IAAC Lecture Series – Joan Busquets

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
Time: 19:00 (CET)
Location: IAAC Main Hall, Pujades 102, Barcelona

Lecture Title: Barcelona: Strategic Plans and/or Key Urban Projects?

About the Speaker

Joan Busquets, the first Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard GSD, is a globally recognized urban planner, designer, and architect. Formerly Chair-Professor of Town Planning at the Polytechnic University of Barcelona (1979-2002), he also served as Head of Urban Planning for the Barcelona City Council during the transformative 1980s, playing a pivotal role in the city’s Olympic redevelopment.

A founding member of the Laboratorio de Urbanismo de Barcelona (LUB), Busquets’ pioneering research on squatter settlements earned him the Spanish National Award for Town Planning in 1981 and again in 1985 for his masterplan for Lleida. His urban strategies for cities like Toledo and Alghero, as well as his numerous international projects spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas, have shaped contemporary urbanism.

His academic research explores diverse urban design strategies, the potential of urban grids, and the transformative impact of Expos on city development. Busquets has authored significant works such as Barcelona: The Urban Evolution of a Compact City, Urban Grids, and Cities X Lines. His professional firms, BAU and BLAU, based in Barcelona, continue to deliver groundbreaking architectural and urban projects worldwide.

Program

18:45 – Doors Open
19:00 – Welcome and Introduction
19:10 – Lecture by Joan Busquets
19:50 – Q&A Session
20:15 – Networking and Refreshments

[Register now to secure your spot, spots are limited]