A historic Doha Debates town hall was held in Argentina’s Usina del Arte to dissect the intersection of architecture and development.

Over 400 attendees gathered at Buenos Aires’ iconic Usina del Arte cultural centre for the first Latin American town hall hosted by Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates, exploring the future of urban life through cross-cultural dialogue and expert insight.

Titled “How Should We Reinvent the City?” the event formed part of the Qatar Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture and brought together students from Argentina, Chile, and Qatar, along with urban planning experts from around the world. 

It marked the first time the Doha-based platform, known for fostering global conversations, held a public event in Latin America.

Opening remarks came from His Excellency Mohammed Al Kuwari, Qatar’s former ambassador to Mexico and Advisor on Latin America for the Years of Culture initiative, highlighting the deep roots of dialogue in Arab culture, noting the tradition of the majlis and poetry exchange as inspirations for the evening’s format.

Moderated by journalist Malika Bilal, the discussion featured a panel of international experts, including Guadalupe Granero Realini, an urban economist from Argentina, Akel Ismail Kahera, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, and Nicholas Boys Smith, founder of UK-based urban design think tank Create Streets.

The debate focused on whether future cities should be shaped more by competition or compassion, touching on themes like urban density, inclusion, decentralisation, and the balance between public and private development. 

A consistent thread was the challenge of designing cities that prioritize human needs over economic metrics.

“The future of cities cannot be built in isolation,” said Managing Director of Doha Debates Amjad Atallah. 

“We need dialogue that crosses cultures, generations, and disciplines to create cities that meet the demands of a rapidly evolving world.”

“At Doha Debates, we believe solutions emerge when we engage across differences. In partnership with the Years of Culture initiative, we brought together students from Argentina, Chile, and Qatar to engage with global experts on how cities must evolve to meet the needs of our rapidly changing world,” Atallah added.

Students contributed actively to the discussion, offering perspectives from diverse urban contexts across the Middle East and Latin America. 

Topics such as climate resilience, inequality, and migration were central to their concerns.

Fittingly, the venue itself, a former power station transformed into a cultural space, served as a visual metaphor for urban reinvention.

The town hall will be available later this year on Doha Debates’ and Al Jazeera Digital’s platforms.