future prospects. This highly illustrated volume will serve as a useful introduction to garden festivals for all those interested in urban planning, horticulture, and the future of cities.

This book examines the concept and basic values of the Roskilde Festival, which is considered the largest temporary city in Denmark. The city plan, the city spaces, and the architecture are presented, including the interaction of the urban scenography with city life. Observations and analyses are supplemented by 12 narratives, with the participants sharing their everyday lives, which include the parties, the festival culture, and their experiences with music, architecture, and art. They present their territories and their places of meaning. The book looks at the potential of this temporary experience city, where the participants can experiment with an open-minded and socially-inclusive urban life carried by carnival laughter, performative architecture, and grotesque realism. The book points to a number of opportunities for the further development and processing of the temporary city, which may also serve as a source of inspiration for those who are working with urban design, experience design, and performative architecture.

Hella Town reveals the profound impact of transportation improvements, systemic racism, and regional competition on Oakland’s built environment. Often overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger and more glamorous twin, Oakland has a fascinating history of its own. From serving as a major transportation hub to forging a dynamic manufacturing sector, by the mid-twentieth century Oakland had become the urban center of the East Bay. Hella Town focuses on how political deals, economic schemes, and technological innovations fueled this emergence but also seeded the city’s postwar struggles. Toward the turn of the millennium, as immigration from Latin America and East Asia increased, Oakland became one of the most diverse cities in the country. The city still grapples with the consequences of uneven class- and race-based development-amid-disruption. How do past decisions about where to locate highways or public transit, urban renewal districts or civic venues, parks or shopping centers, influence how Oaklanders live today? A history of Oakland’s buildings and landscapes, its booms and its busts, provides insight into its current conditions: an influx of new residents and businesses, skyrocketing housing costs, and a lingering chasm between the haves and have-nots.

The City on Display: Architecture Festivals and the Urban Commons reflects on the biennials, triennials, and other festivals of architecture and design that have been held over the last two decades, as they expand and transform in response to the exigencies of ‘planetary urbanisation’. Joel Robinson examines the development of these large-scale, international, and perennial exhibitions as they address such challenges as urban regeneration, heritage preservation, climate change, and the migration crisis. Homing in on examples of festivals in Venice, Rotterdam, Oslo, Tallinn, Sharjah, Seoul, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, the author describes how they alter the public spaces that host them, either through civic boosterism and gentrification, on the one hand, or through a reassertion of the urban commons and the right to the city, on the other hand. He attempts to thematise the architecture festival's relationship with the city and interrogate its potential as a forum for global debate about the emergencies of the urban condition. This book will be beneficial for students and academics of architecture and urbanism, and especially those who have an interest in how the city gets exhibited at such festivals and even reimagined as something other than it currently is.