The festival will seek and offer ways to improve public space

Prague - New paths to improve public spaces and urban life will be sought by the reSITE festival in Prague. Between May 21 and 27, architects, representatives of local governments, investors, and the program will be largely accessible to the public. The main event will be an international conference focused on the exchange of experiences between foreign and domestic experts on the development of public waterfronts.
    The festival is under the patronage of the city of Prague and the U.S. Embassy, organized by the ARCHIP School of Architecture and the Partnership Foundation. The director and initiator of the festival is American architect Martin Barry, who has been working at the Czech Technical University in Prague since last August and who presented the festival program to journalists today.
    As part of the festival, a symposium called Culburb will take place, dedicated to a broader project focused on the development of community life in the suburbs. The reSITE conference will be held on May 24 and 25 at the Trade Fair Palace. Among its guests is Danish urbanist Jan Gehl, who has collaborated on development concepts with several cities in Europe, North America, and Asia. Craig Dykers from the Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta, who is responsible for the renovation of New York's Times Square, will also speak at the festival.
    The public will learn about the festival primarily through an inflatable pavilion that is set to rise in the piazzetta of the National Theatre. The organizers are raising funds for its operation through the site www.kickstarter.com. The campaign ends on May 14, and they need to raise an additional $600 (approximately 12,000 CZK) to reach the final goal of $6000.
    In addition to discussions and workshops, the pavilion will host an exhibition of the best works from the international competition announced by the festival in collaboration with ARCHIP, which seeks ideas for transforming the Vltava waterfront in Prague. According to the organizers, hundreds of studios have applied.
    The festival will premiere the film Urbanized by Gary Hustwit, which explores urban projects in 12 cities across Europe. The festival program can be found on the page www.resite.cz.