The IABR is an international urban research biennale founded in 2001 with the conviction that architecture is a public concern. The theme of the fourth edition of the IABR is the “Open City,” which signifies openness to diversity and difference, vitality and social sustainability, where people can productively relate to each other, both culturally as well as socio-economically. With the “Open City: Designing Coexistence” heading, the Rotterdam Biennale places special emphasis on how can architects and urban planners make concrete contributions for sustainability of the urban condition.

The Istanbul Exhibition, curated by Philipp Misselwitz and Can Altay who also organised the “Refuge” sub-exhibition of the Biennale, compiles researches and proposals on the open city theme of various artists, activists, researchers, architects and planners. You can visit “Open City: Designing Coexistence - International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) is in Istanbul”  at DEPO from March 12 to May 9 2010.