New Urban Topologies: The Chi?in?u and Minsk Experience

Illegal parking on public squares, city parks threatened by flashy constructions, squatted landmarks and anonymous module suburbs emerging at breakneck-speed. These are some of the challenges and opportunities facing Chi?in?u and Minsk, Moldova's and Belarus' capital cities, which are the first to go in F�rgfabriken?s new project New Urban Topologies, or NUT.

F�rgfabriken is a Swedish center for contemporary art and architecture with an international approach. In October 2010, F�rgfabriken, in conjunction with its Moldovan and Belarusian partners Oberliht and ? Gallery, conducted extensive programs on urban development on site in the two cities.

Yesterday, the publication summarizing this project was released. New Urban Topologies: The Chi?in?u and Minsk Experience was edited by me, Rebecka Gordan, and can be downloaded for free. In this book the reader will find the thoughts, dreams and demands of a diverse group of participants, from squatters to municipal administrators, in Chi?in?u, Stockholm and Minsk.

The aim of the project is to create an open and free platform where groups and individuals that rarely meet can discuss and come up with new concepts for the future of their cities and compare the challenges and prospects of those. The initial implementation of NUT is a first step in a larger context, in which F�rgfabriken will deepen the partnerships and processes already started. What lies ahead are also collaborations with the Balkans and the Middle East?regions now undergoing a rapid and tumultuous development.


The road is not paved yet, but new contacts have already begun to sprout among students, professionals, and teachers in Stockholm, Chi?in?u, and Minsk. Jointly with the Swedish Institute (the government agency that funds the project), F�rgfabriken aims for a process that will grow organically with people, projects, countries, cities, and ideas.

Credits: Cover of publication by Lina Lindqvist. Cover image (Minsk residential housing) from Rebecka Gordan. Image of New Urban Topologies participants and Coliseum Palace , both in Chisinau, from Rebecka Gordan.

Source: http://www.thepolisblog.org/2011/04/new-urban-topologies-chisinau-and-minsk.html

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