The 2018 International Housing Finance Summit, organized by INFONAVIT, brought together experts from various disciplines to discuss the future of cities and the lessons learned to date. Held on May 2 and 3 at the Camino Real in Polanco, the event hosted prominent figures who discussed urban transformation processes to evaluate urban models that could guide us toward a comprehensive master plan.
The event featured Shohei Shigematsu, a partner at OMA, a firm whose global projects have established it as one of the world's leading architecture practices. OMA operates within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism and works in parallel with AMO, a research and design studio that applies architectural thinking to other domains. The firm is led by nine partners—Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, David Gianotten, Chris van Duijn, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, and Jason Long—and has offices in Rotterdam, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha, Dubai, and Perth.
We spoke with Shohei Shigematsu, who joined OMA in 1998, became a partner in 2008, and has led the New York office since 2006. Shigematsu's cultural projects include the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec and the Faena Arts Center in Miami Beach, alongside direct collaborations with artists such as Cai Guo-Qiang, Marina Abramović, and Kanye West. He is currently designing several luxury towers in San Francisco, New York, and Miami, as well as a mixed-use complex in Santa Monica. His engagement with global urban conditions includes a new civic center in Bogotá, Colombia; a post-Hurricane Sandy urban water strategy for New Jersey; and a food port in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also a design critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Read on for the full interview.
AD: What do you see as the relevance of this type of housing-focused event in Mexico?
Shohei Shigematsu: I believe it is a strategy for managing urban growth and transforming it into smart growth. This goes hand in hand with creating more sustainable societies that can address housing issues, which are closely linked to many of the world's current challenges. Hosting these types of events is highly significant, especially in Mexico, because the speakers represent a wide range of different professions. This broadens our outlook and offers a new perspective; it is essential to analyze the city from diverse viewpoints.
AD: Do you believe there are global solutions to urban problems, or should we work regionally on specific contexts?
SS: Both are important. It is our responsibility to be aware of what is happening globally, but it is also our duty to understand what is happening in specific locations. It is not a matter of choosing one over the other; we need both. However, I believe we must pay closer attention to the local level. It is not about importing global ideas and applying them to contexts where they do not belong. As I mentioned in the lecture, we cannot envision our future city as just another version of New York. There are cultural characteristics that cities must nurture to grow properly.
AD: From your perspective, what characteristics should Mexican cities embrace to build better places to live?
SS: In my lecture, I spoke about how we can build cities around food, for example, and Mexico is famous for that. I believe this is a great starting point that can lead to diverse cities. The production, distribution networks, and spaces generated by this activity involve distinct processes depending on where they occur. Food production here in Mexico City is not the same as in Monterrey or Guadalajara.
AD: Where do you think urban planning efforts should be focused?
SS: I believe efforts should focus on improving people's quality of life, with everything that entails. We need to reach out to all sectors and involve experts from various fields to work collaboratively.
AD: In your lectures, you often mention the word "innovation." What is the essence of this concept, and how should it be applied to cities like Mexico?
SS: I currently have my doubts about the word "innovation" because it means nothing until it actually solves a problem, whether it's climate change, poverty, or something else. But this is a step-by-step process. I think overusing the concept of innovation can be detrimental to cities. Sometimes it is misunderstood, leading to architecture that merely tries to showcase innovation on the surface, whereas true innovation is the result of an extensive process addressing urgent issues rather than just trying to look like something never seen before.
Find more details about the 'International Housing Finance Summit' organized by INFONAVIT here.
This article was written by Mónica Arellano. The translation is powered by AI.
