MONTEVIDEO SEMINARS (1998-2017). Interface and innovation in urban planning

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the debate between “planning” and “project” deepened in Uruguay at the same time that a new urban culture was taking shape. Vectors of this process were the Municipality of Montevideo (in decentralization, strategic planning, land planning and heritage), the National Directorate of Land Planning and university contributions. Within this framework, the “Montevideo Seminars-Urban Project Workshops” (1998-2017) constituted a space for liaison and innovation in urban thought and practice, linking the School of Architecture with the Town Hall of Montevideo. They relied on the prestige of guests: global architects, teachers, from workshops, conferences, debates and jurys, who contributed to this innovation, resulting in the experience in an urban project laboratory from an original relationship between academia and state, and generating critical reflection about the large-scale project. This research aims to reveal the keys to this successful experience and its impact on practices.

Keywords: Urban Project, Montevideo Workshops, Montevideo, Uruguay