Peter Trummer characterizes the Design of Cities program as engaging with the reality of production of architecture with the city at large.

Matthew Soules describes how the program approached the city from the standpoint of the financialization of architecture and real estate accelerated by the rise of finance capitalism, in contrast to industrial capitalism.

He explains the format of the presentation will be three screening of two student videos, followed by comments from the panel.

At 10:05 the first set is screened: Dila Erten’s “Real Estate Free Zone” and Jakob Sieder-Semlitsch’s “High Frequency Trade Zone”.

Panelists comment on a range of issues, including Machiavellian Corbusianism, “impressively irresponsible” projects, accelerationism, design as speculation, and absurdity.

At 56:50 the next set of videos are screened: Lamice Halaby’s “Urban Formulas and Contagious Livability” and Yifan Zhang’s “Prop-Tech”.

Panelists respond with a discussion of the real engines of mobility, architectural forms and life-styles, legal and policy structures, subversion versus complicity, and analysis and argument versus design.

At 1:50:34 the final set are screened: Noel Ortega’s “Monument City” and Ji Qi’s “Kangbashi”.

The panelists debate false problems, diagnostic versus design proposal, the use of extra-architectural expertiese, failed utopias, ruins, vacancy, and livability metrics.