Reimagining the River as a Living Urban Spine

Dr. José Mayoral — Partner, PRÁCTICA

In his lecture at FABER Forum 2025, Dr. José Mayoral presented the Someş River project as a powerful example of how water landscapes can redefine the relationship between cities, ecology, and public life.

Drawing on his dual PhD background from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Università Iuav di Venezia, Mayoral shared a globally informed perspective on rivers not as boundaries, but as connective tissue — capable of shaping urban identity, strengthening ecological resilience, and creating shared civic space.

As a Partner at PRÁCTICA, his work bridges architecture, landscape, and urban thinking. His academic and curatorial experience — including contributions to MoMA New York, the Venice Architecture Biennale, and the Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial — informs a multidisciplinary approach to urban transformation.

Through publications such as Ephemeral Urbanism: Cities in Constant Flux and Planning with Conservation, Mayoral explores how cities can adapt to environmental and social pressures through conservation-driven frameworks and transitional landscapes.

The Someş River project reflects this philosophy, demonstrating how rivers can become living urban corridors — places of coexistence, memory, and future ecological balance — rather than technical infrastructures alone.