Concéntrico 2025: The Politics of Urban Presence – ArchDaily

Concéntrico 2025: The Politics of Urban Presence

Introduction

Every June, the Spanish city of Logroño transforms into a dynamic space of architectural dialogue through the Concéntrico festival. This event activates streets, plazas, riverbanks, and traffic islands by introducing temporary structures that redefine urban habitation. Unlike specialized fairs or biennales, Concéntrico functions as a portable museum, bringing contemporary architecture into public spaces. Located between arid plains and distant mountains, Logroño exemplifies how cities outside major cultural circuits can host innovative and diverse architectural expressions.

Concéntrico as a Platform for Sustainable Urban Development

Concéntrico 2025 emphasizes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities (SDG 11). The festival’s interventions serve as speculative proposals that:

1. Highlight missing elements in urban life
2. Explore new possibilities for public space usage
3. Encourage critical questioning of existing urban infrastructures

Examples include a temporary pool over a fountain, a bathhouse in a roundabout, and communal meals on major avenues. These installations shift urban infrastructure priorities from control and efficiency to care and social encounter, fostering community cohesion and well-being (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being).

Political and Social Dimensions

Concéntrico operates as a political structure in the ancient sense of the polis, inviting citizens, architects, and institutions to reassess public space’s role. The festival encourages:

• Active citizen participation in urban transformation
• Collaboration between diverse stakeholders
• Reimagining urban environments as spaces for social interaction and care

This approach aligns with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by fostering inclusive decision-making and promoting peaceful, inclusive societies.

Contribution to Environmental Sustainability

By utilizing temporary, adaptable structures and activating underused urban spaces, Concéntrico supports responsible consumption and production patterns (SDG 12). The festival’s location in a city distant from major capitals underscores the importance of decentralized cultural and architectural innovation, contributing to reduced inequalities (SDG 10) and sustainable community development.

Conclusion

Concéntrico 2025 serves not only as a reflection of Logroño’s urban identity but also as an instrument for its transformation. Through its emphasis on public space activation, political engagement, and sustainable urban practices, the festival advances multiple Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to sustainable cities, health and well-being, reduced inequalities, and strong institutions. It demonstrates the potential for architecture and design to act as catalysts for social and environmental progress in overlooked urban contexts.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The article discusses urban transformation, public space activation, and architectural interventions in the city of Logroño, which directly relates to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • The political dimension of architecture activism and the rethinking of public space as a political structure relates to inclusive decision-making and participatory governance.
3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Urban interventions such as temporary pools and bathhouses promote well-being and social encounters, contributing to healthier urban lifestyles.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The festival involves collaboration among citizens, architects, and institutions, reflecting partnerships for sustainable development.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Identified

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
   • Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and promotion of mental health and well-being.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. SDG 11 Indicators
   • Indicator 11.3.1: Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate — implied through urban transformation and planning efforts.
   • Indicator 11.7.1: Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use — implied by the creation and activation of public spaces like plazas, riverbanks, and traffic islands.
2. SDG 16 Indicators
   • Indicator 16.7.2: Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive — implied by the participatory nature of the festival involving citizens and institutions.
3. SDG 3 Indicators
   • Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate and mental health indicators — indirectly implied through promotion of well-being via social urban interventions.
4. SDG 17 Indicators
   • Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships — implied by the collaborative nature of the festival among various stakeholders.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: archdaily.com