Apart from the plenary sessions and breakout tracks, World Cities Summit will offer site visits for delegates to engage practitioners and get a better understanding of policy implementation. There will also be an exhibition to facilitate business opportunities and stimulate exchanges between the public and private sectors. The exhibition will be co-located with the Water Expo of the Singapore International Water Week.

The Supporting Organizations for World Cities Summit 2008 are:

Further information

More information on World Cities Summit can be found at www.worldcities.com.sg.
More information on Singapore International Water Week can be found at www.siww.com.sg.

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Cultural Regeneration: the Return of the City
IFHP Annual International Conference 2008
1-3 June 2008, Liverpool - United Kingdom

Conference themes
Liverpool is 801 years old this year. The City's maritime past was recognised by its inscription as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004. In 2008 Liverpool is celebrating being the European Capital of Culture. It is also the proud host of the IFHP Conference 2008.

Amid all the associated events and celebrations in 2008, the IFHP annual conference provides the housing and development world with a unique opportunity to promote its achievements and capabilities to an international audience. It will bring together international experts to discuss and exchange best practice in planning and regeneration in a city with a strong reputation for effective regeneration. International keynote speakers, plenary sessions, study tours, parallel workshops, exhibitions and networking opportunities will be focused around three key themes:

• City centre-led regeneration
  Having a city centre "vision" and how to make it happen. This session will look at creating synergies between retailing, housing, commerce and culture and the infrastructure required to "make it happen", as well as the individual and collective roles of the public and private sector and local communities.
• Housing-led regeneration
  There is now a clear understanding of the integral links between housing, health, education, employment, community cohesion and the local economy. Housing-led urban renewal, dealing with demand-led private sector housing as well as "obsolete" housing is a vital ingredient in the holistic regeneration approach.
• Design-led regeneration
  Planners, architects, developers need the active support of the public sector and the community to produce superior buildings, streetscapes, and "places" in cities. This session will look at how the development community works together to produce the world-class buildings and environments demanded by today's urban dwellers and stakeholders.

Registration fees

Corporate members may send a maximum of five participants at the reduced registration fee. Other persons who are members of an IFHP or TCPA affiliated body but are not members of the IFHP or TCPA are not entitled to claim the members' rate. Participants from developing countries may apply for a reduction to the registration fee. The application should clearly show that participation would be impossible without the reduction. The reduction does not apply to the social events.

Payments must be made in Euros. UK delegates, please email anne.finnane@tcpa.org.uk for payment information. Credit card payments can be accepted by fax and post. To pay by bank transfer or cheque complete the registration form and an invoice will be sent to you.

The IFHP Conference Co-ordinator in the Hague will send confirmation of registration within two weeks of receipt of your registration form.

Cancellations must be submitted in writing to the IFHP conference department in The Hague or by email to congress@ifhp.org before 1 May 2008 stating name and registration number. Participants will receive a full refund minus a 25% administration fee. No refunds may be made after this date. Substitutions may be made up until 15 May 2008 in writing to congress@ifhp.org. Non-attendees who fail to provide notice of cancellation will be charged the full registration fee.

Please return registrations to: Joke Bierhuys, IFHP, Wassenaarseweg 43, 2596 CG Den Haag, Netherlands Fax: +31 70 328 20 85 Email: congress@ifhp.org

Further details
IFHP Conference Co-ordinator
TCPA
17 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AS
United Kingdom
TEL: +44 20 79 30 89 03
FAX: +44 20 79 30 32 80
E: ifhp@tcpa.org.uk

Pete Flynn
Planning Department
Liverpool City Council
Millennium House
Liverpool L1 6JF
United Kingdom
TEL: +44 151 233 4461
E: pete.flynn@liverpool.gov.uk

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46th International Making Cities Livable Conference
True Urbanism: Designing the Healthy City
and exhibition of
New Designs for Mixed-Use Urban Fabric
1-5 June 2008, La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico USA

INVITATION TO EXHIBIT & CALL FOR PAPERS

The conference is co-sponsored by The City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County & NM Dept. of Transportation and co-organized with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture.

For more information, see www.LivableCities.org.

