This is the first systematic research into the G8 Summits as a form of contemporary urbanism, and spans the period from 1999 (WTO, Seattle) to 2010 (G8 Summit, Camp David) to unravel the complex relations between physical space, planning techniques and digital technologies in either controlling or enabling people's behaviours during the summits. Bottazzi provides a timely counterpoint to current theories articulating the relation between physical and digital domains, which are too often uncritical.
An earlier version of the research was presented in the conference paper ‘Glimpses of urbanism to come’, given at the ‘Architecture and Justice International Conference’ at the University of Lincoln (2009), which featured keynote speakers including Peter Carl, Professor Raymond Geuss, and Professor Jonathan Simon. The abstracts were published by the University of Lincoln (2009, ISBN: 978-1-86050-228-6). Bottazzi revised the paper as ‘The space over Genoa’ and delivered it at two further conferences. The first was the ‘Production of Place’ conference held at University of East London (2012). Keynote speakers included Chris Pyke (Vice President of Research, US Green Building Council), writer Ian Sinclair, Felipe Assadi (Dean of Architecture, Finis Terrae University, Santiago de Chile), and Tony Fretton (Tony Fretton Architects, London). The full paper was published online: http://www.tpop2012.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01 /tpop2012_The-Space-over-Genoa.pdf
Bottazzi presented an expanded version of the paper at the annual ‘This is not a Gateway Festival’ (TINAG), which took place at the Bishopsgate Institute, London (2013). TINAG provides one of the most rigorous and provocative platforms for critical ideas and projects on cities and attracts international speakers (see http://www.thisisnotagateway.net/). The most relevant contributions to the Festival, including Bottazzi’s, were published in Volume 4 of the Critical Cities series (forthcoming).