Thursday 20 January, 2011, 20:00-22:00, The Dépendance, Schieblock, Rotterdam. Entry fee: € 5,-/€ 3,- (students/friends of NAI), register here. Click here for more information.

How has Tehran dealt with rapid urbanisation, modernisation, the Islamic revolution, severe pollution and congestion in the twentieth century? Do the current economic sanctions pose a threat to social cohesion? The architectural historian Wouter Vanstiphout and Tehran expert Ali Madanipour try to get to grips with this complex metropolis.

The prominent Tehran expert Ali Madanipour will give a lecture on the social and environmental developments of the past decades on Thursday 20 January. He will tackle the design, planning, development and management of Tehran, from the old master plan of 1968 to the present-day one. He will also touch on the challenges with regard to social cohesion and other contemporary problems. The architectural historian Wouter Vanstiphout will introduce the speaker and chair the discussion afterwards. This evening is the first in a planned series on the Iranian capital.

Debates on Tour
The NAI Debates on Tour programme is intended to promote the exchange of information all over the world between (mainly) architects regarding current global themes in architecture. During the last few years the NAI and local partners have organised a large number of debates all over the world in which Dutch architects have debated with their international partners, often linked to workshop sessions or architectural guided tours. A series of lectures and debates builds on the knowledge acquired in this way.

Where is Tehran?
The Netherlands Architecture Institute and Archis/Volume are jointly focusing on the Iranian capital. Under the title Where is Tehran? this project investigates where Tehran is at the moment in terms of geography and level of development. This research project was launched in October 2010 with a Debate on Tour in Tehran on its architecture and urban planning. It is being followed up with the evening debates in the NAI and a second visit to Iran later this year. Archis/Volume is preparing an alternative travel guide to this fascinating city.