An international conference for city officials, developers, practitioners and scholars in planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation planning, health policy and social sciences from many parts of the world.   Purpose: to engage in a dialogue on the relationship between the built environment and livability, health and sustainability; to learn from the best models, and to establish working relationships to effect change.

Exhibition: Mixed-Use Urban Fabric

Planners, developers, architects and cities are invited to submit proposals for an exhibit of mixed-use urban fabric projects already constructed, or in design.   Designs must be 3 - 6 stories, mixed-use, including residential to quality.   Selected projects will be exhibited at the conference where awards will be made for outstanding projects.   Large and small projects in the following categories are eligible:

For exhibit guidelines contact Suzanne.Lennard@LivableCities.org

Paper topics include:

Please send a 250 word abstract to: Suzanne.Lennard@LivableCities.org.

Paper abstracts must be prepared for blind peer review (as email attachments).   Cover letter or email should identify the author.   Final date for paper proposals due: October 31, 2007.   Notification sent within 4 weeks of submission.   Accepted papers must be presented in person at the conference.

Further information

Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard Ph.D.(Arch.)
Program Committee Chair
IMCL Conferences
PO Box 7586, Carmel CA 93921
USA
Email: Suzanne.Lennard@LivableCities.org
Fax: +1- 831-624-5126

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Eco-Architecture 2008
Second International Conference on Harmonisation
Between Architecture and Nature
23 - 25 June 2008, The Algarve, Portugal

Call for Papers

The event is organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology, UK amd sponsored by WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment.

View the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements at the conference website.

Conference Topics

Full conference information is available on the conference website or submit an abstract directly by sending an email to Rachel Creasey at rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

Further information

Submit an abstract via the conference website or or contact the Conference Secretariat at the address below.

Rachel Creasey
Conference Secretariat
Eco-Architecture 2008
Wessex Institute of Technology
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst
Southampton SO40 7AA
UK
Tel: 44 (0) 238 029 3223
Fax: 44 (0) 238 029 2853
Email: rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

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Introduction  ¦   Programme  ¦   Register  ¦   Travel  ¦   Venue  ¦   Accommodation

Register Now!

Intbau Nigeria is proud to present its first conference in Kano, Nigeria together with an official opening ceremony.

Traditional architecture still stands today and is relevant because it has always addressed sustainability. It is that of necessity in most cases where local craftsmanship and building materials are vital and where Spaces always mirror the true and practical lifestyles of their inhabitants. The relevance of good traditional building is that it not only allows us to celebrate our past technological achievements but also to study and understand the primary mechanisms which guarded the design of the particular building. For example we can learn from traditional buildings why certain materials were used (usually because they were readily available locally), the science of the materials, the context of the site and the nature of the inhabitants. We can also learn the value of living and working in a community and the importance of a healthy built environment.

The conference brings together national and international practitioners, educators, students etc. of the built environment in the quest for sustainable answers to the deterioration of Rural and Urban Spaces world wide. The aim of the conference is to seek solutions from our traditional architecture, building and urbanism, in order to come up with better and cheaper ways of providing good standard sustainable buildings and spaces for our rural areas and cities. The conference mainly addresses the Africa situation and we expect this event to assist in the process of eradicating slums and poor housing. Prince Demas Nwoko, the academic patron for the conference, intends that the focus of the conference is to seek the involvement of Government, Public & Private sectors to promote the action and course for traditional building in Africa.

Themes

Papers will address the following issues:

Registration

Organising Committee:

1. Eng. Tony Osuagwu, INTBAU Nigeria, Acting Chairman, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
2. Dr. Yusuf M Adamu, Senior Lecturer in Geography, Bayero University, Kano
3. Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, Department of Education, Bayero University , Kano
4. Ruqayya Tofa, INTBAU Nigeria, Development Assistant, London, England
5. Nasiru Wada Khalil Kano, is the Secretary of the Local Conference Committee
6. Aliyu Salisu Barau, Dept. of Geography, Fed. College of Education

