Listening today to Karl Schlögel at GUST (Ghent). Re-reading European (mid-size, peripheral) cities and re-reading the European project in “Steden lezen” (Reading Cities), the Dutch translation of a selection of his publications on cities.

“… cities are like open books, history books as well as encyclopaedias of daily lives. Their squares, facades and blueprints can be deciphered as a text that is rewritten, over-written, scratched, copied and again rewritten time and again.” (free translation of the introduction to the Dutch translation; Schlögel 8)

For more, see here Ed Taverne’s perspective on Schlögel’s contribution to redefining the European city.

Schlögel is also the author of this fascinating book on Moscow 1937.