ILS researcher Dr. Stefano Cozzolino speaks on the subject of “urban beauty”

Dr. Stefano Cozzolino was invited to a TED Talk in Berlin, where he gave a lecture on the topic of urban beauty—a truly meaningful experience.

There is a widespread belief that the only way to generate beautiful urban areas is through meticulous design. Contemporary urban planning and design approaches often propose hyper-defined master plans, treating urban projects as if they were merely larger versions of architectural projects. However, this approach has serious limitations and often produces questionable results. What is often not emphasised enough is that a significant component of what makes urban areas beautiful stems from their urban life, spontaneous social expressions, and long-term adaptability. This talk is a call for a rethinking of both the concept of urban beauty and contemporary planning practices.

The talk engages with several crucial questions: Is urban beauty relevant? Is urban beauty a work of art? Why is urban beauty not solely about architecture? Do contemporary approaches support urban beauty? Are planning and design useless?

The talk concludes with four principles for embracing a renewed concept of urban beauty and a message for urban planners and designers to rediscover their fundamental roles. His talk is now available for anyone interested.