Academic Committee

1. Arc. Seyi Odeyale, Department of Arch. FUT,Akure, Nigeria
2. Prof. Timothy Gyuse, University of Jos, Nigeria
3. Dr. (Colonel) Abdulrazaaq Muhammed-Oumar, Dept. of Arch., FUT, Minna, Nigeria
4. Arc. (Mrs.) C.O. Osasona, Head of Dept.,Obefemi Awolowo university, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
5. Arc. Prof. U.A. Awuzie, Dean of Environmental Science, IMSU, Owerri, Nigeria,
6. Arc. Prof. J.N Amechi, Dept. of Architecture. IMSU, Owerri, Nigeria
7. Prof. O.S. Okedele, Head of Department of Architecture, University of Lagos, Nigeria
8. Arc. Prof. J.O Diogu, Department of Architecture, IMSU, Owerri, Nigeria
9. Dr.Arch. Mohamed Saidi, Université Saad Dahlab de Blida, Algeria
10. Dr. O J Ebohon, De Montford University, Leicester, England
11. Dr. Marcell Vellinga, International Vernacular Architecture, Oxford Brookes, England
12. Mr. Deependra Prashad, Secretary, INTBAU India
13. Dr. Matthew Hardy, Secretary, INTBAU

Further Information

Miss Ruqayya B. Tofa
Chapter Development Manager
INTBAU Nigeria
No. 1 Maiduguri Road
P.O.Box 760
Kano
Nigeria

Tony Osuagwu
Acting Chairman
INTBAU Nigeria
c/- Tenta/Aton Nigeria Ltd
Plot 8/17 Trans Amadi Ind. layout
Port Harcourt, Rivers State
NIGERIA

Tel: +234 806 330 1872
Fax: +234 84 775153

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Design and Nature 2008
Fourth International Conference on
Comparing Design in Nature with Science and Engineering
24 - 26 June 2008, The Algarve, Portugal

Call for Papers

The event is organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology, UK amd sponsored by WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment.

View the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements at the conference website.

Conference Topics

Full conference information is available on the conference website or submit an abstract directly by sending an email to Rachel Creasey at rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

Further information

Submit an abstract via the conference website or or contact the Conference Secretariat at the address below.

Rachel Creasey
Conference Secretariat
Eco-Architecture 2008
Wessex Institute of Technology
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst
Southampton SO40 7AA
UK
Tel: 44 (0) 238 029 3223
Fax: 44 (0) 238 029 2853
Email: rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

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History In Practice
The 25th Annual Conference
of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia & New Zealand [SAHANZ]
3 ­ 6 July 2008, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Call for Papers - Due 3 December 2007

between critique and intervention
between analysis and creation

the history of architectural practice
the practice of architectural history
the architecture of historical practice

critiquing the practice of architectural history

gaps/connections/contentions

Founded in 1984 at a meeting in Adelaide, South Australia, the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ) was conceived from the start as a forum for the open discussion of the architectural history and historiography of the region, and as a setting from which to reflect on the status of the architecture, landscape, and cities of Australia and New Zealand in the wider world. While SAHANZ has grown in size and presence, and despite changes taking place in the discipline both locally and internationally, these principles remained constant. In 2008, SAHANZ will hold its 25th annual meeting in the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, marking a milestone both in the history of the Society and in the organised development of the region¹s historiography.

Call for Papers

Papers are called for that address the conference themes outlined below:

Exchanges between old and new

The meaning of cultural significance:

Determining and contesting urban character:

Architectural meaning and time:

Exchanges between local and global

Modernity, modernisation and regionalism in architectural cultures:

The authentic, the salvaged and the invented:

Exchanges between history and technology

Technology, technique and history:

Sustainable history/sustainable architecture:

Exchanges between the conceptual and the visual

History as the critique of architecture:

Poetry and architecture:

Exchanges between the centre and the periphery

Exchanges between inside and outside:

Urban morphology and architectural identity:

Exchanges between memory and evidence

History and taxonomy:

The ephemeral and the permanent:

Abstract Submission

Abstracts are due by Monday 3rd December 2007.

Abstracts are to be submitted in a Microsoft Word document. On one page, include a succinct title for the paper and an abstract no longer than 300 words. On another page, indicate your name, institutional affiliation, full contact details and a brief biographic statement (40 words or less), including details of two recent publications.

In the subject line of the email write 'ABSTRACT: paper title'
Name the Word document "yourfamilyname_titleword"

Abstracts must be submitted via the Conference Paper Management web site. Authors will need to create a Login ID and a password to allow secure uploading of your abstract. We recommend that your Login ID does not include your surname. Please also take the time to nominate the conference theme under which you wish your paper to be presented.

