[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.81,0:00:02.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would like to share with you today
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.31,0:00:04.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a project that has changed how I approach
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.46,0:00:06.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and practice architecture:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.37,0:00:09.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Fez River Rehabilitation Project.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.30,0:00:11.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My hometown of Fez, Morocco,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.64,0:00:15.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,boasts one of the largest walled\Nmedieval cities in the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.31,0:00:18.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called Medina, nestled in a river valley.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.05,0:00:21.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.63,0:00:25.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since the 1950s, as the\Npopulation of the Medina grew,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.61,0:00:27.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,basic urban infrastructure
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.53,0:00:30.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such as green open spaces and sewage
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.46,0:00:35.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quickly changed and got highly stressed.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.60,0:00:38.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the biggest casualties of the situation
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.06,0:00:42.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was the Fez River, which bisects\Nthe Medina in its middle
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.03,0:00:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and has been considered for many centuries
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.00,0:00:47.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the city's very soul.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.57,0:00:49.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, one can witness the presence
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.72,0:00:53.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the river's extensive water network
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.17,0:00:54.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all throughout the city,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.45,0:00:58.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in places such as private and public fountains.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.07,0:01:01.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unfortunately, because of the pollution of the river,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.92,0:01:04.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it has been covered little by little
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.36,0:01:07.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by concrete slabs since 1952.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.43,0:01:10.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This process of erasure was coupled
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.86,0:01:12.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the destruction of many houses
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.90,0:01:14.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,along the river banks
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.39,0:01:16.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be able to make machineries
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.08,0:01:21.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enter the narrow pedestrian network of the Medina.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.15,0:01:24.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those urban voids quickly became illegal parking
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.34,0:01:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or trash yards.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.46,0:01:28.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually, the state of the river
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.43,0:01:31.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before entering the Medina is pretty healthy.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.54,0:01:33.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then pollution takes its toll,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.83,0:01:36.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mainly due to untreated sewage
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.25,0:01:40.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and chemical dumping from crafts such as tanning.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.28,0:01:42.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At some point, I couldn't bear
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.64,0:01:43.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the desecration of the river,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.78,0:01:46.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such an important part of my city,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.48,0:01:48.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I decided to take action,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.30,0:01:50.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially after I heard that the city
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.32,0:01:53.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,received a grant to divert sewage water
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.42,0:01:55.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to treat it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.22,0:01:56.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With clean water, suddenly
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.99,0:01:59.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the uncovering of the river became possible,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.47,0:02:02.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with luck and actually a lot of pushing,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.35,0:02:04.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my partner Takako Tajima and I
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.56,0:02:07.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were commissioned by the city to\Nwork with a team of engineers
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.99,0:02:10.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to uncover the river.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.59,0:02:12.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, we were sneaky,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.26,0:02:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we proposed more:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.94,0:02:18.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to convert riverbanks into pedestrian pathways,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.62,0:02:20.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then to connect these pathways
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.64,0:02:21.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back to the city fabric,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.85,0:02:24.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and finally to convert the urban voids
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.41,0:02:27.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,along the riverbanks into public spaces
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.84,0:02:30.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are lacking in the Medina of Fez.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.54,0:02:31.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I will show you briefly now
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.95,0:02:35.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two of these public spaces.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.25,0:02:37.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first one is el-Rcif Plaza,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.77,0:02:40.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which sits actually right on top of the river,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.85,0:02:43.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which you can see here in dotted lines.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.89,0:02:47.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This plaza used to be a chaotic transportation hub
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.56,0:02:49.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that actually compromised the urban integrity
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.48,0:02:51.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the Medina, that has the larger
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.85,0:02:54.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pedestrian network in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.45,0:02:57.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And right beyond the historic\Nbridge that you can see here,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.55,0:02:59.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right next to the plaza,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.36,0:03:01.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can see that the river looked like
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.52,0:03:03.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a river of trash.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.78,0:03:06.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, what we proposed is to make
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.24,0:03:08.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the plaza entirely pedestrian,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.38,0:03:11.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to cover it with recycled leather canopies,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.29,0:03:15.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to connect it to the banks of the river.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.03,0:03:16.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second site of intervention
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.91,0:03:20.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is also an urban void along the river banks,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.19,0:03:22.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it used to be an illegal parking,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.44,0:03:24.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we proposed it to transform it
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.19,0:03:27.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into the first playground in the Medina.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.39,0:03:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The playground is constructed using recycled tires
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.52,0:03:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also is coupled with a constructed wetland
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.36,0:03:35.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that not only cleans the water of the river
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.79,0:03:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also retains it when floods occur.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.38,0:03:42.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the project progressed and\Nreceived several design awards,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.54,0:03:44.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,new stakeholders intervened
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.68,0:03:48.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and changed the project goals and design.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.46,0:03:51.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only way for us to be able to bring
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.56,0:03:54.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the main goals of the project ahead
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.53,0:03:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was for us to do something very unusual
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.96,0:03:58.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that usually architects don't do.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.87,0:04:02.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was for us to take our design ego
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.13,0:04:03.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and our sense of authorship
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.89,0:04:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and put it in the backseat
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.74,0:04:08.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to focus mainly on being activists
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.24,0:04:10.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and on trying to coalesce
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.45,0:04:12.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of the agendas of stakeholders
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.44,0:04:15.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and focus on the main goals of the project;
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.26,0:04:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is, to uncover the river, treat its water,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.80,0:04:20.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and provide public spaces for all.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.68,0:04:21.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were actually very lucky,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.81,0:04:23.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and many of those goals happened
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.82,0:04:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or are in the process of happening.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.74,0:04:27.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like, you can see here el-Rcif Plaza.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.90,0:04:30.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is how it looked like about six years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.43,0:04:32.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is how it looks like today.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.25,0:04:33.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's still under construction,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.98,0:04:35.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but actually it is heavily used
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.66,0:04:37.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the local population.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.40,0:04:39.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, this is how el-Rcif Plaza will look like
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.95,0:04:41.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the project is completed.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.97,0:04:45.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the river, covered, used as a trash yard.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.83,0:04:47.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then after many years of work,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.65,0:04:50.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the river with clean water, uncovered.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.38,0:04:52.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, you can see here the river
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.41,0:04:54.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the project will be completed.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.85,0:04:57.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So for sure, the Fez River Rehabilitation
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.29,0:04:59.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will keep on changing and adapting
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.71,0:05:01.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the sociopolitical landscape of the city,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.94,0:05:04.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we strongly believe that by reimagining
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.100,0:05:07.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the role and the agency of the architect,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.44,0:05:11.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have set up the core idea\Nof the project into motion;
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.40,0:05:13.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is, to transform the river from sewage
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.91,0:05:15.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to public space for all,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.56,0:05:18.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thereby making sure that the city of Fez
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.73,0:05:21.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will remain a living city for its inhabitants
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.97,0:05:23.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than a mummified heritage.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.12,0:05:24.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.86,0:05:25.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)