Keynote Converstions

100 interviews for reinventing the city

In a simple concept, Keynote Conversation engage with 100 inspiring urban thinkers worldwide, each interview distilled to a single spread page. This assembles into a unique urban planning Pecha Kucha festival within the pages of a book. 

Highlighted Interviews include:

City Planning Heads (Current and former):

From Toronto, Rotterdam, Malmö, Vienna, Rio De Janeiro, Cambridge, Cape Town, Antwerp, Melbourne, Hamburg, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Brussels-Capital Region, Nuuk, Barcelona, Aarhus, Medellín, and Sweden’s national architect.

Advisors to Mayors (Current and former):

To mayors of Paris, Sydney, Copenhagen, and London. As well as former ministers of Denmark and Romania.

Organization Leaders (Current and former):

Of Eurocities, ISOCARP, C40 Cities, the Pritzker Architecture Prize, IBA’27, Urban Planning at the World Bank, Refshaleøens Ejendomsselskab, and Oslo Architecture Biennial.

Academic Contributions:

Professors from Harvard, UNESCO, Sciences Po, UCL, LSE, Stockholm University, Lancaster University, University of London, Sorbonne University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Cardiff University, and Université de Montréal.

Renowned Professionals:

Such as Alejandro Aravena, Michela Magas, Michel Desvigne, Mette Skjold, Djamel Klouche, Elma Van Boxel, Martin Knujit, Ditte Lysgaard Vind, Lina Liakou, David Sim, Piero Pelizzaro, Ethan Kent, Olivier Philippe.

“A reader called the book a kind of Urban Alchemy where 100 Planners decodes the Blueprint for City Transformation. To spark the questions rather than the answers.”

/Gustav Magnusson, The Author

KEYNOTE CONVERSATIONS 100 INTERVIEWS FOR REINVENTING THE CITY

is a comprehensive anthology of interviews featuring global architects, urbanists, engineers, researchers, philosophers, economists, artists, and more. The book also includes perspectives from young professionals, offering a glimpse into the next generation of urban thinkers and planners.

Keynote conversations provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of urbanism and architecture. In the book, the interviewees share their insights and experiences, and offer both a critical, philosophical, and hopeful perspective on contemporary urban planning and the future of cities.

Whether you are an urban planner, architect, engineer, or simply someone with a passion for our cities, Keynote conversations is a must-read for anyone interested in shaping a better future for our cities and the people who live in them.

The interviews are divided into six themes (Challenges, Attitude, Urgency, Vision, Action, and Imagine!) that make the book a call to action, motivating readers to create more meaningful and complex future environments. Each interview serves as a conversation starter for how to re-imagine our cities.

The Author, Gustav Magnusson, has lived and worked in seven countries and has led and advised international teams in complex urban planning for prominent architectural offices in Europe. In 2024, he was awarded the Europe 40 Under 40 Award, which showcases Europe’s most promising young architects and designers. He is a keynote speaker and the third-generation of a family of architects and journalists. With a passion for showcasing the diversity of ideas and perspectives in urban planning, he hopes to inspire a new way of thinking about the environments where we spend our lives together.

A more mindful city, not only waiting for the future, but living in the moment.

” Keynote Conversations acts in short like a conversation starter. Perhaps making us question: Are we truly seeking the future of our cities, or are we simply in search of ourselves?”

/Gustav Magnusson, The Author

Product Information:

Original Title: Keynote Conversations - 100 interviews for reinventing the city

Author: Gustav Magnusson
Design, Layout and artworks: Gustav Magnusson
Proofreading: Robert McKenzie
Publisher: For Elize AB, Malmö, Sweden
Distribution: For Elize AB, Malmö, Sweden
Printed by: Livonia Print Ltd.
Printing project manager: Dace Bukovska

Publication Date: Summer 2024
Language: English
ISBN: 978-91-531-0717-0
Format: Thread-bound softcover
Paper: 220g matte cover, 130g inner pages
Pages: 284
Dimensions: A4, 210mm x 297mm, (8.27in. x 11.69in.)
Weight: 1,2 kg, (2,6 lbs.)

Genre: Non-fiction, Architecture and Urban planning
Target group: Professionals, scholars, and enthusiasts of architecture, urban planning, and landscape design.
Grade level: Higher Education and Beyond

First edition, 1000 copies
This edition of the book was made possible and financially supported by Realdania, FFNS stiftelse för forskning, utveckling och utbildning and a crowdfunding.

All rights reserved
Copyright © Gustav Magnusson, 2024
© 2024 edition: Gustav Magnusson