Click here to submit your abstract.

Key dates

Abstracts due Mon 3 Dec 2007
Notification of acceptance Fri 14 Dec 2007
Final papers due Mon 25 Feb 2008
Notification of Referees' reports Mon 31 Mar 2008
Revised papers due Mon 5 May 2008
Conference begins Thu 3 July 2008

Further information

Ursula de Jong and David Beynon, convenors
Email: ursuladj@deakin.edu.au
Email: david.beynon@deakin.edu.au

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Shrinking Cities, Sprawling Suburbs, Changing Countrysides
2008 European Network for Housing Research Conference
6 – 9 July 2008, Dublin, Ireland

Call for Papers - closes 29 February 2008

The Organising Committee of the ENHR Housing Conference Shrinking Cities, Sprawling Suburbs, Changing Countrysides cordially invites proposals for individual papers. The conference will be organised by the Centre for Housing Research and the School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin and will be held in University College Dublin, Ireland from 6 till 9 July 2008.

The conference will address various issues relevant to this overarching theme in both urban and rural locations. Plenary sessions will address current debates on topics such as balanced regional development, urban and rural development, housing theory, socio-spatial segregation, new suburban communities, the role of migration and tourism, developments in post socialist societies, as well as issues which are specific to rural areas.

There will be a number of plenary sessions, some of which will be in the form of panel discussions. Workshop sessions, mostly organised by the regular ENHR working groups, will allow participants to present their research. The following workshops are planned and we encourage you to submit an abstract and a paper under one of the headings:

W01 - Housing Finance and Regulation
W02 - Migration, Residential Mobility, and Housing Policy
W03 - The Residential Context of Health
W04 - Housing Economics
W05 - Poverty Neighbourhoods
W06 - Welfare Policy, Homelessness, and Social Exclusion
W07 - Housing Regeneration and Maintenance
W08 - Space and Place
W09 - Legal Aspects of Housing, Land and Planning
W10 - Housing & Living Conditions of Ageing Populations
W11 - Metropolitan Dynamics: Urban Change, Market and Governance
W12 - Housing Market Dynamics
W13 - Housing and Minority Ethnic Groups
W14 - East European Housing & Urban Policy
W15 - Housing Cultures and Sustainable Development
W16 - Social Housing in Europe: Institutional and Organisational Dynamics
W17 - Housing and Social Theory
W18 - Shrinkage and Growth: Local Consequences of Global Developments
W19 - Historical Perspectives and Path Dependence in Housing
W20 - Physical Aspects of Spatial Design and Regeneration.
W21 - Land for Housing and Housing Supply
W22 - Private Rented Markets

Further details of the workshops and how to submit an abstract (max 300 words) for consideration are posted on the conference website www.enhr2008.com. The closing date for submission of abstracts is 29 February 2008 and for submission of papers is 30 May 2008.

The winner of the first Bengt Turner Award will also be announced at the conference. Contact lawrence.teeland@ibf.uu.se for further details of this Award.

The conference will include a walking tour of Dublin, a choice of study trips (including one to Belfast) and an official opening reception (all to be held on Sunday, 6 July). The conference dinner will take place on Monday evening (7 July). A more informal Irish music and dance session will take place the following evening (8 July). Delegates are advised to arrive in Dublin by Saturday 5th July 2008.

To coincide with the conference, a New Researchers' Colloquium will be held in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland from Friday 4 July to Sunday 6 July 2008. Further details of the New Researchers' Colloquium can be found on www.enhr.ulster.ac.uk.

Accommodation

ENHR Members intending on travelling to Dublin in 2008 are advised to make their hotel reservations early. Accommodation will be available on campus, and a list of nearby hotels is posted on the website, along with further details about the conference. Please refer to www.enhr2008.com. You might also find the following websites useful www.visitdublin.com and www.tourismireland.com.

The Centre for Housing Research and the School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin looks forward to welcoming you to Dublin.

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The Culture of Building
The Prince's Foundation's Residential Summer School
8-28 July 2008 Lincoln Cathedral, Poundbury & London - UK

Through a series of lectures, workshops, drawing and building exercises and field trips, Summer School participants will develop an in-depth knowledge both of traditional building and repair techniques and how these have been, and can be, applied in the twenty-first century.

