Lecture by Arkadiy Gershman "What is a City for People?" in Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf — A City of Luxury That Drowned Its Mistakes in Money

Düsseldorf is tightly associated with wealth, glamour, high fashion, and the Königsallee. But behind the facade of Germany’s most expensive city hide the classic post-war pains of metropolises. The local Rhine embankment is considered a global icon of urbanism, given that 30 years ago, there was a noisy highway here that Düsseldorf "heroically" buried in a tunnel. But did this actually solve the problem? Did the city rid itself of the mistakes of modernism, or did it simply drown them in massive amounts of money, leaving behind endless traffic jams and bicycle chaos?

On September 16, urbanist Arkady Gershman will hold a lecture in Düsseldorf titled "What Is a City for People?" We will talk about the evolution of cities and explore why different European metropolises ultimately arrive at the very same solutions, shattering our usual stereotypes.

What we will talk about:

• Mistakes of the Past: How the "trendy" architecture of the 20th century broke the familiar urban environment, and why we are still dealing with the consequences today;

• The Architectural Code: The hidden methods architects and transit planners use to guide and control our daily behavior;

• Back to the Future: What modern cities of the 21st century are copying right now from the cozy European blocks of the 19th century;

• The Bicycle Dead End: Why conventional bike lanes have suddenly become outdated, and why they are starting to be removed even in Amsterdam.

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If you want to learn how to "read" a city, understand the logic behind the changes around you, and become a truly professional citizen – this is definitely a must-attend for you. Real-world stories from all over the globe, breakdowns of relevant urban planning cases, and a great opportunity to spend an evening with like-minded people await!

About the speaker: Arkadiy Gershman is an urbanist and the creator of the "City for People" YouTube channel. He talks about how cities are structured: why some streets are comfortable and safe while others are not, how quality public spaces work, and how smart people are fixing old mistakes today. For over 15 years, he has been studying cities, developing standards, and consulting municipalities. His goal is to help people better understand their city and how to make it more convenient for living.

Language of the lecture: Russian.
When: September 16, 19:00 (duration: 1.5 hours)
Where: Palais Wittgenstein
Route on Google Maps
Tickets: from €30
Arkadiy's channel: YouTube "City for People"
Organizer: ERMI Events

Useful information: A purchase confirmation and a ticket QR code will be sent to your e-mail. If you don't see the email in your inbox, please check your "Spam" folder.
Please note: tickets are non-refundable. However, they are not registered to a specific name – if you cannot make it, you can always pass your ticket on to someone close to you.