Future Cities Conference 2023 | Peter Sloterdijk | The Future of Too Big Cities

Summary

The transcript explores the concept of urbanism through the lens of immunity and impossibility, drawing on philosophical quotes and historical examples. It discusses the city as an immune system, the impact of modernity on the environment, and the challenges of urban life. The speaker reflects on the future of cities, suggesting a need for deglobalization and a reevaluation of our relationship with urban spaces to maintain life quality and face the looming challenges with optimism.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker feels honored to be among eminent thinkers and introduces the concept of transitioning from improbability to impossibility in urbanism.
• 🏙️ Ancient thinker Epicurus' quote about death and cities without walls is used to discuss the inherent vulnerabilities in urban systems.
• 🏠 Aristotle's view on architecture is referenced to highlight the idea that cities should be built as nature would, but nature does not create cities, which are spaces where improbability meets impossibility.
• 🧗‍♂️ Richard Dawkins' concept of evolution as climbing Mount Improbable is discussed, emphasizing the dynamic and ever-changing nature of challenges in urban development.
• 🌲 The modern activity of 'burning the subterranean forest' is seen as a fatal discovery leading to the end of the current urban era.
• 🔑 Key terms from the lecture such as 'immune system', 'impossibility', 'immersion', and 'embedding' are introduced for further exploration.
• 🏛️ Paul Valéry's essay on tragical urbanism and the failure of cities to provide immunity to their inhabitants, particularly during the Black Death in Florence, is highlighted.
• 🎨 The importance of the artificial sublime in modern aesthetics is discussed, drawing parallels between architecture and the total artwork.
• 🛋️ The 20th century saw a shift in focus from collective to individual immersion in living spaces, with interior design becoming a significant industry.
• 🌐 The challenges of big cities, including overpopulation and the deterioration of their immune system qualities, are outlined, suggesting a need for intelligent deglobalization and deurbanization.
• 🔄 The conclusion posits an optimistic view of human capability to address urban challenges, predicting a reduction in the heights of 'Mount Improbable', allowing for continued progress within the big city culture.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the lecture?

The central theme of the lecture is the exploration of the concepts of unprobability and impossibility in the context of urbanism, architecture, and the human condition, particularly focusing on how cities and human constructs address or fail to address challenges such as death, natural growth, and the evolution of societies.

How does the speaker introduce the idea of 'tragic urbanism'?

The speaker introduces 'tragic urbanism' by referencing the ancient thinker Epicurus, who noted that while humans can take preventive actions against many things, death is inevitable. This concept is extended to cities, which, despite being designed as protective entities, ultimately cannot prevent the inevitable, thus embodying a form of tragic urbanism.

What is the significance of the quote by Aristotle regarding architecture?

Aristotle's quote emphasizes the idea that a good architect should build in harmony with nature. The speaker uses this to illustrate the concept that if cities were to grow as nature intended, they would be in perfect harmony with their inhabitants' needs. However, the reality is that cities often become places where the improbable becomes almost impossible, thus failing to meet Aristotle's ideal.

What does Richard Dawkins' concept of evolution contribute to the lecture's theme?

Richard Dawkins' concept of evolution, described as climbing Mount Improbable, adds to the lecture's theme by illustrating the dynamic and ever-changing nature of challenges faced by societies and cities. The speaker uses this metaphor to discuss how cities and human constructs are continually evolving and adapting, but sometimes face insurmountable odds that were once considered merely improbable.

How does the speaker relate the concept of an 'immune system' to cities and human constructs?

The speaker relates the concept of an 'immune system' to cities by suggesting that a well-constructed city should anticipate and protect against potential damages, much like how an immune system prepares the body to fend off infections. However, when cities fail to deliver this protection, they lose their function as a collective immune system for their inhabitants.

What is the significance of the term 'embedding' in the context of the lecture?

The term 'embedding' in the context of the lecture refers to the idea of being fully integrated or immersed within an environment. The speaker discusses how both nature and human-made structures aim to create a sense of embedding, providing a sense of belonging and security. However, when these structures fail to provide this sense of immersion, they contribute to the challenges faced by modern urban societies.

How does the speaker view the future of big cities?

The speaker views the future of big cities as facing significant challenges due to their inability to manage the influx of inhabitants and the subsequent deterioration of their immune system qualities. The speaker suggests that cities will need to rethink their role and find intelligent methods of deglobalization, disembedding, and deurbanization to maintain life quality.

