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Georgia

InBetween This film idea came to mind after going through different concepts. I kept coming back to one idea that I hadn’t fully understood but had in the back of my mind through the concept development. At some point during the night, in-between ideas and sketches I figured out what it was - what I wanted to say by creating the film.  Many public spaces exist in the city, but they are hidden by some constraints. They are not easily reachable or popular, but they exist. I believe if we look deep enough, we will discover them and enjoy their existence. We do not have to create a new one, instead, we can re-create what already exists.  ‘Is there a single correct interpretation of space and place?’ (Ali Madaripur)

Spain

USA

The assumption that all people are able to actualize the rights, benefits, and responsibilities of citizenship within the built environment is misleading. African Americans’ ownership of property and use of public space for personal enjoyment has been historically perceived as transgressive behavior, and often met with punitive legal action, violence, and, at times, death. Given this context, the ability of African Americans to successfully navigate and shape the physical spaces within their lives has amounted to de facto survival strategies. Addressing this fraught social-spatial condition and its impact at the scale of the citizen, Thrival Geographies (In My Mind I See a Line), an intervention in the courtyard of the US Pavilion, is rooted in the historical spatial practices of African Americans, yet speculates upon new spatial strategies that support the most precarious of populations. We foreground these practices as manifestations of civic agency and freedom that move all citizens beyond mere survival toward thrival and full participation in the democratic ideal.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s education culture is built in a way that after graduation from high school those who are capable of having to move to Baku for university education and eventually to start a “better” life there. It is mostly because, unfortunately, there are not many opportunities for young people in the other districts of the country and the decentralization process is very slow in the regions. The situation makes many young people leave their life behind and start a new beginning in a huge and gray city. Many things do not translate the same when you move from a district where life is slower, nature is beautiful and green, people are kinder and know each other and most importantly there is a sense of community around the neighborhood you used to live in. In return, Baku is very hectic, the weather is toxic, people always rush somewhere and the high buildings and city infrastructure leave you with minimum contact with people and nature. Most women who have mental health problems such as general anxiety and depression find it hard to adapt to a new toxic environment. Most women also feel more insecure about their safety and security in Baku due to the higher chances of harassment compared to the regions. The sense of being a “stranger” to a big city you newly moved in also adds up to the general anxiety and mental health problems. Some spaces help to relax and find peace such as the shore of the Caspian Sea. However, it is getting increasingly crowded and dirtier every other day. Conditions in the country leave many young people with little to no choice but to move to the capital city at some point in their lives. The city design with its many problems from transport to overpopulation makes it hard for most to adapt.

Russia

The earthquake-proof individual residential building "LOTOS" is a quickly erected, capital, fireproof and earthquake-proof house with a minimum consumption of such material as reinforced concrete, while ensuring a minimum construction cost. For this purpose, the flat walls of a large-panel house are replaced by thinner curvilinear ones, which have high rigidity and stability under the influence of seismic loads. In many regions of the world it is possible to solve the problem of providing the population with comfortable affordable housing by this method.

Denmark

Conversation with the city' explores the process of welcoming in Copenhagen, through the stories of two strangers at different times. The Norrebro neighborhood has become the place where both of them belong: its diversities shaped the area in a welcoming architecture. Actually, it is a process, that starts from Norreport Station and continues until Superkilen Park. It has to be a process of care for humans, for their perceptions, and for places as well: in that sense, it is similar to the first conversations we make in order to feel welcomed in a new city.