Communication, urbanism, and feminism are three critical fields that play a significant role in shaping the future of our cities and communities. They intersect in many important ways, helping us to understand how urban spaces can be designed and developed to better serve and empower all people.
Viviana Herrera is a highly educated and accomplished individual with a strong background in both communication and urban studies. With a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and a Master's degree in the 4Cities program, she has dedicated her career to exploring the relationships between these fields. Her expertise in communication and urbanism gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of creating more inclusive and sustainable urban environments.
Jesús Torres: First question: what’s urbanism?
Viviana Herrera: Urbanism is the urban relations that occur in the city. I understand that we are talking about human settlements and there are certain characteristics that make living in a city special, but they are broad and difficult to define, in fact, it is a whole debate in urban studies: what is urban? For me, if I could define a starting point, it is human relations, to understand from the emotions of people, which is something that is forgotten in the discipline, from the individual to the interactions, and from there a city is built, some emotions and values have been privileged over others, so I would say that urbanism is about human relations, about people who live in cities.
JT: I'd like to understand that if it's about human relationships, there's a direct relationship between the concept of urbanism and the outcomes that exist within cities, generated by human relationships, such as insecurity, gender-based violence, among others, correct?
VH: Exactly, in the end, we cannot forget the material dimension, but in this case, I give you the definition like this because what we have in mind is the material dimension, but we forget the emotional dimension.
All the problems that exist, come from emotions that the material support of the city doesn't allow us to manage it well. Emotions are a side that is forgotten, in the end those who live in cities, people who naturally are emotional beings, with desires and passions. That is forgotten, and in the end what we have reflected in the cities is only the desires and passions of a few privileged people. I am working on a text I developed where Le Corbusier had his own passions. There is a lot of talk about Le Corbusier, but who was this man? He was passionate about machines and technology, and because of his understanding of the human being as if they were a machine and not so much from a side where emotions and most basic needs were taken into consideration; he zoned us: housing, recreation, mobility, and work, but he left out many possibilities that fortunately today are being included in urban studies, but they need to be institutionalized.
JT: You mentioned that the material dimension of cities is developed by a few privileged individuals, power groups, and decision-makers, so I'd like to understand that this is part of the city. You also mentioned that the city is a result of human interactions, although, in theory, it is a democratic concept, in which everyone gets to participate. The city is a disparate concept, don't you think?
VH: It is a totally uneven concept. There is a lot of talk about the city being disputed, and also what understanding we have of democracy. In the end, democracy is something that a few people do, it is wrong because it was promoted by a few privileged people.
One thing is the material level that the institutions are giving us, and the other is what people do on a daily basis, people are the ones who give meaning to the city, from the simplest thing, like the lady who goes out to the street to sell tortillas, to the child who goes to the park to play. We must not forget that, I do not mean the concept of democracy, because it is a very closed concept of the elite. Emotional issues belong to everyone.
JT: Referring to the concept of this emotional form, what term do you think is the fairest to substitute the term "democratic cities"?
VH: Fair cities, clean cities, free cities, even asking people under what term they would like to define it. I believe a lot in co-creation. We need them to help us create new concepts, and things that we like; a city with more possibilities is where there is room for more stories, narratives, more emotions.
JT: Talking about new concepts, could you please tell me about Urban Femina?
VH: What we are interested in, is to promote the gender perspective, in the way we understand cities from practice and academia, precisely, understanding that academia has been shaped in the way we understand from universities by the male gaze, leaving out all perspectives. So that is the concept: to be a space that we facilitate so that other people can tell us their experiences in the city, what they understand by city, and what kind of city they would like. That is Urban Femina.
JT: Then it's connected to an article I read where you talked about a public square in Denmark, "Superkilen". Can you tell me about its name, what is it, and what you captured from this site?
VH: The most important thing was that we reflected on the concept of public space: who is the public? That was the title of our presentation, so we had to analyze this space designed by Bjarke Ingels. Before entering 4cities, I worked at Código magazine and we always talked about him, his buildings, innovative design, and public space. Then we read an interesting text that says we must question the narrative about the multi-diversity around the park.
Because one of the aspects I liked about that park is that the residents of the area, who came from different cultural contexts, were asked to contribute an idea about a piece from their country of origin that would fit in the park's decoration. For example, there is a chair from Mérida called "Los Amorosos," a boxing ring that represents Thailand, and various pieces from over 100 countries. If you go to the place, you will find that there are people in the space, but there is another underutilized area. So we asked ourselves, is it really fulfilling its function? Is it a welcoming place? Is it truly open to everyone? Does it invite people to come? So it's perfectible, it can be improved, for example, there were people waiting to enter the library and they had nowhere to sit, there is not much shade, some games are already worn out, and materials are of low quality. That happens with all of Bjarke Ingels' buildings. He's very good at marketing and design, but to meet the needs and requirements of customers, he uses low-quality materials that aesthetically meet the standards.