What is the concept of 'deurbanization' as discussed in the lecture?

The concept of 'deurbanization' discussed in the lecture refers to the trend of people moving away from large cities to smaller, commuter cities or rural areas. This is seen as a response to the challenges faced by big cities and a desire for a more balanced lifestyle that still offers the advantages of urban living without the associated disadvantages.

How does the speaker connect the idea of 'burning the subterranean forest' to modernity?

The speaker connects the idea of 'burning the subterranean forest' to modernity by using it as a metaphor for the extensive use of fossil fuels and the resulting environmental impact. This concept is seen as a defining characteristic of modernity, representing a shift from sustainable practices to ones that have long-term, potentially catastrophic consequences.

What role does the speaker believe leadership plays in addressing urban challenges?

The speaker believes that leadership plays a crucial role in addressing urban challenges by setting goals and developing methods to transform seemingly impossible scenarios into more manageable probabilities. Effective leadership is seen as necessary for guiding cities and societies through complex issues and towards sustainable solutions.

How does the speaker use the term 'Mount Improbable' to describe the challenges faced by societies?

The speaker uses the term 'Mount Improbable' to describe the challenges faced by societies as dynamic and ever-changing, yet not entirely insurmountable. The height of this metaphorical mountain represents the level of difficulty or improbability of addressing certain issues. The speaker suggests that with time, effort, and intelligent approaches, these challenges can be made more reachable and manageable.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction and Themes of Urbanism

The speaker begins by expressing honor and pleasure at being among distinguished thinkers. They introduce the theme of their talk, which is the transition from unprobability to impossibility. The speaker uses three quotations to set the stage for their discussion. The first quote from Epicurus discusses human inability to prevent death, likening it to living in a city without walls. The second quote from Aristotle emphasizes the importance of building houses in harmony with nature, and the third from Richard Dawkins uses the metaphor of climbing Mount Improbable to describe evolution. The speaker then transitions into a discussion about the tragic nature of cities and their rapid growth over the past 250 years, highlighting the unsustainable practice of burning the 'subterranean forest'.

05:01

🏙️ Urban Challenges and the Immune System Metaphor

The speaker delves deeper into the concept of cities as immune systems, suggesting that cities should be designed to naturally accommodate their inhabitants, much like how nature would grow houses. They argue that modern cities, however, are places where the improbable becomes almost impossible. The speaker discusses the idea of 'embedding' or immersion in the city environment and contrasts it with the concept of a city's ability to provide a collective immune system for its inhabitants. They reference the work of Paul Valéry, who wrote about the art of building temples that create a sense of completeness and grandeur, emphasizing the importance of artificial sublime in modern aesthetics.

10:04

🏛️ The Role of Art and Aesthetics in Urban Spaces

The speaker explores the impact of art and aesthetics on urban spaces, using the example of a temple to illustrate how human-made environments can be both sublime and artificial. They discuss the concept of being 'enslaved' by the environment, suggesting that this is not necessarily negative but rather a form of aesthetic engagement. The speaker also touches on the idea of 'embedding' in relation to music and how it can create a sense of being enclosed and transformed by the environment. They argue that the design of immersive environments has become a key aspect of modern living, with interior design and architecture playing a crucial role in shaping our experiences of space.

15:06

🎥 Reflections on Mass Culture and Design

The speaker reflects on the early 20th century's mass culture and its impact on urban design. They discuss the evolution of movies as a medium that provided immersive experiences, and how design has shifted towards creating integral experiences of the environment. The speaker notes the influence of totalitarian aesthetics on urban spaces and the depoliticization of the concept of embedding after World War II. They also mention the rise of interior design as a therapeutic maxim and the development of an entire industry around it, suggesting that the message of embedding has been commercialized and individualized.

20:10

🌐 The Future of Cities and the Immune System

The speaker discusses the future of cities, focusing on the concept of the immune system as it relates to urban environments. They argue that modern houses and complexes should embody the qualities of an immune system, protecting inhabitants from various 'diseases'. The speaker suggests that the architecture of modernism should reflect the debate on the right definition of immune space. They conclude by addressing the contradictions inherent in big city living, noting that cities attract more people than they can manage, thus deteriorating their immune system qualities. The speaker advocates for intelligent methods of deglobalization and deurbanization to save life quality.

