This week I am engaging in a conversation with financial expert Russell Napier, founder of The Library of Mistakes to discuss my book What if Women Designed the City? We will explore how the post-war double motorisation-modernist mistake continues to influence our built environment and the role of women in pursuing an urbanism of proximity.

Located at the heart of Edinburgh historic New Town, this gem of a library is a beacon of learning from past financial mistakes. The library's motto is Mundum mutatu errore singillatim – changing the world one mistake at a time.

I will be exploring how the Fordism/Modernist mistake has led to significant financial and environmental consequences over time. The emphasis on car-centric infrastructure has required substantial investment in road construction and maintenance overshadowing the development of public transportation and green spaces. Urban sprawl and the social housing schemes of the 60’s have contributed to socioeconomic segregation. The reliance on automobiles and suburban sprawls has increased greenhouse gas emissions, worsened air quality, impacted natural habitats and heightened energy consumption, all significantly impacting quality of life and liveability.

Coincidentally, last week during the thrilling Creative Bureaucracy Festival in Berlin, I officially submitted the Fordism/Modernism intergenerational mistake to the Office for the Use of Mistakes and Coincidences, and received a certificate for it.

The Office for the Use of Mistakes is a performative installation by Jennifer Hoernemann and Walbrodt. At a lively desk amid the hustle and bustle of the conference that attracted 1,800 creative bureaucrats, they warmly invited passersby if they’d like a certificate for one of their mistakes or coincidences. Through deep dialogue, humour, and creative writing, the duo crafted each certificate using typewriters, stamps, gold leaf, pens, and paints. By reading it aloud, they honoured each mistake, uplifting the experience and reinforcing that seeing something as a mistake is only a perception.

On Wednesday I will connect the Library to the Office by daring to read my certificate. What if mistakes had potential? Join us if you are in Edinburgh to explore the unexpected value of errors, celebrate the serendipity in our failures, and discover how cities would look like if designed by women.

More information of the event at the Library of Mistakes here.

The prospects of the Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh meeting the Office of Mistakes in Berlin