Some good things coming up at Urbis in Manchester, UK.

First up, a seminar at Urbis with Alsop Architects on 26 June, based around Will Alsop’s Supercities idea (as seen on Channel 4).

"The event aims to bring Alsop’s vision for the SuperCity and the future of the cities along the M62 corridor to the public arena. The event will include a slideshow, workshops and presentations. Alsop, the man behind Liverpool ’s Fourth Grace, Manchester’s Millennium Village, and the radical re-thinking of Bradford and Barnsley city centres, will be inviting professionals from regeneration agencies, developers, architects and urbanites in Liverpool to Hull to submit their regeneration plans. These plans will be superimposed onto a large map made of eight A0 sized prints, which will then be exhibited at the event, used as the central point for discussion … The event will offer the opportunity to directly contribute towards the upcoming SuperCity exhibition at Urbis in January 2005, at which the SuperCity map produced from this event will be exhibited."

Also coming up at Urbis, two seminars around music and the city, both based around the current DTroit exhibition.

28 June sees ‘City States’:

"As part of the DTroit exhibition,  Urbis is hosting a seminar exploring the urban regeneration of two of the world’s most influential industrial cities; Manchester UK and Detroit USA. Over four decades, people residing in  these once heavily industrial landscapes have witnessed the widest range of  social, political, cultural and economic change. A wealth of ground breaking artistic talent has sprung up in both cities, examples of their work can be seen in  the stunning Dtroit exhibition. Invited local guest speakers from the  world of Art, Music and the Social Sciences will compare, contrast and  celebrate the influences and outcomes from both Manchester and Detroit,  inviting informal discussion and debate"

And 7 July sees ‘Noisy City’:

"Join Greg Keeffe, Principal Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture and John Robb, Musician and Music Journalist, in a lively debate as they spar and chat about how youth culture, and its spaces of production and consumption, shape and ultimately brand the city as has happened in Detroit, Manchester and other cities around the world."

Urbis: Shaping the Future Cities of the North with Alsop Architects [26 June, Urbis, Manchester]
Urbis: DTroit: Events