25:13

📚 Concluding Thoughts and Q&A

The speaker concludes their talk by reiterating the dynamic trust in humanity's ability to climb Mount Improbable and the optimism that we will not face absolutely unsolvable problems. They express the belief that the height of impossibility will diminish as human efforts reach the possible peak. The speaker then engages in a Q&A session, where they discuss the concepts of the impossible and the improbable, and the need to redefine these terms for the future of the city. They also touch on the topic of deurbanization, suggesting that it is a natural progression as cities become unsustainable, and that the 21st century will be characterized by large-scale deagrarianization and migration within nation states.

Keywords

💡Tragical Urbanism

The term 'Tragical Urbanism' refers to the concept that cities, while being hubs of human activity and progress, are also spaces where the most profound human experiences, such as death and disaster, are confronted. In the video, it is used to illustrate the inherent vulnerability of urban spaces, especially in the face of challenges like the plague mentioned in the context of Florence in 1348, where the city's immune system failed, leading to massive loss of life.

💡Immune System

In the context of the video, an 'Immune System' metaphorically represents the protective mechanisms that a city or built environment should have to safeguard its inhabitants from various threats, both natural and man-made. The speaker uses this concept to argue that well-constructed cities should be prepared for potential damages and provide the necessary systems for inhabitants to feel secure and immersed in their environment.

💡Embedding

The term 'Embedding' in the video refers to the concept of integrating or immersing oneself within an environment, particularly in the context of living spaces. It speaks to the idea that a well-designed city or dwelling should allow its inhabitants to feel a sense of belonging and security, as if they are 'embedded' within the fabric of their surroundings.

💡Improbability

In the video, 'Improbability' is used to describe the unlikely or unexpected events or conditions that cities and their inhabitants must confront. It is a concept that is explored in relation to the challenges faced by urban environments, such as the evolution of cities and the unforeseen problems that arise from their growth.

💡Impossibility

The term 'Impossibility' in the video signifies the extreme or insurmountable challenges that cities may face, which are beyond the capacity of their immune systems or protective mechanisms to handle. It is used to highlight the limits of what urban environments can manage or control, such as the inevitability of death or the overwhelming scale of modern city life.

💡Aesthetics

In the video, 'Aesthetics' refers to the sensory or emotional experiences associated with the built environment, particularly how the design of spaces can evoke feelings of immersion, beauty, or discomfort. It is discussed in the context of how urban spaces and architecture can either enhance or detract from the quality of life for their inhabitants.

💡Suburbanization

The term 'Suburbanization' refers to the process of moving populations from urban centers to suburban areas. In the video, it is presented as a trend where city dwellers seek to live in areas that offer the advantages of city life without the disadvantages, such as pollution and overcrowding.

💡Deglobalization

In the video, 'Deglobalization' is suggested as a strategic approach to address the challenges faced by cities, particularly in terms of overpopulation and resource strain. It implies a retreat from global interconnectedness to a more localized or regional focus, aiming to improve the quality of life and sustainability.

💡Community

The concept of 'Community' in the video relates to the collective of individuals who share a common environment, such as a city or neighborhood. It emphasizes the importance of social connections and mutual support within urban spaces, and how these social structures contribute to the overall health and resilience of the community.

💡Modernity

The term 'Modernity' in the video encompasses the social, cultural, and technological changes associated with the modern era, particularly those that have led to the development and growth of cities. It is often characterized by the shift from agrarian to urban lifestyles and the complexities that come with it.

Highlights

The concept of cities as immune systems and their role in protecting inhabitants from various adversities, including death.

The idea of tragical urbanism, drawing parallels between the inevitability of death and the vulnerabilities of city living.

The architectural philosophy of building structures, including cities, in harmony with nature's principles.

The metaphor of climbing Mount Improbable, representing the dynamic challenge of evolving and adapting within urban environments.

The historical perspective on the rapid growth of cities and their potential future decline.

The impact of modernity and the burning of the 'subterranean forest', symbolizing the exploitation of natural resources.

The discussion on the role of architects and urban planners in creating cities that align with the concept of an immune system.

The exploration of the term 'impossibility' in the context of urban development and the challenges faced by cities.

The importance of rethinking and relearning in the face of urban challenges and the potential for deurbanization.

The philosophical and aesthetic considerations of living within human-made environments and their impact on society.

The historical account of the plague in Florence and the failure of the city to act as an effective immune system.

The notion of embedding in sociological context and its relation to the quality of living in cities.

