Markus

Miessen

Markus Miessen is an architect (www.studiomiessen.com), writer, and Professor of Urban Transformation at the University of Luxembourg, where he holds the chair in Urban Regeneration, associated with the master programme “Architecture, European Urbanisation, Globalisation” (www.masterarchitecture.lu). He received his PhD from the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, London, supervised by Eyal Weizman. The initiator of the Participation tetralogy, his work revolves around questions of critical spatial practice, institution building, and spatial politics. Miessen has previously taught at the Architectural Association (London, UK), and has been a Harvard Fellow. Most recently, he has held a Stiftungsprofessur for Critical Spatial Practice at the Städelschule (Frankfurt, DE), and was Distinguished Professor of Practice at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, US). Amongst many other books and writings, Miessen is the author of “The Nightmare of Participation” and “Crossbenching: Towards Participation as Critical Spatial Practice”, (both Sternberg Press and Merve Verlag, Berlin).

Photo by © Christian Werner

Research interests

Critical Spatial Practice

Cultures of Assembly

Architecture

Urban Planning

Participation

Spatial Politics

Institution Building

Publics

Latest content Markus Miessen took part in

Geography & Spatial Planning

CULTURES OF ASSEMBLY –– THE ESCH CLINICS

A heterogeneous socio-cultural reality demands corresponding and approachable spaces for social interaction. It implies that urban regeneration of any kind is deeply rooted in the notion of the social sphere. Indeed, no architect, planner or city authority can ever generate an urban equilibrium through purely physical change. Spatial regeneration should be a process of carefully considered attempts to collaboratively rethink the social, economic, and cultural variables of an area—especially in geographies of structural change. Regeneration is thus about how interactions with one another are encouraged and performed, revolving around a plurality of stakeholders, from civil society to governance, including cultural or territorial planning agents.