President Nicolás Maduro held a high-level meeting this Wednesday with Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto , winner of the 2024 Pritzker Prize , to strengthen Venezuela's Human Cities model , a central pillar of the Seven Transformations Program (7T) and the new urban vision promoted by the Bolivarian Revolution. The meeting took place at the Aquiles Nazoa Cultural Center , following the successful World Symposium on Neighborhoods held at the Teresa Carreño Theater.
The meeting reaffirmed the Bolivarian Government's commitment to integrating urban planning with social, environmental, and community transformation , moving toward cities that prioritize life, popular participation, and a harmonious relationship between the built environment and nature. Maduro, accompanied by Minister of Public Works Juan José Ramírez and the Mayor of Caracas, Carmen Meléndez, emphasized that the country is advancing toward a model in which the modernization of the State must be accompanied by the direct transformation of people's living spaces .
For the Bolivarian Government, Yamamoto's presence is not merely symbolic: it constitutes key technical and conceptual support , given that the Japanese architect is recognized worldwide for his proposals for community urbanism, integration architecture, and models of coexistence where the collective is at the center of the city.
Their perspective aligns with the Venezuelan approach of promoting beautiful, green, safe, and deeply human neighborhoods , where urban design contributes to strengthening identity, culture, and well-being.
During the dialogue, Yamamoto highlighted the unique nature of Venezuelan popular participation, noting that there is no other popular territory in the world where community decision-making occurs "from the bottom up" as in Venezuela .
This recognition of the Japanese architect highlights the coherence between Venezuelan communal democracy and the principles of cutting-edge inclusive urbanism.
The exchange also featured leading figures in contemporary Japanese architecture—Akiko Okabe, Koh Kitayama, Yoko Fujiikake, and Mikio Tai—who, together with Venezuelan community organizations and specialists, explored the challenges of affordable housing and the construction of environments that respond to people's real needs . This gathering of international voices solidifies Caracas's position as a global hub for debate on social urbanism.
The Bolivarian Government views this agenda as a fundamental part of the 7T Plan , which proposes a comprehensive renewal of the State, the economy, and territorial organization, always based on community participation. Within this framework, Human Cities represent the transition toward a more inclusive, ecological, and socially cohesive Venezuela , where each neighborhood project becomes a laboratory for innovation and civic engagement.
The articulation between the Executive's vision and Yamamoto's contributions points to a development model that transcends infrastructure : it is about creating beautiful, sustainable communities with a sense of belonging , where architecture is a tool at the service of equality, collective life and the protection of nature.
For President Maduro, this convergence marks the beginning of a cycle of urban transformations that seek to align the Bolivarian Revolution with the most advanced currents of global architectural thought , always with the people as protagonists.
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Venezuelan President talks with architect Riken Yamamoto to promote human-centered cities
https://www.telesurtv.net/maduro-arquitecto-yamamoto-ciudades-humanas/President Nicolás Maduro held a high-level meeting this Wednesday with Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto , winner of the 2024 Pritzker Prize , to strengthen Venezuela's Human Cities model , a central pillar of the Seven Transformations Program (7T) and the new urban vision promoted by the Bolivarian Revolution. The meeting took place at the Aquiles Nazoa Cultural Center , following the successful World Symposium on Neighborhoods held at the Teresa Carreño Theater.
The meeting reaffirmed the Bolivarian Government's commitment to integrating urban planning with social, environmental, and community transformation , moving toward cities that prioritize life, popular participation, and a harmonious relationship between the built environment and nature. Maduro, accompanied by Minister of Public Works Juan José Ramírez and the Mayor of Caracas, Carmen Meléndez, emphasized that the country is advancing toward a model in which the modernization of the State must be accompanied by the direct transformation of people's living spaces .
For the Bolivarian Government, Yamamoto's presence is not merely symbolic: it constitutes key technical and conceptual support , given that the Japanese architect is recognized worldwide for his proposals for community urbanism, integration architecture, and models of coexistence where the collective is at the center of the city.
Their perspective aligns with the Venezuelan approach of promoting beautiful, green, safe, and deeply human neighborhoods , where urban design contributes to strengthening identity, culture, and well-being.
During the dialogue, Yamamoto highlighted the unique nature of Venezuelan popular participation, noting that there is no other popular territory in the world where community decision-making occurs "from the bottom up" as in Venezuela .
This recognition of the Japanese architect highlights the coherence between Venezuelan communal democracy and the principles of cutting-edge inclusive urbanism.
The exchange also featured leading figures in contemporary Japanese architecture—Akiko Okabe, Koh Kitayama, Yoko Fujiikake, and Mikio Tai—who, together with Venezuelan community organizations and specialists, explored the challenges of affordable housing and the construction of environments that respond to people's real needs . This gathering of international voices solidifies Caracas's position as a global hub for debate on social urbanism.
The Bolivarian Government views this agenda as a fundamental part of the 7T Plan , which proposes a comprehensive renewal of the State, the economy, and territorial organization, always based on community participation. Within this framework, Human Cities represent the transition toward a more inclusive, ecological, and socially cohesive Venezuela , where each neighborhood project becomes a laboratory for innovation and civic engagement.
The articulation between the Executive's vision and Yamamoto's contributions points to a development model that transcends infrastructure : it is about creating beautiful, sustainable communities with a sense of belonging , where architecture is a tool at the service of equality, collective life and the protection of nature.
For President Maduro, this convergence marks the beginning of a cycle of urban transformations that seek to align the Bolivarian Revolution with the most advanced currents of global architectural thought , always with the people as protagonists.