Food For Thought: We Built This City

We Built This City:
Urbanization and its Discontents (Food For Thought)

“All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful, but the beauty is grim.”

Den of iniquity. Concrete jungle. Human zoo. From Aristotle to Jay Z, the city has loomed large as a symbol of humanity’s worst tendencies and greatest potential. Today, more people than ever have left the figurative family farm for the bright lights of the bustling metropolis. It is therefore more important than ever to consider what impact urbanization has had on humanity: our communities, our values, our imaginations, and our senses of self.

Join Collegium Institute & Harrison College House on Wednesdays for this Food For Thought season as we explore the city, both real and imagined. We will discuss the power of urban metaphors, the good and bad temptations offered by the city, what it means to be an urban citizen, and how the cities of the future should look.

Dates: Wednesdays, 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm. Dinner and readings will be provided for all participants.
• October 22
• October 29
• November 5
• November 12
• November 19
Location: Harrison College House, University of Pennsylvania

Registration: This program is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. To learn more and register, click here.