The influence of mass culture and the evolution of interior design as a means of personal and collective immersion.

The potential future of urban living, including the possibility of deglobalization and the redefinition of community and immunity.

The optimistic view that human efforts can reach the peak of 'improbability' and diminish the heights of 'impossibility'.

The call for a reevaluation of the relationship between immunity and community in the context of modern residential and business practices.

The reflection on the role of leadership in transforming perceived impossibilities into probabilities through goal setting and action.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

the only thing I can add to this is that

I'm really

feel honored and I feel also real

pleasure to to to be here among eminent

thinkers in this

field

um I have chosen

a somewhat strange title for my tesis

here I will talk about the movement from

unpr

probability to

impossibility and let me start with

three

quotations more or less well

known the first one goes

back to the ancient thinker

epicuros uh to him there is a sentence

attributed that would lead us directly

into a field that you would call A

tragical

urbanism because what he says is that

that human beings are able to take

preventive actions against most things

in the world but with regard to death we

all are living in a city Without

Walls so if a city is an IM immune

system in the most important case uh uh

in which immunity is required it does

not

work so we have to to keep that in mind

if I introduce you to the basic

vocabulary uh of the next

minutes which does not mean that I

necessarily do the work I deliver the

concepts and I would suggest you make

your own

conference uh two of these uh Concepts

have already been uh

named unpr

probability

and

impossibility the term of

immunity or IM immune

systems is already

here and the second quotation I I would

like to uh put forward poverty uh under

pretext of an

introduction uh goes back to a famous

saying of

Aristotle uh he said an a good

architect has to build houses in such a

way as nature would create them if

nature or

physic would make

grow houses

so you just have to shake a little bit

the tree of houses and houses will fall

down if they fulfill the the perfect

definition of what a house is meant to

to be it is it is it is meant to be a

place of

immersion where you can dive into into

into this the secrecy and the Sheltering

qualities of of of that place

especially during during night time time

times uh and to Pro

protect a a a a

given Unity of Co cohabitation which is

usly a

family and now imagine what arot would

have said with regard to

cities he would address almost the same

sentence with with regard to to

urbanists or city Architects build

cities in such a way as nature would

have built them if nature would make

grow cities but nature is not U silly

enough to

create cities because cities are are

places where uh the

improbable old almost reaches the height

of the

impossible and my third quotation will

be from Richard Dawkins a general

formula for what he calls Evolution and

he has found a very nice very po popular

and very poetic description it was to

participate in evolution means to climb

Mount

improbable and the strange thing is now

that this mountain probably is is not a

given

Mountain because it grows while you are

climbing this is it is a perverse

mountain or a paradox Mountain uh the

height of which depends on the energy of

the

climber so is a

cusion between clim fishing climbing and

and growing peaks of improb

probability and that is uh what I meant

if I call uh my

lecture from improbability to impos

impossibility because we are all well

conscious of the fact that there is a

that something tragical and and

something unable about the con

construction of of big cities they did

not

exist until 250 years and they will

probably not exist from now on in in

years so when the the peak period span

of time of our main activity in our

lifetime will be gone and our main

activity in our life lifetime is called

burning the sub Subterranean

Forest that's what modern modernity

finally is is is all about

yeah we have made this this fatal

Discovery said One log of of of

wood uh canot only be burnt

once as our forefathers and ancestors

believed we have

discovered uh

that dangerous secret how to burn one

piece of wood millions of

times and this Panic activity is very

Ence of modern times and we and we

already know very well that we are

living in the end game phase of of this

uh game called burning the subterranian

forest

um

now it's that's your task you may you

have the key the key

terms and you produce your

conference immune system

immunity

impossibility IM immersion

or embedding

procedes and what is the result in the

me in while you

uh elaborating your conference uh I

deliver one version uh one possible

version of uh of the task I gave I gave

you and one possible answer to the

question has been delivered by Paul

Valerie in his uh wellknown

uh

essay uh written in the uh early uh 20s

of the last last century o

Pinos was the

architect so in in every text book for

AR architectur students this should be

on one of the first articles you read

just as uh when when it comes to the

question of of tragical urbanism the

introduction of jaani Voos the

camaron should should be read and ReRe

because this is uh the description of

what can happen if a big city is no

longer able to fulfill its function as a

