BMW Guggenheim Lab Publishes 100 Urban Trends

BMW Guggenheim Lab Publishes New York and Mumbai Lab Editions of 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab


100 Urban Trends from New York, Berlin, and Mumbai Labs to Be Explored in BMW Guggenheim Lab Exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York from October 11, 2013 to January 5, 2014

Related Blog Series Launches Today

NEW YORK, – Today the BMW Guggenheim Lab announced the publication of 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas from the BMW Guggenheim Lab New York and 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas from the BMW Guggenheim Lab Mumbai. Complementing the Berlin Lab trends published in November 2012, the New York and Mumbai editions round out a series of glossaries showcasing the most talked-about urban trends from the Lab’s three global stops to date, and create a new resource for understanding the way people relate to and live in cities. All three glossaries, which have been written by Lab curator Maria Nicanor, curatorial assistants Amara Antilla and Stephanie Kwai, and the Lab’s resident writer, Christine McLaren, can be accessed online in a dynamic interactive feature designed by Collective Assembly at 100urbantrends.org. The glossaries, designed by graphic designers Sulki & Min, are also available on the BMW Guggenheim Lab website.

The BMW Guggenheim Lab is designed to raise awareness and generate conversations about important urban challenges in cities around the world. The Lab launched in New York (August 3 – October 16, 2011) with a focus on the theme of Confronting Comfort; traveled to Berlin (June 15 – July 29, 2012), where the programming emphasized active citizen participation in shaping cities; and then opened at multiple sites in Mumbai (December 9, 2012 – January 20, 2013), where projects and programs explored perceptions of privacy and public space.

“These glossaries are meant to further the conversations started by the Lab and spark analyses of these three cities and comparisons of the respective urban environments,” stated Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “Integral to these glossaries is the concept of cities as hubs for ideas, and how the Lab has captured some of the prevailing thoughts citizens and experts alike have about their cities.”

The glossaries include trends such as the following, with details of Lab programs that relate to the trend and a list of related terms:

• 10,000 Honks: celebrity cricket player Sachin Tendulkar, who visited the Mumbai Lab, suggested a rule that would limit every car to 10,000 honks after the time of its purchase. The regulation would help control sound pollution in Mumbai’s streets and fund urban noise-reduction projects, as drivers would need to purchase any additional honks from the government. (Mumbai)
• Glocalism: combining “local” and “global,” this term speaks to two forces at play in all neighborhoods. In a climate shaped by rapid globalization and multinational corporations, widespread sameness is evident in any cosmopolitan hub. Conversely, each city has its own local, vernacular traditions. Glocalism is the merging of these two seemingly opposing forces. (New York)
• Retrofitting Infrastructure: the reimagining of an existing piece of major organizational infrastructure (e.g., transportation, water, sewage, and electricity). More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities. Although cities are more energy efficient than areas of suburban sprawl, they still face challenges to sustainable living—mainly due to the fact that the major infrastructure necessary to provide essential needs for residents and businesses has already been put in place. Rather than expending additional energy, resources, and funds on demolishing heavy infrastructure to improve city living, retrofitting infrastructure has become an alternative solution. (Mumbai)

Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab

Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, opening at the Guggenheim Museum on October 11, 2013, will explore key experiences and discoveries from the New York, Berlin, and Mumbai Labs. The exhibition will document the most talked-about themes and ideas that emerged from the Lab in each city. Architects, academics, designers, artists and other invited guests from 50 cities around the world will submit drawings, sketches, short videos, or digital renderings that respond to and illustrate 50 of the 100 trends featured in the glossaries. The remaining 50 trends will be represented by examples from Lab programs and projects.

“The aim of the exhibition is to take the temperature of three particular cities during a specific period of time—New York, Berlin, and Mumbai between 2011 and 2013— and to understand the ideas that city experts and non-experts discussed for the present and future of cities,” said Lab curator Maria Nicanor. “By looking at learnings from the cities the Lab has visited alongside new ideas from other global urban centers, we are able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of cities today.”

Blog Series

As part of this exploration, Lab | Log, the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s blog, today launches a weekly article series that will focus and expand on the urban trends. Participating writers include Mason Currey, a former Metropolis editor and author of Daily Rituals: How Artists Work; Rosanna Flouty, New York Lab Programs Manager and Director of Education for Art21, Inc.; Sarah Goodyear, journalist and writer for Atlantic Cities; Alejandro de Castro Mazarro, Latin Lab Program Coordinator, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University; the Lab’s resident writer, Christine McLaren; and journalist and New York Lab Team member Charles Montgomery.

The Guggenheim will announce details about the exhibition this summer.

About the BMW Guggenheim Lab

The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a co-initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group. The BMW Guggenheim Lab is curated by Maria Nicanor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The project’s blog, Lab | Log, features interviews with BMW Guggenheim Lab contributors and includes coverage of the Lab’s activities. The public is invited to join the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s dedicated social communities on Twitter (@BMWGuggLab and #BGLab), Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Foursquare, and to subscribe to the Lab’s e-newsletter for the latest project updates.