Professor Ole Jensen, Department of Architecture and Design, Aalborg University, Denmark presented a lecture on the University of Iowa Campus Monday, April 23rd titled, “Making European Space: Mobility, Power and Territorial Identity.”

His lecture explored how future visions of Europe’s physical space are being decisively shaped by transnational politics and power struggles, which are being played out in new multi-level arenas of governance across the European Union. At stake are big ideas about mobility and friction, about relations between core and peripheral regions, and about the future of Europe’s cities and countryside.

The lecture built a critical narrative of the emergence of a new discourse of Europe as ‘monotopia,’ revealing a very real project to shape European space in line with visions of high speed, frictionless mobility, the transgression of borders, and the creation of city networks.

Professor Jensen’s visit was co-sponsored by the Graduate Program in Urban & Regional Planning, European Studies Group, and the Office of International Programs.