a collective immune system for its

inhabitants and he described what

happened in his natal City Florance when

the plague arrived in 13

48 in in a couple of few months 100,000

people

died due to to the C's

incapacity to deliver what it should

deliver to to its citizens that is a

higher level of immunity but what

happens is exactly the contrary nowhere

life is that

endangered when the the city as a

spatialite immune system does no longer

work but let me just add one remark

about the aristot Alan task uh of of

city building it is a virtual task he

never really explained how nature would

have done

it but from the constructive point of

view one thing is clear the nature if

she really would uh build cities she

would uh seek for the uh per perfect uh

equivalent Al a balance between

immersive qualities of living in the

city that's something that is also

discussed under the term of embedding in

in modern sociological context and on

the other side of of immunity where

immunity uh can can be delivered at the

same time as

a so effectful form of uh IM emusion

structure then the uh nature as

architect of the city would would be

satisfied but let me add one uh

definition for what immune system in a

general in general meaning

implies we all know that immune systems

are called as they are called since the

late 19th century when German and French

biologists

borrowed uh from Roman laws the concept

of imun immunity the term immun immune

system is is not a biological

expression uh it is a chical term uh

that which is Bor borrowed from from

Roman law and Roman law is based on the

on the on the inside that all human uh

life is under the risk of being damaged

and everything that is

can be done to prevent damage in the

future belongs to the system of of

immunities that's also one of the

reasons why Roman law only has one uh

great problem H how

to uh

restore injuries after after after

damages yeah we have you have uh inj

injuries and reparations yeah

and an immune system is an in

Incorporated structure that anticipates

F damage in the

future same thing if you're

vaccinated from the moment of the

vaccination on your body is

prepared to encounter the in Invasions

of certain

microbes but at the very moment you you

you uh build a house you and your family

are are

prepared uh to um silent night

night because the house is

such anticipate the

disturbance uh of of of of your of your

nightly

life and everything that uh incarnates

the expectation of the future damage can

can be called an immune system that that

is very important and that also belongs

to the definition of this of the city a

well constructed city has to be prepared

for certain typ typical

damages and has to

deliver uh that kind of uh immersion

systems that people really uh do

require

and Paul Valerie writes the following

sentences it ceases not to Spur me

to develop a couple of ideas on the art

a painting my dear

fos

Socrates addresses to his favorite

student de fos covers a mere surface

such as a panel or a wall but a temple

along with its precincts or again the

interior of this temples forms for us a

sort of complete greatness whichin which

we live we are we move we live inside

the work of man we are CAU and mastered

within the proportions he has chosen we

cannot Escape

it and this reflection places the

emphasis is on two different elements

the first is it insists that in the

present case the surroundings are

Sublime this we are speaking of of a of

a

temple and the second is stresses that

the surroundings are

artificial and needless to say I do not

mean the dynamic Sublime in the Canon

sense of the word but say artificial

Sublime through the omnip presence of

which a human work can be experienced as

a Sublime

surrounding Al so valer Socrates leaps

with one sentence straight to the heart

of modern

Aesthetics because the letter and uh it

squares directly to the Enigma of the

total artwork because the letter in

keeping with the aong guard's Ambitions

GRS the environments as a whole and the

beholder can no longer absorb it from

the Bourgeois vantage point of standing

opposite it in view of the temple in

which I stand being in the world

precisely means being in the work of

another and indeed it even means being

consumed by the artistic greatness and

is it is a coincidence that Socrates

makes use of the expressions that are

reminiscent of the speech of the former

Tent Maker Apostle Paul you remember

this this famous speech on the Aro Park

where he's talking about a God in whom

we live move and

are in Lutheran

translation the words are a God in M Le

on I do not know if the swingly and

traditional laws

Lutheran qu

quotations uh but the the the qualiity

almost Ho Holy quality of of immersion

is very well evoked

here and and Paul made

here a kind act of pirate

hermeneutics when he talked from the

from this altar of the unknown God

uh in essence and pretended that this

altar was already prepared for the

arrival of Christ

yeah and Val knows very well what he's

what he is

quoting and the same cancer what we said

of second uh AR name namely music then

being inside the work of man as fishes

are in the see being entirely immersed

in it living in it and belonging to it

did you not live in a mobile edifice

incessantly renewed and reconstructed

within itself and entirely dedicated to

the

transformations of a soul none other

than the soul of the extensional itself

and did not those moments and their

ornaments and those dances without

