Naples, June 12, 2013
Department of Architecture, “Federico II” University, via Forno Vecchio 36
Aula Andriello, 9 am-6 pm
This one-day conference will bring together scholars from Italy and the United States to explore the urban implications of actor-network theory. The focus will be on the networks of humans, nature, and technologies that comprise cities and without which cities could neither function nor thrive. These assemblages are the constituent forms that characterize such social concerns as sea-level rise, slum formation, informality, and inter-ethnic conflict. Assemblage thinking places action in its material context by recognizing that humans always act with both tools and nature.
Assemblage thinking also sits at the center of how we think about planning for the city. It enables us to understand how formal and informal processes emerge and function within and across the settings of city life.
The speakers will present case studies that reflect on the formal and informal assemblages that comprise cities. They will include Robert Beauregard (Columbia University), Laura Lieto, and Attilio Belli (“Federico II” University). Invited speakers – Alessandro Balducci (Politecnico di Milano), Serena Vicari Haddock (University of Milano-Bicocca), Francesco Moccia (“Federico II” University), and Stefano Moroni (Politecnico di Milano) — will then debate the theoretical and practical planning issues posed by assemblage thinking.
This conference is free and open to the public. It is the first in a series of events and projects involving scholars from “Federico II” and Columbia University.
For further information, please contact Laura Lieto, lieto@unina.it.
