International Visitors Programme
On the occasion of the finissage of the Rotterdam Architecture Month and the opening of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) 2024, Nature of Hope, Emmanuel Pratt and Jia Lok Pratt of the Sweet Water Foundation were invited to share their insights on urban regeneration in Chicago and to make new connections with Dutch-based contributors and practitioners working in similar fields.
On the day of their arrival, they kicked off the programme with visits to RA Month venues and activations such as the Henket Pavilion, the Overbrug (Catherine Visser), the Pergola (Studio Inscape) and other locations in Rotterdam such as the Essenburgpark, the Delfshaven Coöperatie, the Niteshop and the Keilekwartier. The following day, Emmanuel and Jia Pratt travelled to Amsterdam Zuidoost and met with urban strategist Najah Aouaki. With stops in Ganzenhoef, Venserpolder and Amsterdamse-Poort, they visited various residents and entrepreneurs involved with cultural and community-based initiatives that promote social interaction, participation and integration.
On June 30, Emmanuel Pratt joined the IABR: Nature of Hope participants on a tour to one of the Botanical Monuments, the Hefpark. At the opening symposium, Pratt delivered the keynote address We Live in the Future: Re-Storying the Nature of Hope. The talk offered a critical examination of how cities use resources, labour, land and materials to address societal and climate crises in response to the future of the built environment. The conversation was moderated by Najah Aouaki and featured Eileen Stornebrink, Catherine Visser, Jan van Grunsven, Jan Jongert, Zico Lopes and others.
Emmanuel Pratt is the co-founder of the Sweet Water Foundation (SWF), a community-based non-profit organisation for regenerative urban development in Chicago.
Jia Lok Pratt is the Chief Curator and Research Director of Sweet Water Foundation.