Until recently, Afghanistan was omnipresent in global news for the past two decades for all of the wrong reasons. As part of the Option studio, Extreme Urbanism VII: Imagining an Urban Future for Ishkashim, offered at the Harvard GSD in the fall of 2020, this workshop/lecture series aims to propose to interested audiences the opportunity to get an updated, informed view on the country.
Addressing primarily architectural, urban, and territorial aspects of Afghanistan, this cycle of talks aims to create a platform where varied topics ranging from vernacular architecture and building traditions to infrastructure and cultural specificities are discussed in conjunction with issues related to historic settlements and contemporary planning in Afghanistan. The speakers will include academics from Harvard University and Kabul University, in addition to global experts, and practitioners working in or on Afghanistan.
Chair
Rahul Mehrotra, Professor of Urban Design and Planning, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Speakers
Onno Rühl, General Manager, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat
Dennis Pieprz, Principal, Sasaki Research
Victor Eskinazi, Senior Associate, Urban Designer, Sasaki Research
Alykhan Mohamed, Associate, Planner, Sasaki Research
Thomas Nideorest, Professional Staff, Landscape Designer, Sasaki Research
Einat Rosenkrantz, Senior Associate, Urban Designer, Sasaki Research
This series is organized by the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat.