After an initial introduction to historic materials and a two-day drawing course, students will study the architectural and constructional development of Lincoln and Lincolnshire. Students will be able to work together with Lincoln Cathedral’s expert craft teams in the cathedral workshops to learn craft and conservation skills in the fields of masonry, joinery, leadwork and stained glass.

You will also be conducted on study and drawing tours of local historic centres. The school will end with a week-long live build project in Poundbury, Dorset. The Summer School, forming part of The Foundation’s annual academic year, will benefit any architects, developers, builders and craftspeople who are interested in building crafts and architecture, and how these factors respond to the local identity of historic contexts in a timeless and ecological way.

Attendance fee

The cost of the course is £900 + VAT, which includes accommodation for three weeks, plus breakfast, lunch and dinner on teaching days, and tuition and materials.

Further details
Education & Skills Department
T+44 (0)20 7613 8508
E: education@princes-foundation.org
W: www.princes-foundation.org

The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
19-22 Charlotte Road
London
EC2A 3SG
United Kingdom

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Sustainable Tourism 2008
Third International Conference on Sustainable Tourism
3 - 5 September 2008, Malta

Call for Papers

The conference is organised by Wessex Institute of Technology, UK and the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.   The event is sponsored by WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment.

View the conference website, which has full details about the conference objectives, topics and submission requirements at www.wessex.ac.uk/tourism2008cfp.

Conference Topics

Further information

Full conference information is available at www.wessex.ac.uk/tourism2008cfp or submit an abstract directly by sending an email to rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk.

Rachel Creasey
Conference Secretariat
Sustainable Tourism 2008
Wessex Institute of Technology
Ashurst Lodge
Ashurst
Southampton
SO40 7AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 238 029 3223
Fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853
Email: rcreasey@wessex.ac.uk

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Clone Towns?
The High Street in Historical Perspective
CHORD Conference
10 - 11 September 2008, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Call for Papers - due 4 April 2008
Courtesy Bodleian Library, University of Oxford: John Johnson Collection; Trade Cards 5 (72)

CHORD invites submissions for a conference devoted to exploring the changing nature of the high street, from the medieval to the contemporary period, in Britain and elsewhere.

Proposals are invited for papers exploring any aspect of this topic, and focusing on any geographical area. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

Please send proposals (including title and c.200 words abstract) to the address below by 4 April 2008.

Further information

For further information, please see http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in6086/clones.html

Dr Laura Ugolini
HAGRI / HLSS
Room MC233
University of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton WV1 1SB
UK
Email: L.Ugolini@wlv.ac.uk

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBAN DESIGN
Science, Policy, Education and Best Practice
The Third International C.E.U. Congress
14 - 16 September 2008 Oslo, Norway

Following successful Congresses in Berlin 2005 and Leeds 2006, the Council for European Urbanism – C.E.U. - will hold its third international congress in Oslo, Norway from the 14th to 16th September 2008.

The congress will discuss the rapidly-evolving topic of "Climate Change and Urban Design", and the latest implications in science, policy, education and best practice. What is the latest science telling us? What are the consequences for urban development internationally? What are the practical solutions available to reduce climate gas emissions from urban settlements and transportation? What strategies are available to adapt to changing conditions?

The congress will welcome government officials, planners, architects, social scientists, ecologists, developers, local community activists, and all other development stakeholders who feel a responsibility to contribute to more sustainable urban development.

Background

The climate change agenda has clearly reached a world-wide tipping point. Yet while there is growing consensus that the phenomenon poses a major threat to future human well-being, legitimate debate remains about what is to be done to reduce atmospheric carbon levels, as well as to adapt to changes that already appear likely. In particular there is ongoing debate about how the cost of various options correlates to potential benefits. Debate also continues about how the issue of climate change relates to the larger agenda of sustainable development.

The built environment is well known to be one of the largest current contributors to greenhouse gases. Therefore those who work in the planning, design and building professions have a key role in working to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. While much work has been done to decrease contributions from individual buildings, the role of urban design in addressing climate change remains more obscure, and more contentious.

