Came across this rather nice article about a french guy, Jean-François Perouse, working for the Institut Francais d'Etudes Anatoliennes in Istanbul - something they call the Observatoire Urbain d'Istanbul

"The cement folly of the Esenler bus station, the Üskudar heights on the Asian side, Samatya and Edikule, are regular haunts for Perouse, who “reads” the city in the key of urban geography and social anthropology."

"Perouse is currently working an a project for Paris publishing house Kallimages based on a series of anonymous photos from the 1900s. “It is as though the photographer had just stepped off the tourist boat, with no knowledge of mosques and churches. Literally, the anti-Orientalist,” says Perouse, who has added a fictional narrative to the images."

How is that for thinking City Index! Could he be a guy to pull in for a lecture this summer? It's a suggestion.

Here's a little essay he's written: Deconstructing the Gecekondu

... and while I'm at it - I bloody found it in the google newsreel I keep on my very own blog - full of Architecture and Urbanism.

Architecture and Dissent (And from talking to action...)

The Berlage Institute (an architectural laboratory) have organised a series of Springtime public lectures on the theme of Architecture and Dissent.

This program of dialogues addresses the relations between architecture, power, and political dissent. By debating the cultural currents transforming contemporary daily life and, subsequently, shared spatial practices, this series of events promotes an open dialogue reflecting on today’s architectural condition.

Can architecture politically engage a global market-driven power structure? Is it possible to find alternative means of operating architecturally within this dominant system? How should architecture and urbanism address economic development, popular culture, and a design-driven consumerism? Does architecture—as both an intellectual discipline and a professional practice—contribute to stabilizing the inherent social inequalities of the contemporary city?

The talks can be viewed by live braodcast, heres the program

Tuesday 13 March Instant City: The Rise of Dubai

Tuesday 27 March Gated Communities in the Age of Extreme Individualism

Tuesday 17 April The Cult of Celebrity: Superstars Architect in the Academy

Tuesday 8 May Signs, Symbols, Spectacles: The Architecture of Global Corporations

Tuesday 15 May Living Outside: Uneven Metropolitan Development

Tuesday 12 June Beyond Degenerate Utopias?

Tuesday 19 June The Power of Sprawl

Previous mention here on EASA of Berlage Institute was when an attempt was made to widen the discussion in offering further answers to their 6 questions. (109 Provisional Attempts to Address Six Simple and Hard Questions About What Architects Do Today and Where Their Profession Might Go Tomorrow )