MUSCAT, MARCH 20 - Future cities need to be green, sustainable and safe. Technology should be available to everybody and ensure the well-being of the citizens, according to Massimo Iosa Ghini, a well-known architect and designer.
Speaking to the Observer on the sidelines of a conference which focused on how the future cities should be, Ghini said that taking into account the future demands of environment and sustainability, a city should be a condivision of services, where technologies will allow everybody to use these services to have a more comfortable life.
“Considering the climate changes in the coming years, it will be important to make the cities more resilient. Most of the big cities, especially on the coasts, will need to organise themselves to be protected by these changes,” Massimo, who is also the “Ambassador of Italian Design” to Oman for the year 2019, said.
He sounded highly hopeful of finding newer avenues for the rare rocks of Oman which are unique to the Sultanate in shaping future houses and cities.
“The various Omani stones and natural materials can help the country build newer cities with the help of Italian design and 3D sculpting and they will be one of its kind. Italy is a land rich of art and creativity, and it can help Oman in the creation of new cities, which give value to the architectural quality connected with tradition.”
The event organised by the Embassy of Italy in Muscat as part of the Italian Design Day 2019 at the Scientific College of Design also hosted a lecture by him. Titled ‘From Home to City, an Italian Proposal for the Future’, the lecture discussed both the role of design in shaping new urban spaces, transforming existing cities and creating new economic and professional opportunities, as well as the capacity of designing to improve the quality of human lives.
“Any city should be improved adding architectural elements and structures necessary for a better utilization of the citizens.
Obviously, as if it were our home, we should be careful at consumption, cleaning, functionality, beauty and design. The role of design in shaping new urban spaces is equally important as the architect and designer must be able to interpret the need of people optimising it in respect to the available resources”, he adds.
His lecture also represented a first step in a long-term partnership between Italy and Oman in the field of design, where Italy will share its expertise, know-how and technology to support the Sultanate in its strategy of economic diversification, as envisaged in Vision 2040. Further activities, including higher education, capacity building, industrial cooperation and training, will follow to unleash the potential of the design sector in Oman.
The Italian Design Day initiative is supported by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through its Embassies worldwide to promote design as a key element of the Italian lifestyle. Muscat is part of the project “100 Ambassadors of Italian design for 100 cities”, where 100 professionals including designers, architects, urban planners, entrepreneurs and teachers, present Italian design in 100 selected cities with lectures and training activities.
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