An international seminar bringing together experts from around Europe will discuss the challenges and possibilities of the design and use of public spaces in times of planetary warming.
Public spaces are increasingly important for mitigating the impact of the climate crisis impact on cities and their dwellers, for reducing heat island effects, offering shade, retaining rainwater, and helping urban ecosystems to survive. This seminar looks at the changing role of public space, from being a primarily social resource to becoming public urban ecological infrastructure.
Will the city square with stone paving and a few trees become a thing of the past? Is the urban forest the new model for public space? What are the possible roles of ‘nature’, urban design, and technologies of urban intelligence in shaping and managing resilient and enduring urban public spaces in times of climate crisis?
This seminar consists of three panels and will conclude with a lecture by architect Philippe Rahm, and a discussion with architecture historian and critic Hans Ibelings.
PROGRAMME
9.30 a.m. Introduction: Hans Ibelings
9.45-11.45 a.m. The Urban Climate
What does climate change mean for public spaces now and in the future?
Eleni Myrivili, Chief Heat Officer for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Athens
Sarah van de Velde, architect at Bureau Bas Smets, Brussels
Margarita Jover, architect and urban planner, Barcelona
12-1.30 p.m. The Physics of Urban Space
What are the designer’s tools and concepts for making meaningful public spaces in the age of planetary warming?
Sanda Lenzholzer, professor of Landscape and Architecture, University of Wageningen
Philippe Rahm, architect, expert in climate change and sustainability, Switzerland
Ana Coello, architect and landscape designer, Barcelona
3-5 p.m. Urban Space, Urban Health
How are climate change, public space, and human well-being interrelated?
Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of the Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative at IS Global, Barcelona
Gosia Kuciewicz, architect, member of the CENTRALA Studio, Warsaw