On the other hand, we went to analyze a park called Folkets Park, which is a simple, unpretentious park with a playground that has different uses and invites the user to use it as they wish. There is also a cultural center that supports migrants and people in street situations. And it was there that I asked myself, what is the best way to promote multiculturalism? By helping people or bringing palm trees from the other side of the world? In the end, we must question that, we must have these lenses to analyze spaces and not buy the easy narrative.
JT: With this phrase you just mentioned, about "buying the easy narrative," sometimes institutions carry out projects for attractive spaces for social media without following fair processes where people can intervene and engage in a tactical urbanism trial and error exercise. This either can turn out great or the total opposite. Do you think such processes are common in Europe or are they isolated cases based on your experience?
VH: You reminded me of another concept that I like, which is the participatory city or participatory urbanism. In the end, it is a way of making cities that prevails all over the world, it is a structural problem of the neoliberal system in which we live now, the developer who dictates what should be done because he is the investor, and the government that does things to gain more visibility and appear to be doing well. Perhaps you think that Copenhagen is a very livable city, but I once had the experience in a cultural center that we attended regularly, where I saw a couple whom we asked what they thought of the walk along the canal, the boulevards, if they were happy in Copenhagen, where you see many buildings, and they replied that they would like there to be more green areas, because there was too much concrete, there were not pleasant spaces to coexist with the environment, sit on the grass, have a pleasant walk, so yes, on a global level, the media conceives Copenhagen as a very livable city and with high mobility, but you realize that it really does not meet the desires of people, they were not taken into account.
JT: Now a shift: who are you, Viviana?
VH: It is exactly what I have been defining in recent months as to what I have been doing, and what I want to continue doing. I am an international consultant in communication, gender and knowledge management, with a Master's degree in urban studies from 4CITIES. I am a promoter and activist for the inclusion of the gender perspective in the way we understand cities from practice and academia.
JT: Can you tell me where were you raised?
VH: In Mexico City, I lived there until I was 22 years old. Then I had an exchange to Madrid, with a Santander scholarship. I was there for a year, and it was then that I began to question why young people in Europe gather in the street, and in Mexico in restaurants, bars, places of consumption, never in public spaces. I was in Madrid for a year and returned to Mexico. In 2019, I got into 4CITIES and since then I have been living more in Europe than in Mexico.
JT: Let's return to what you have worked on, Viviana. Can you please tell me which project you enjoyed participating in the most?
VH: All I've done since I got into the master's program has been incredible. I've learned a lot, I've met amazing people who have resulted in great friendships, and I've grown a lot professionally. For example, at the Gender Hub, I was a consultant, but I was able to do it on my own and it went very well, they were happy with my work. We are going to publish a book that I'm very excited about and that was made by many people from all over the world.
Above all, the cause I embrace, which is to promote gender perspective and gender equality, has allowed me to dedicate myself to it, together with local governments to have integrated so many people from all over the world, work on colonial issues. As a Mexican woman, it makes me feel satisfied, the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) recognize the members who are a network from the global north, they just want the conversation to be opened and linked to the members of the Global South to lead it. With Urban Femina, we worked on a book, and we made an online exhibition in Copenhagen, so yes, of all the projects I've done, I've learned a lot, even from my mistakes, which have helped me have a more constructive vision of life and my work, having a possible perspective that everything is constantly changing and that everything can be improved.
JT: I am very excited about your experience. You mentioned that it is possible to continue developing professionally and that it goes hand in hand with personal motivations. I think it's unique. Not everyone has the opportunity to do it this way. Under this topic, I would like to close this interview. I would love if you could give a few words to our young audience.
VH: Definitely, if there's anything lacking in contemporary societies it's the empowerment of people at early ages. It's a broad conversation that involves ethics here, lately I've approached Simone de Beauvoir and existentialism more, not forgetting the power we have to improve our situation, and without forgetting social responsibility, if we improve our situation it's because we're allowing others to improve theirs, so what I would tell young people would be: Embrace your power of agency, be aware that you have the power to improve your situation and others', you can do what you want but don't forget your social responsibility, it's better that more and more people get involved in this topic.
Having it on the agenda is perfect, and I'm sure you know there's a lot to work on, there's a lot to do, don't let others dictate, do it, try it, as long as it's to build, approach people who do the same, the power of community and collective is very strong, nobody learns things by themselves, we make ourselves thanks to other people, that's what I would tell young people.
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