dancers and those statues bodyless and

featureless seem to surround you slave

you as you were of the general presence

of Music were you not enclosed along

with it now forcibly locked up like a p

in her chamber of

vapors and the explication of dwelling

by the theory of the surrounding art

World thus leads directly to an

elaboration of an Aesthetics

totalitarianism or the voluntary

submission to the man-made

environment and in both the reference to

the Aesthetics of the sublime comes

immediately to Bear there are also two

arts in which enclose man in

man one in stone and in air and each of

them fills our knowledge and our space

with artificial

truth and modernity what is it in this

respect other than an experiment

conducted to prove that it is but one

step from the sublime to the uh everyday

experience to banality then at the same

time when Valerie was jotting down these

observations the movie the main medium

of the nation mass culture that was to

unfold as an overwhelming medium was

still in its infancy we right here

1921 but it was purposefully working to

provide the arrangement for Mass

consumable immersive Daydream

experiences it was working to enslave

the eye and transform the organ of

distanced observation into one of

immersion in a quasi tactile

mure and at the same time in the bow

house in VMA people had started under

the banner of design to negotiate an

integral manner of accessing the

environment in which the everyday uh

life is lived and not only music as is a

do domic demonic domain as Thomas man

had remarked but spatial design also

refers like architecture to that trivial

uncanniness of permanent or occasional

belonging to an environment thoroughly

show by man and these Arts explicate the

dwelling at places by means of immersion

plans that are nothing other than

enslavement proposals for the consumers

of the total situation and through them

habitation is seen as a welcome

subjection to the

ambient and to the extent to which

apartments are installations or

assembled immersion plants they explain

existence as a threedimensional

task installations like towns and

apartments are the aesthetic explication

of

embedding and other

things participate in the two basic

value of aesthetic judgment one say of

embeddings in the pleasant and Bal that

they are beautiful or homely and

embedding in the awful and The Uncanny

that they are sublime or

uncomfortable and in the course of the

20th century these explications of

dwelling became productive to the extent

that the design of

immersion Alia interior design was

limited to The Living Spaces of

individuals and the few families and

cooperatives but the immeasurable and

constantly burgeoning volume volum of

popular literature on interior

decorations on living with style on

modernizing Old buildings on luxury

kitchens and bathrooms on air

conditioning on the culture of lightning

furniture and the design of Holiday

Homes indicates across how broad a front

the message of embedding in a self

chosen micro Mur as a

actual therapeutic maxim of the second

half of the 20th century found in

audience and an entire interior industry

is at hand to trigger such needs and

differentiate such standards and telling

this awareness of embedding was suddenly

depoliticized post

1945 and withdrew from the sublime

collectivist thees as if people no

longer wanted to hear that they are Arts

that enclose man within

man it is as if the collective memory

has

preserved the intuitive Insight that the

greater the

entities comprised through immersion in

the Common Ground the more powerful the

totalitarian

Temptation and even if individual arches

continue to experiment with dwelling in

the sublime by surrounding themselves

with with stability and horror their

exercises now remain limited to a

private domain or the best to a

subculture if one day

someday someone is able to

reconstruct how the Demons of the the

20th century were

unlashed then the stress will be put on

the efforts of the totalitarian leaders

to expand the embedding situations of

Apartments to

cover the entire situations of the

people and the collective and classical

totalitarianism was a synthesis of

apartment and gazam

imposed from above and the state usurped

by a click imposes itself as a total

installation and demands of the citizens

their unreserved

immersion and in the East the party

functioned as a transitional quantity

for these ambes of the whole while in

Germany it was the army that performed

the task they gave birth to the super

flat shes that were staged as Nazi or

socialist

Collective but after this this solution

the customary form of residential

totalitarianism join forces with liberal

mass culture and it is now to be seen in

the trend of blanket do it yourself

stores set Force anyone doing their own

living space to choose from the same

color ranges of tiles and shelves and

switches and mattresses and the do it

yourself stor are the main suppliers of

Western post

totalitarianism and with a clear message

do not live with the whole outfit your

own interior alone with a few others but

remain

recognizable and behave

similarly and the fact fact that you are

then surrounded Everywhere by furniture

that is as good as

interchangeable seems to be the Lesser

evil for those

involved I will not go on to deliver the

dynamic definition of the apartment as a

spatial IM immune system I think uh it

can be

understood U Already now but let me let

me uh go go

down

uh to

my

