The publication POWER. Producing the Contemporary City served as a catalogue for the IABR’s main exhibition, ‘Visionary Power’, but also stands in its own right as a source of new expertise on the development of the city in the 21st century. The book draws together research about the foundations of the contemporary city, discusses forces that have a bearing on its development, formulates the task for architects and urban planners, and presents strategies with which they can operate in the midst of this interplay of forces, on the basis of topical, coherent visions for the 21st-century city.

More than ever, the city represents a challenge for critical reflection and action. The clear-cut standpoints of internationally respected researchers, the clearly formulated textual contributions and the engaging visual material means that this publication will appeal to both a broad public and those with a professional interest, confronting them with the urgency for probing reflection on the city of the 21st century.

The third edition of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, Visionary Power – Producing the Contemporary City, was curated by the Berlage Institute and opened in Rotterdam on 24 May 2007. With the theme of POWER, the IABR investigated the forces that ‘produce’ the 21st-century city and the role that architects and urban planners might play in this crucible of forces.

Never before have so many people lived in an urban environment: more than half the world’s current population, and expected to rise to two thirds in 2050. The contemporary city is at the same time the arena where diverse forms of power and the far-reaching impact of globalization interact. This confronts us with issues that are more urgent than ever before: What is the city? Who and what ‘produces’ it? Which forces steer its development? What is the potential role of the architect?

The publication POWER. Producing the Contemporary City served as a catalogue for the IABR’s main exhibition, ‘Visionary Power’, but also stands in its own right as a source of new expertise on the development of the city in the 21st century. The book draws together research about the foundations of the contemporary city, discusses forces that have a bearing on its development, formulates the task for architects and urban planners, and presents strategies with which they can operate in the midst of this interplay of forces, on the basis of topical, coherent visions for the 21st-century city.
More than ever, the city represents a challenge for critical reflection and action. The clear-cut standpoints of internationally respected researchers, the clearly formulated textual contributions and the engaging visual material means that this publication will appeal to both a broad public and those with a professional interest, confronting them with the urgency for probing reflection on the city of the 21st century.