Plzeň - transformation of the city : Petr Klíma and Anna Beata Háblová
The long-term lecture series opens up fundamental urban topics of contemporary Plzeň, particularly the possibilities for the transformation of selected areas. The second part of the cycle focuses on the area of Americká–Sirková, specifically on the most significant function – at least in terms of usable floor area – that this area will carry in the future – retail. This activity has a half-century tradition in the location – it was in 1968 when the department store Prior was opened at the intersection of Americká Avenue and Sirková Street.
The dual focus of the lecture towards the past and present is also reflected in the selection of guests. The architect and architectural historian Petr Klíma will briefly speak about buildings for socialist retail in the first part of the evening, the author of the project KOTVY MÁJE concerning Czech department stores of the 1960s and 1970s, and a member of the organizing association Pěstuj prostor. He will outline the genesis of this building type in post-war Czechoslovakia, the urban planning context of the planning and creation of the individual buildings, and the social background of "prioritization." He will not overlook the topic of heritage protection for these objects.
Following him, architect, theorist, and poet Anna Beata Háblová will contribute with a presentation on contemporary shopping centers, being the author of the publication Města zdí, dedicated precisely to this type of building. In her lecture, Háblová will emphasize that these buildings were meant to become a salvation for the soulless and boundless American suburbs at the time of their origin in the 1950s. However, with the influence of economic globalization, they have spread worldwide, including to places with entirely different urban structures. How has their architecture evolved? What consequences do shopping centers have for European cities and their urban structure? What role do they play in the life of contemporary society? How can they be interpreted? And can they bring something positive to cities? Anna Beata Háblová will seek answers to these questions in her presentation.
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The dual focus of the lecture towards the past and present is also reflected in the selection of guests. The architect and architectural historian Petr Klíma will briefly speak about buildings for socialist retail in the first part of the evening, the author of the project KOTVY MÁJE concerning Czech department stores of the 1960s and 1970s, and a member of the organizing association Pěstuj prostor. He will outline the genesis of this building type in post-war Czechoslovakia, the urban planning context of the planning and creation of the individual buildings, and the social background of "prioritization." He will not overlook the topic of heritage protection for these objects.
Following him, architect, theorist, and poet Anna Beata Háblová will contribute with a presentation on contemporary shopping centers, being the author of the publication Města zdí, dedicated precisely to this type of building. In her lecture, Háblová will emphasize that these buildings were meant to become a salvation for the soulless and boundless American suburbs at the time of their origin in the 1950s. However, with the influence of economic globalization, they have spread worldwide, including to places with entirely different urban structures. How has their architecture evolved? What consequences do shopping centers have for European cities and their urban structure? What role do they play in the life of contemporary society? How can they be interpreted? And can they bring something positive to cities? Anna Beata Háblová will seek answers to these questions in her presentation.
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