conclusions if

houses of the modern times are formed in

which the immunizing quality of housing

complexes are

explicated then should we not expect

that the architecture of modernism

manifests the debate of the right

definition of immune space do houses in

our age not have to morph into material

symbols of the battle between isolation

interests and demands for integration of

the apartments of our age then not the

evidence of a civilizing project that

places the reformatting of humid of

immunity and integral spaces on the

and all we can be sure of is that the

linkage of immunity and

Community needs to be

rethought since

residential and business relations seek

to ensure the liberation of single

persons living alone and just as life in

the age of naked life could be defined

as a successful face the success

uccessful face of a immune system of a

biochemical immune system so the

existence of man now describes the

successful phase of a single person

household yeah but what we call people

or

societies they also have to be defined

as success successful forms of of urban

life

so I come to my uh conclusions that and

they

uh have to do with the inner

contradiction of big city dwellings big

cities and Wealthy

Nations share one problem they attract

more arrivals than they virtually can

manage and in doing so they deterior

iate their immune system

qualities and they will have to learn to

play a sensible role in the drama of the

future to save life quality by

intelligent meths of deglobalization

of

disembedding and de de deurbanization

I think that the impossibility will take

the lead with regard to the

improbability but

nevertheless uh we will remain within

the big city culture

because the trust of climbing Mount

improbably is a dynamic TR trust that

and that

means uh

the

height of the

impossible

will be

diminished as much as the highest peak

of

improbability will be will

require so and this is as strange as it

might sound an optimistic argument that

we shall not be confronted with with

absolutely

uh

unsolvable problems because the the

height of the impro

probability uh will will almost in in

the reach of of human efforts uh to to

reach the

possible Peak so uh there are still good

reason uh in our ability to climb Mount

improbable under the condition that that

mount improbable as such will no longer

reach s such Heights of impossibility

that we believe to see right now yeah

but take 100 years more time for

planning and you will see that that

these

Peaks uh will be flattening and see

capacity of

climbing will be at the height of the

necessary in the meantime you are ready

with your own conference

uh and you uh you're free to make a

contribution by a written

essay uh address to the

organizer thank

you

don't you can stay here you can stay

here for a minute yeah you got to stay

right here for just a second

so um

Sasha you need a you need a handheld or

something here we got a handheld for you

does this work no you have to use this

one he'll he'll he'll make it work for

you so we have time to take one or two

questions if you're

capable I'm still trying to think of the

impossible and the

improbable and which is which and where

I'm climbing and where I'm

sliding because I'm not sure where I'm

heading with that but I'm going to let

Sasha have a comment on this one because

you you can deal with this one

I'm little bit out of my

league thank you thank you so much Peter

slik We Are

Climbing at the moment the

impossible and I don't know if we if we

know where we are going but we try to

give some hints to develop some

methods maybe

methodologies and aristoteles was clear

at the

time and nature is stronger than we

are and say

this I'm on my way to climb to

Impossible with the with the team

anyhow thank you so much for your

contribution and we are really proud

that you have been

here and I know it was not so easy even

the travel from what was it Berlin to

Zurich can be also kind of impossible as

I understood yesterday

yeah so anyhow we're coming to an end of

uh this first

day and

uh I'm struck a little bit fatigued you

can say on the other side I think you

feel the

same

and yeah is it is it positive what we're

doing is it negative where are we going

through

still so many questions open at the

moment and I hope our younger generation

tomorrow will give us some insights huh

tomorrow's day open some

windows

and they climb the impossible they do

it in that

sense my battery is

empty but just for the moment I'm

recharging quickly thank you so much for

attending and we're not done yet we're

not done yet we're not done yet sorry

you you do that I'm going to do that

really fast okay faster than I do nope

I'll be slower than you but you can hang

out for a second so um I also want to

thank you very much for the mountain

problem Mountain possible and a few

things which I would like to reflect

very quickly which was on the day which

I heard beginning with our leaders and

hear a few words respect rethinking

relearning also for me just this last

one rethinking relearning about

impossible what's improbable and how we

have to for ourselves Define what we

think's improbable and what's impossible

when we talk about the future of the

city and this is what I think when I

think of the work you were doing as

mayor I'm sure many thought it was

impossible became improbable as you set

those goals with leadership and I think

that's for me was also a really

important lesson to take away which is

also the

