Portugali's creative folds

This commentary explores the structure of Portugali’s work, which aims to bridge two urban cultures through a process which we propose to call ‘creative folding.’ Five key creative folds are identified in the work of Portugali: the origami metaphor, implicate relations, synergetic inter-representation networks, urban regulatory focus, and urban coordination dynamics. At the core of these folds are between-domain transfers, with the Bohm-Haken-Kelso conjunction—an interdisciplinary framework combining ideas from physics, synergetics, and neurodynamics—playing a pivotal role. The commentary also examines several challenges related to creative folding, such as managing cognitive load, developing engaging methods to unify diverse urban theories, and involving people from various backgrounds in collective creative folding. These challenges highlight the need for open dialogues to foster innovation and collaboration in developing unified urban theories.