To be sure, buildings are not passive emitters of greenhouse gases. They shape the patterns of activity and consumption of their occupants, which in turn profoundly affect emissions. Must occupants drive between scattered locations, perhaps for long distances? Do they spend large percentages of time in buildings isolated from a functional public realm, with high patterns of consumption and emissions? Are those buildings sited in remote new developments where significant areas of existing vegetation have been replaced with paved or reflective surfaces? How does the urban street and block pattern contribute? What about the mix of uses, and the distribution of daily activities and needs?

There has been much discussion of the dramatic carbon reductions possible per person in a higher-density urban morphology, particularly in comparison to automobile-dominated "sprawl" development. But what are the factors to be teased out? If we are to pursue such a goal, what are the issues to be addressed in economics, market dynamics, project permitting, legal regulation? How are these issues being addressed successfully, and what further challenges and opportunities remain?

What about the preference of some consumers for lower density neighborhoods, or the argument that it is more sustainable to accommodate a settlement distribution or "transect" from the highest human use to the most pristine natural environment, including lower-density agricultural settlements? Does the new agenda imply, as some argue, that only very high densities will be viable? Or can a mixture that includes some lower-density morphologies be sustained in combination with other forms of mitigation? Is such a range of densities more economically sustainable, as some argue?

Even at high densities, a wide range of morphologies is possible. What are the benefits and tradeoffs of the alternatives? For example, are dense high rise cities the inevitable best option? What about the negative energy impacts of tall buildings that may feature extensive curtain wall glazing, or require other high-energy conditioning, maintenance or repair? How do tall buildings perform across socio-economic classes, or in promoting social diversity and economic sustainability? How do they perform in repairability, adaptive re-use, or typical life-cycle?

What about the advantages of "green" retrofits of existing buildings, in comparison to new green buildings? Since roughly half of the energy use of a building is in its construction, is there credible evidence to suggest that adaptive re-use of heritage buildings should be a greater priority? Are there examples of traditional urban fabric that offer better models of sustainable morphology, such as medium rise "liner" buildings, or high-density terraces? And do traditional buildings offer any significant morphological benefits for the sustainability challenge?

These questions remind us that emissions are a cumulative phenomenon, and must be considered over whole systems and whole life cycles. Clearly a reduction in one targeted parameter is of little use if it results in the increase of another parameter by an equal or greater amount. Moreover, greenhouse gas emissions are only one parameter of sustainability that must be considered in balance with others.

Plenary Session and Congress Declaration

The Congress will convene to develop a final declaration of key issues and next steps. The declaration will summarise conclusions from each of the four sessions, reflecting the latest conclusions and imperatives for action:

Science: What we know
Policy: What we must do
Education: How we must develop and disseminate skills
Best Practice: How we must implement these conclusions

The declaration will seek to place urban design in the context of wider climate change issues, and the whole-systems approach that will be required to mitigate and adapt to this urgent challenge.

Academic Committee

Further information

The 2008 C.E.U Congress is organised by the Norwegian chapter of C.E.U.

Mr. Audun Engh
C.E.U. Norway
St. Olavs gate 9
0165 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47-92-62-26-26
Fax: +47-22-36-49-93
Email: audun.engh@gmail.com
Oslo Congress website: www.cityclimate.no

C.E.U. - Council for European Urbanism
Web: www.ceunet.org

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Water and Urban Development Paradigms
Towards an integration of engineering, design and management approaches
International conference
15 - 19 September 2008, K.U. Leuven, Belgium

Call for Papers

Water is perhaps the world's most valuable resource - clean water has even been touted as the 'next oil'. Water has become a strategic (and shrinking) resource, a commodity; indeed, control of water has always been - and remains - a highly politicized affair. This proves as a major challenge as cities and urban areas are gaining an estimated 60 million people per year - over 1 million every week.

This international conference intends to bridge the gap between the disciplines of water management, ecology and the approaches of engineering, urban design and spatial planning. Sessions will develop a series of themes, discussing the historical relationship between water systems and human settlements, and related management problems regarding urban floods, water use and water sanitation. In each session, presentations are invited on problem definition, technical and design-based solutions, but also on boundary conditions of exogenous, political or economical nature.

