‘Design with the Other 90% Cities’ Exhibition Opens at United Nations

18 projects on display explore solutions to challenges created by urbanization in developing world

By Alexander Hull
 

NEW YORK- October 14, 2011- “Design with the Other 90%: Cities,” opening October 15 in the Main Gallery of the Visitors Lobby at the United Nations and running through Jan 9, 2012, provides an in-depth and interactive look into 18 innovative design solutions to the “challenges created by rapid urban growth in informal settlements, commonly referred to as slums,” according to a press release.

Organized by Cynthia E. Smith of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the exhibition is funding 60 projects in total, 18 of which are on display at the UN, free of charge.

Close to 1 billion people live in slum settlements today, and that number is projected to swell to 2 billion by 2030. This rapid urban expansion will part take place primarily in developing economies that will be forced to confront the problems of urban crowding in a world threatened by numerous climate-change challenges.

Many of the projects emphasize community collaboration and the use of locally available materials in their building designs.

“Cooper-Hewitt’s exhibition celebrates humankind’s resilience and practical ingenuity in cities, drawing attention to projects across the globe that underscore our intent to survive, adapt, include and collaborate to renew and thrive,” said Francesca Vanni d’Archirafi, CEO of Citi’s Global Transaction Services, the exhibition’s chief sponsor.

“Cities” is divided into 6 themes which group the projects into loosely-related goals: ‘Exchange’ projects provide assistance to slum newcomers; ‘Reveal’ projects increase awareness of the scope and scale of the conditions in informal settlements; and ‘Adapt’ projects respond to the local terrain, urban, or climate conditions of the region.

‘Include’ projects re-incorporate marginalized groups back into city life; ‘Prosper’ projects create work opportunities through social media and money transfer systems; and ‘Access’ projects help impoverished people gain access to basic services like clean water and sanitation systems.

Some highlights from the UN exhibition are Mohamed Rezwan’s ‘Floating Community Lifeboats,’ which confronts the problem of rising rivers in Bangladesh by building floating libraries, health centers, and schools out of plywood and bamboo, and ‘Praca Cantao,’ a colorful Rio de Janeiro favela painting project that employed scores of youth in a collaborative community effort.

Other projects took place in India, Chile, Venezuela, Uganda, China, Senegal, and South Africa.

“Design with the other 90% Cities” is the first off-site exhibition for the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, which is currently undergoing a $64 million renovation.
 

Alexander Hull