Social visions of the Urban Region: identity, heritage, branding, and quality of life.
Animator: Marc Glaudemans, Fontys University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Round table 1: Heritage as an asset for urban development
. Michel Hek, Ecorys, The Netherlands
. Hosain El Gebaly, First Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development, Cairo, Egypt
. Ewa Kipta, Municipality of Lublin, Poland
. Patricia Rodríguez Alomá, Director of the Master Plan for the revitalization of the Old Havana, Office of the Historian of La Havana, Cuba
. Ezzatollah Roustazadeh, Director, Department of International Affairs, City of Isfahan, Iran
Round table 2: Global and regional competition
. Alberto Undurraga, Mayor, City of Maipu, Chile
. Victor Santiago Tabares, Deputy Mayor, Cáceres, Spain
. Janis Dripe, Chief Architect, City of Riga, Latvia
. José Miguel Martínez Rico, Arquitecturas Colectivas Workshop, Gipuzkoa
. Miran Gajsek, Head of the Urban Development Department of the City of Ljubljana, Slovenia
. Adrien Sanchez, department of sustainable development and transport, Public development Agency of La Defense-Seine-Arche, Paris, France
. David Luque, KCAP, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
. Roni Vardi, Chief engineer, City of Holon , Israel
Synthesis of Workshop 3
I. – Heritage as an asset for urban development
There have been two types of interventions:
1) The ones that focus on the participation process for regeneration.
Michel Hek, from Ecorys,mentioned the need to look at a social interest and integration of the use of the building within the urban and social structure of the area it has to serve.
Ewa Kipta, from Lublin,highlighted the concept that public participation is NOT to just make approve a technically made project, but to build up the project all along in itself. The very procedure and objectives of public involvement have to focus that. This is the way to recuperate a real role as well as social respect for the professionals involved.
Patricia Rodriguez Alomá, from La Habana,highlighted the people as the objective, aim and end of the process.
2) The ones that focussed on the technical procedures.
Hosain El Gobaly, from El Cairo, developed the procedure and institutional framework of the public actions. He pointed the difficulty for the compensation cost for the private externalities.
Patricia Rodriguez Alomá, from Habana,pointed to the procedures of reinvestment of rehabilitation externalities through public-public and public-private collaboration
Jenis Dripe, from Riga, presented the policy of integration of heritage and new architecture in the broader context of the urban and metropolitan structure
– Questions enquired about Efficiency of the Regeneration / Rehabilitation:
How to manage?
How to invest? (ppp)
What are the results?
The Debate focussed on how to obtain a fair city (social justice) as well (and not antagonizing) a global city (economic efficiency). The need to coordinate ‘complementarity’ and ‘competitivity’ (Joseph Tossavi)
The Debate will go on…
2. – Global and Regional Competition
The presentations and the debate have been based on benchmarking experiences.
Alberto Undurraga, Lord Major of Maipú, stressed the need to make an equilibrated development. Efficacy at the service of Social Justice. And this has to be achieved through Participation.
Victor Tabares, from Caceres,focussed on Innovation and Creativity as the way to the future, with citizens’ participation in mind, to spring out social energy and filter down benefits.
Arquitecturas Colectivas, from Guipuzkoa, pointed through several project examples how alternative creativity must be based on citizens’ participation.
Miriam Gajsek, from Ljubljana,presented a comprehensive view to territorial development as the coordination ground for development of economic policies and Social Cohesion as the main objective.
Adrien Sanchez, from La Defense,introduced the strategic projects as forerunners and transformers of competitiveness. ‘Never do what the others are already doing’, as an attitude to innovation and competitiveness. ‘Go beyond, to be ahead’ as a Principle.
David Luque, from Pasaia,focussed at the social objectives (provision of services, environment, innovation) and participation (public governance and involvement on the urban processes) of the ‘Pasaia’ project
Roni Vardi, from Holon, Israel,offers the idea of branding through clustering specific activities (Social Services for children and family aimed) as a way to urban efficiency integration in a larger Metropolitan structure.
The main streams of Debate presented by the intervenants have been:
– The participation focus has been the main stream of the presentation, which mirrors as well the focuses of the first round table on Heritage in this Workshop.
– The second stream of discussion has been the necessity to integrate economic efficiency policies and social justice objectives. Research on Governance procedures has to be made on these fields
Conclusions of the Workshop have been:
1. Heritage conservation and redevelopment is the result of a balanced process that starts with the dialogue between all stakeholders (including public and private experts and citizens) creating a shared responsibility towards a common goal.
2. Heritage conservation and redevelopment starts from the basic assumption that cities are cultural products and vital living places that need to permanently adapt to changing social, economic , environmental and technological requirements.
3. Preserving buildings and city quarters should contribute to an even distribution of a variety of programs and services in order to achieve a “fair city” for citizens.
4. With increasing global competition we see that identity will be a key component in successful development and branding strategies of cities.
5. Identityis a concept that entails the material and the immaterial, relates to the uniqueness of place and region and the collective willingness of communities as a driver for sustainable urban planning.
Report done by Joseph Tossavi, Victor Araújo, Hodei Abaurrea, Pedro Ortiz