Conference jointly organized by:

Conference organized under the auspices of:

Introduction

Water is perhaps the world's most valuable resource - clean water has even been touted as the 'next oil'. Water has become a strategic (and shrinking) resource, a commodity; indeed, control of water has always been - and remains - a highly politicized affair. This proves as a major challenge as cities and urban areas are gaining an estimated 60 million people per year - over 1 million every week. In many developing countries cities are growing two or three times faster than the overall population. As urban areas - particularly smaller towns and cities - continue to grow in size, about 5 billion people are expected to live in cities by 2030 - about 61 per cent of the global population of 8.1 billion, the UN projects. At present, over 900 million people - almost one in three of the world's urban population - are slum dwellers, and in 30 years' time that number is likely to double to 2 billion, unless serious action is taken, according to UN-Habitat.

As the world continues to urbanize, mass consumption and pollution are depleting natural resources and destroying natural eco-systems. Water issues are increasingly high on the international agenda - particularly in desert, tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is estimated that today 1.2 billion humans lack access to clean drinking water and 2.5 billion lack access to basic sanitation. The Millennium Development Goals specifically target these pressing problems. Beyond issues of access, water is increasingly perceived as a hot issue because of the rise of the sea level and the increasing salinization of coastal areas, phenomena strongly induced by global climate change. As well, the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters - flooding and tsunami - require strategic re-thinking in terms of mitigation measures.

Water - particularly coasts and rivers - has a long-standing relationship to urbanization. Ancient civilizations had ingenious methods of dealing with water, often simultaneously addressing pragmatism, urbanism and symbolism. Innovative hydrological engineering logics, an understanding of topography and seasonal weather patterns had profound implications in the form, growth (and demise) and vitality of human settlements from Machu Picchu to Sri Lanka to Rome. In the contemporary world of increased specialization and technological innovation, a great deal of this ancient ingenuity has been lost. More often than not, waterworks are in the domain of engineering while urban design and planning are only - other than for re-development of waterfront - tangentially involved.

This international conference intends to bridge the gap between the disciplines of water management, ecology and the approaches of engineering, urban design and spatial planning. Sessions will develop a series of themes, discussing the historical relationship between water systems and human settlements, and related management problems regarding urban floods, water use and water sanitation. In each session, presentations are invited on problem definition, technical and design-based solutions, but also on boundary conditions of exogenous, political or economical nature. It is hoped that this interdisciplinary information exchange and communication will lead to discussion and will contribute to a better integration of approaches currently considered in the separate disciplines of water management, water engineering, spatial urban planning and design and aquatic ecology. Also aspects of meteorological, demographic, political, economical, and educational and life-style related nature will be considered in the analysis of solutions to current and emerging urban water problems. This on the longer term might lead to new paradigms in managing water in the urban environment.

Conference themes

I. Urbanity and Hydrology

This session will investigate water systems and their relationship to urban form and growth. Issues to be investigated include:

II. Mitigating Natural Disasters (flood, tsunami)

III. Urban Water Management

This session aims to concentrate on the fact that the world is witnessing a drastic increase in water demand and with it a renewed need for effective urban water management. Issues to be investigated include:

IV. Rethinking Water Governance

Key dates

1 September 2007: Second call for papers
1 November 2007: Third call for papers
15 January 2008: Submission of draft papers
1 April 2008: Acceptance/Feedback to authors on draft paper review
15 May 2008: Submission of final papers
15-17 September 2008: International conference
18-19 September 2008: After conference tours

Key conference links

Conference website
Program
Registrations
Send submissions

Contact

Mrs. Greta Camps
Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
International Study Programmes
K.U.Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 20
bus 2300
3001 Heverlee
Belgium
Tel.: +32-16-32 17 44
Fax: +32-16-32 19 56

Mrs. Maura Slootmaekers
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning
K.U.Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 51
bus 2429
3001 Heverlee
Belgium
Tel.: +32-16-32 13 91
Fax: +32-16-32 13 81
Email: contact@urbanwaterconference.be

Images courtesy K.U. Leuven

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Urban Growth Without Sprawl
A Way Towards Sustainable Urbanisation
44th ISOCARP International Congress
19 - 23 September 2008, Dalian, China

Call for Papers - Due 1 April

ISOCARP is proud to announce/present its 44th International Planning Congress which will be held in the City of Dalian, China from 19 – 23 September 2008.

About ISOCARP