Year: 2021

La Défense de Paris

Marcos Polo

The La Défense business district lies to the west of Paris. And like Paris, and many large European cities, it has witnessed important transformations in recent years. One of the most noteable changes has been the increase in social vulnerability and the weakening of community relations concentrated in some neighbourhoods. So maybe there’s some truth in the line that “If we wish we to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighbourhoods” (Harvey Milk) Named after a famous statue, La Défense de Paris, which was commissioned to commemorate the French…

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Marx Halle: digital boost with 10,000 Mbit

Marcos Polo

Marx Halle: digital boost with 10,000 Mbit From imperial cattle market in the days of the monarchy to “Austria’s fastest event hall”, the Marx Halle in Vienna has been investing heavily in IT infrastructure and now offers technological resources for meetings of all kinds. Built by Viennese architect Rudolf Frey in 1881 as a hall for cattle auctions at the St. Marx central livestock market, 140 years later the Marx Halle is at the heart of the Neu Marx urban development zone. With a footprint of 20,000 square meters arranged…

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Streets, safety and spray paint

Marcos Polo

Streets, safety and spray paint Linking Amsterdam Zuidoost’s tunnels via a safe street art route     As one enters Amsterdam Zuidoost via Gooiseweg, elevated roads and underpass converge at the point where Amsterdam, Diemen and Duivendrecht meet. This spot has been popular through the years for fishing and swimming and has always had  its charm with unfinished elements. However, now it’s hard to miss that you’re entering Zuidoost with the big bright street painting — Tropisch Vogelbos along the columns. Like many of the peripheral neighbourhoods in the IMAGE…

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History and culture places in Carnide and Raval

Marcos Polo

by Mei Lucena, Andrea Navarro, María Gonzalez, Andrew Moslares, Ton Marques, Diogo Gouveia, Milene Casimiro, Beatriz Louro, Pedro Garcia, Natalia Borrás, Martina Griera, Laia Pardo, Àlex Bellot.   In a time when culture has lost some attention, we thought it was important to highlight one of the main cultural hotspots of this town: Culture Boutique in Lisbon. This place is a meeting point for generations to come together and learn and absorb arts like acting and music. We fell in love with the history and mission of this place and…

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Squares and places to enjoy in Lisbon and Barcelona

Marcos Polo

by Max Salvadó,Astrid Carbonell, Pau Baquero, Juan Andrés Ibáñez, Mireia Julián, Alejandra Querol, Lara Baptista, Catarina Formiga, , Duarte Amaro, , Margarida Bernardo, Sara Bernardo. In the Square of Light we can find a garden in the central area and some important buildings, such as the military school, a church, a Franciscan Seminary. There isn’t a lot of movement, but during the month of the fair of the Light it changes. You can find some tranquility in the garden and usually older people playing card games, but there’s room for…

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Intercity bonds from past to present through the people and experiences

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by Claudia Ribas, Paula Payés, Arianna Diaz, Kate Danchuk,Kiki Gielisse, Fatma Chaali, Christiaan Vuur, Sam de Lang, Alexis Pisano, Ana Cerveira, Catarina Batista, Madalena Alemão Ferreira, Sofia Nunes, Teresa Filipe.   Marsella’s Bar, which was founded in 1820 on Carrer de Sant Pau, in the Raval district of Barcelona represents the neighborhood for its long history and for famous artists such as Picasso, Degas and Van Gogh who went to have a few glasses of absinthe and experienced hallucinations, and thus managed to be inspired by his works.  The Coreto…

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Intercity journey through historical local commerce and different ways of spending time

Marcos Polo

by Ismael Sanchez, Laia Inés, Júlia Gómez, Carla  Idáñez , Ida Renden, Sven Jonker, Sandro Soler  Rueda,Thanh Nguyen, Chelsea Perri , Isabela  Neves, Sofia Pereira, Inês Saraiva, Ana Rita Mateis, Joana  Ramos. Our intercity journey starts with Torrente Tecno Industrial, the anchor point from Barcelona. This is a lighting rod store created in 1860 that nowadays is still managed by the fifth generation of the same family. The connection between this anchor point and the next one Panificadora de Carnide, is that both represent historical and local commerce from the…

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Involving people in European pheriperies

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by: Sergi Bimbela, Berta Batllori, Emma Chimeno, Anna Díez, Carla Ruiz, Lucas vander Linden, Lucas Rekelhof, Thijmen Visser, Hugo Bicker, Brechtje Fase, Carolina Inácio, Maria Ramos, Raquel Teixeira.   Established in an old garage, The World of Food is a multi-cultural food hall in Amsterdam SouthEast, The Netherlands. 32 restaurants with food from all over the world, brign people of nationalities together. It is interesting to see how a relatively new place can connect different cultures in the same direction: the love of having a meal in a more contemporary and…

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The ongoing renovation process in Amsterdam, Lisbon and Barcelona

Marcos Polo

by Carla Martín, Eric Esparza, Joan Senyer, Marcel Kotthaus, Maria Sáenz, Gordon Declercq, Maryam Achahbar, Maysam Alshbbak, Ria Gloria Colic,  Glody Luruma, David Charneca, Inês Silva, Joana André, Mafalda Ferreira, Nuno Craveiro.   The church of San Agustín in Barcelona is a meeting place for various communities such as the Filipino, the Paraguayan, the Bolivian and natives.The church of San Agustín is formed of two parishes that participate in various social initiatives. They collaborate with the  missionaries of the Sister Calcuta, helping with the soup kitchen, they support NGOs like…

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Mapping places with great impact and potential to transform neighborhoods in Europe

Marcos Polo

by Gerard Decathalogne, Marta Esteban, Marta Homs, Paula Juyol, Julia Torras, Ferran Montserrat,Mariona Vidal, Mar Peirató, Merel Ottervanger, Nomi Veldt, Cipriana Tabacaru, Manwai Wong, Lynn Mai, Maria Amaro da Costa, Madalena Pita, Alexandre Roliz, Pedro Worm El Lloc de la Dona. It is a meeting and social action space located in the heart of the Raval neighbourhood, which has been giving support to women pr actising prostitution or in the process of social reintegration for more than 30 years. This foundation promotes processes of personal autonomy and social and labour…

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