Informal Urbanism / Battle for a city
Ing. arch. Martina Svobodová
*1987 / Prague, Czech republic
Since 2015 I have been working as an architect in Prague studio A.LT Architekti. At the
same time I am studying a doctorate programme in A2 architecture studio at the Prague
Academy of Art & Architecture and Urbanism. I graduated at the Faculty of Architecture and
Urbanism at the Czech Technical University in 2013. In 2012 I participated in an exchange
programme at the Faculty of Architecture at Taiwanese University Chung-Hua in Hsinchu
City. This is where my deep interest in the topic of informal urbanism began. In 2016 in
collaboration with Katerina Frejlachova I established a platform called Illegal Taipei, mostly
targeting on researching the topic of informal architecture itself and revealing its context in
Taiwanese metropolises. Under the label Illegal Taipei we publish articles and have public
lectures with the main goal to bring more light on the subject of informal urbanism in
Europe.
Contemporary metropolises can be described as a constant battle for a city held between
the official layer of the city and informal sector - the development in the shadow of the legal
planning framework. It is a never ending battle for space within the same city with the
winner unknown. Although they undoubtedly stand against each other, in fact their
opposition is only relative. They are contradictory but also complementary. Moreover, there
is a tight relation and dependence between them and traces of natural symbiosis can be
found. Informal forces co-create new urban landscapes whose inhabitants are fully
integrated into urban ones fibers, establish new neighborhoods and communities, generate
new job opportunities and stimulate new interactions in metropolises around the world. Yet
the informal layer is generally still seen as a mistake of the official city, it is more than just
the enemy. In fact it responds flexibly to needs unsatisfied by the formal sector. Informal
crawls into the clutches of the formal city stitching it with random threads thus holding it
together. Dynamic relationship based on their intermingling and the constant flow of
energies flowing from their opposing forces is the basic principle of the current city space.
Education
2017–now Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
PhD studies / Architecture II, prof. Ing.arch. Ivan Kroupa
dissertation project / Informal urbanism
2006–2013 FA CTU Prague / Msc. / Architecture and Urbanism
design studio Radek Kolařík
design studio Petr Hájek
design studio Jan Stempel
design studio Luboš Pata
2011–2012 CHU Hsinchu, Taiwan / Faculty of architecture
design studio Ron Chen
design studio Yiyin Tsai
2002–2006 Gymnasium Na Pražačce
Publications
Informal Taipei, Artalk Revue
Battle for a City, Rajón
Illegal Taipei – An informal survey of informal architecture and urban design in Taiwanese
cities, Eyes on place (TW)
Jak se žije na střechách domů a v městských vsích?, CRo Vltava (Artcafé)
Work experience
A.LT architects
Barcode architects (Rotterdam, NL)
Matt flowers design/ interior design studio
Atelier VV
H3T architects
Activities
research project Illegal Taipei https://illegaltaipei.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/illegaltaipei/
Music producing/DJ/Martyyna https://soundcloud.com/martyyna-1
https://www.facebook.com/martyynaksk/
