Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft - Das internationale Forum der Deutschen Bank - 2008 „Citámbulos“

Mexico City is a model example of the diverse strategies that are possible to deal with the challenges of globalization. The exhibition “Citámbulos” presents the city through a number of specific locations, situations and processes. It focuses on the city’s people and how they are adapting their daily lives to urban processes in their vicinity, as well as on how they are shaping their own physical environment.

The exhibition “Citámbulos” was arranged as a travelogue through daily life in Mexico City and appeals to all the senses. “Citámbulos”, the research collective that goes by the same name, has compiled statements from artists, planners and architects for this presentation, providing insights into urban phenomena that are characteristic for Mexico City and that also serve as relevant examples for a broader discussion of the future of megacities worldwide. The spontaneous and creative ways in which people deal with the city’s problems against the background of urban expansion and globalization are as much a part of the exhibition as are professional architects’ and planners’ reactions to the challenges of urban concentration.

“Citámbulos” presents these phenomena through a variety of media to form an overall portrait of the megalopolis that is Mexico City.

“Citámbulos” was opened by Jorge Castro-Valle Kuehne, Mexico’s Ambassador to Germany, Kristien Ring, Director of the German Center for Architecture, and Wolfgang Nowak, Alfred Herrhausen Society.

The exhibition was on display from July 24 to September 21, 2008, at the German Center for Architecture (DAZ) in Berlin, Köpenicker Str. 48/49 (Scharoun Hall).

On September 19, 2008, a one-day colloquium “Citámbulos_Urban Strategies, A Mexico City – Berlin Dialogue” (DAZ, Taut Hall) took place. A dialogue with experts from Mexico City and Berlin did address informal urban strategies, on the one hand, and formal governance, on the other. The discussion did also focus on current political challenges and planning strategies.