Away from the urban centres and metropolises of Europe, there are areas that are neither urban nor rural. They are referred to as urban land. Urban land is confronted with the same problems as those facing big cities: Mobility, quality of life, climate change. These and other aspects will be discussed at the First Urban Land Conference on 26 September 2019 in Ulm.

The biggest questions about the future have been known for some time already: How will we live and work, how will we move? How can climate protection be integrated? How can we improve the quality of life and boost the economy – but not at the expense of the environment? Large cities such as Berlin, London and Paris are playing a central role in the resolution of these questions because large urban centres are most affected by population growth. The signs may be found in exploding rents and exhausted infrastructure.

However, if focus shifts from metropolitan regions to small and medium-sized centres, it is easy to see that resources are becoming scare there too. Growth in residential areas and sustainability must find a new equilibrium so that resources can be used efficiently and fairly. Regions such as Baden-Württemberg, the Swiss Mittelland or Belgium’s tight network of cities all provide examples of this.

Urban Land

In Europe, many people live outside traditional city centres. They are distributed on the periphery and along the transport axes, in new residential areas, existing villages, in agricultural regions or close to the operations of influential companies. This area is no longer considered rural, but is still far from being urban. It’s urban land.

An international conference presented by the InnoSÜD sub-project “Urban Land” will be addressing urban land and questions about the future at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences on 26 September 2019 in Ulm.

More than 15 speakers from Germany and around the world will share their perspectives from a variety of disciplines during the sessions, including

• Georgeen Theodore, Founder of Interboro New York and Professor of Infrastructure Plannin
• Christian Schmid, Professor of Sociology ETH Zurich
• Andreas Hofer, Director of the IBA Urban Region Stuttgart 2027
• Paola Viganò, Professor of Urban Studies in Venice and Lausanne
• Joachim Declerck, Curator Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2018 – The Missing Link

Schedule

09.30 Registration

10.00 Welcome and Framing

10.30 Panel No 1: Compact + Productive

12.30 Lunch break

13.30 Panel No 2: Connected + Balanced

15.30 Coffee break

16.00 Panel No 3: Coordinated + Experimental

18.00 Closing remarks, local and global perspectives

19.00 Networking and Transfer Event

You can register here.

Further information can be found on the website, the flyer, Facebook and Twitter.

topos is media partner of the Urban Land Conference in Ulm.