Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani was Full Professor for the History of Urban Development at the ETH Zurich from 1994 to 2016, and also has private architectural practices in Zurich and Milan.
Systems of Urban Development
Professor Lampugnani’s focus is on the development of strategies for urban planning in the 21st century, starting with the aesthetic and functional qualities of existing or planned urban forms, in order to extrapolate concepts for urban design. The goal is to assemble a set of basic principles for urban development, some of which already exist and others which must be created. A set of instruments is being compiled through methodological work that will deliver solutions for creative urban interventions through interdisciplinary work processes. In addition, treatises of the ancient world offer inspiration, as do the handbooks of the 19th and 20th centuries. Such examples show that systematically gathered experiences based on the connections between life and city forms can build a foundation for an urban discipline that raises scientific claims without denying its artistic dimensions.
