Reading the City is a topic that Frans-Willem Korsten, a cultural theorist and professor in literary studies, has been working on for the past few years. Originally wanting to write a book on the subject he is now researching other forms, such as guided city walks and collaborative projects with artists, as useful tools to communicate his thoughts.

The artist duo Wouter Osterholt and Elke Uitentuis have been working on a number of projects dealing with the architectural and social structures a city is compiled of. During a residency in Cairo they measured a city block and meticulously rebuilt it in 1:35 scale. They interviewed the inhabitants of this area and asked them what they would like to add or change to their environment. The ideas, at times conflicting, have all been added to the maquette that was exhibited together with the interviews and a historic time line in The Townhouse gallery under the title Model Citizens.

On 25 September 2009 Frans-Willem Korsten, Wouter Osterholt and Elke Uitentuis met in Zicht op Zalmhaven to share thoughts on the topic of Reading the City. This conversation took place in TENT. Rotterdam, as part of the exhibition Blurrr.

This conversation can be downloaded here.