MONTREAL, CANADA.- The Canadian Centre for Architecture, in collaboration with the Cities Programme of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and in association with the Van Alen Institute Projects in Public Architecture, New York, presents the inaugural 2004 – 2005 James Stirling Memorial Lecture on the City by architect Teddy Cruz of San Diego, California, will take place in Montréal at the CCA on Thursday, 28 October 2004 at 6:30 pm.

In May 2004 Cruz was named the first Stirling Memorial Lecturer for his winning submission to this unique new lecture competition. "Border Postcards: Chronicles from the Edge" was chosen among 53 proposals submitted by candidates from 22 countries - ranging from senior scholars and practitioners to emerging voices. The Stirling Lectures jury unanimously agreed that Cruz’s blend of theory and design, and his critical approach to the social and political dynamics that determine the character of the ‘informal city’ were significant contemporary reflections on the way James Stirling approached urban design.

Over the past decade, Cruz has demonstrated a deep commitment to developing architectural and urban solutions for global political and social problems that proliferate in international border zones. Taking his theoretical frame of reference as a starting point, Cruz has pursued investigations that stimulate an unconventional practice addressing the future of 'divided' cities and the larger phenomenon of border zones. Cruz's "Border Postcards" project develops new perspectives on urban planning and design in the international border zone that spans the metropolitan areas of San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico.

Focusing on this border region as a highly-charged intersection of two diverse cultures that simultaneously approximate and oppose one another, Cruz writes that: "In a time when urbanism is again seduced by the possibility of reinventing the city through the performance of the everyday, producing more inclusive urban strategies, it seems important to re-examine the paradox of this bi-national metropolitan region. By zooming into this volatile territory of surveillance and exchange, the lecture travels back and forth between San Diego and Tijuana, exposing urban landscapes of contradiction where conditions of difference and sameness collide and overlap. Ultimately, these two border cities exemplify a pervasive ambiguity with respect to global international relations, where the desire for permeability is met by the will to reinforce barriers."

The James Stirling Memorial Lectures competition was established in November 2003 to create a unique forum for the advancement of critical perspectives on the role of urban design and urban architecture in the development of the urban environment worldwide. Mr. Cruz’s lecture in October will be followed by a colloquium that will further elaborate on the lecture’s theme to be held at the Van Alen Institute in New York City in April 2005, a second, amplified presentation of the lecture will take place in October 2005 at the London School of Economics.

The James Stirling Memorial Lectures on the City were conceived in homage to architect James Stirling, who believed that urban design is integral to the practice of architecture and a vital topic for public debate. Joan Busquets, Chair of the Jury, summarized the underlying intent of the program: "Over the last several decades, cities throughout the world have witnessed major shifts that have dramatically affected urban form, density, and programming. These, combined with the emergence of new patterns of urbanization and innovative approaches to the design and management of cities, call for strategic thinking commensurate with the radical nature of changes that have occurred, projects that simultaneously advance practical knowledge and provoke critical as well as theoretical debate."