leadership and the leadership we have

here in the room and the leadership but

it's intellectual emotional

political the leadership and the

thoughtful leadership I would have a

question oh no for you one one I gave

him a moment to think that's always

dangerous yes I have a I have a little

questions because I

heard a new topic

deurbanization

I in most situations when it comes to

question of

modernization modern cities and

especially big cities uh I I quote a

book that

appeared a decade ago approximatively

from an I think an American Australian

author whose name is dog Sanders you

might know it

the name of the title of the book is a

rival City and it's the best description

of of the modern the modern tragedy of

of the city because uh do

Sanders uh was successful in a point

when OS Spangler failed bangler came up

with the promise to be

able uh to write the history of the

future in

advance uh which was obviously a failure

because he uh uh because he was not able

to uh to find the distinction between

gen modernization by technology in

general and the end game of the fan

culture he he he committed a huge

confusion and took something

which is a general process on on a

earthwide scale just for the the last

days of the of the fan soul that was a

major error and that is why

u historiography in in advance remained

on uh

uncapable but D Sanders did something

much more plausible he described the the

Europe European Evolution between 1800

and

1950 and what he

observed was simply the deag rization of

the western

civilization in gtis times 1800 let's

say when when when Gerty was

51 uh this a nice date of

reference when Gerty was 51

82

83% of German population were still

living in a

agrarian uh conditions uh and very often

directly uh from

agriculture 1950 in Germany there was

still

5% left in the in this original

conditions and his prognosis was very

clear that what happened in in the

western

civilization through the possibilities

opened up by our beginning of burning

the Subterranean

Forest uh that is something that is

repeating itself with a fatal or

irresistible Force every everywhere else

in the world and so the the the huge

political theme of

migration is is mitigated for us by the

fact that most migrations do not

happen uh Beyond

borders between nation states but

within Modern Nation States the biggest

migration is in in

China the second uh huge migration is is

in India in in in

Indonesia which is a a

fantastically artificial Construction

yeah uh it was by the way the pattern uh

to uh that helped Benedict Anderson to

to to forge uh his concept uh as as as

as of the nation as a as a fictional

entity because he has that before his

eyes 300 different people all of a

sudden integrated in in one common

political project yeah

1900 4

45 under the guidance uh of an

artificial religion a little bit of

humanism a little bit socialism a little

bit of of Buddhism and and and and and

and

Hinduism right it it it was a perfect KU

you uh but who knows if it will still

work in in 20 years in 50 years and and

so on this uh I quote the case of

Indonesia because it's also one of these

uh in

migration countries which help us to

reduce the dimensions uh of migration as

internal phenomenon as long as the most

biggest part of migrations happens

inside nation states know uh our uh

Asylum system uh

will not be over that much over

stretched that it it would would happen

if all these migrations were

transnational Al so dark Sanders uh made

this

prognosis uh that the the whole 21st

century will will belong to a dynamics

of of that

kind and we shall observe de

aggravations on a on a large large scale

and we shall see uh the the fact that

modern cities which are cities without

City walls will be unable uh to stop

their own pool

function that that is uh the second

chapter of the tragic Urban urbanism we

we are not only uh um

living in cities without a

wall against death but also against

these kind of migrations caused by Inner

de

agiz and in that context uh this

U um a little bit scandalous sound

scandalously sounding word of

deurbanization

U is is to to be

defined in in the western world we are

living already in a in a in a cycle of

what you could call the second

green the first green was aarian world

now we live in a where many uh City

dwellers

decide uh to turn their backs to to

cities uh and to to live in uh uh

commuter cities that means in a in a one

hours or two hours distance from the

megal from the megalopolis that's what I

call the second Queen outside you find

in the meantime you have you find the

the

same uh

advantages uh you have as a as a city

city

dweller uh but no longer the

disadvantage that's what I I meant uh

when I uh use the term of deag

rization yeah but let let us assume that

Marco poloo came to PO

bot yeah after his

return uh to Venice he would have

pretended that not only he had seen the

cities of several million

inhabitants that's why the the the

people in Venice called him Mesa million

yeah he he would have come back as a

Mion from from

bot but but also as someone who uh

reported something from the from the uh

peak of

impossibility turned into into simple

improbability and maybe a May is a

difference

thank

you so with that Peter Sasha thank you

so very much for sharing your thoughts

with us and I hope you'll be able to

stand out with us and have a glass of

wine yeah at the Swiss AO all right we

heard that excellent so let us thank

Peter and for really

again