Conference: New concepts and approaches for Urban and Regional Policy

2-3 April 2007, Leuven, Belgium

Objectives
This conference aims to explore new approaches, new concepts, new instruments, new ideas to respond -in theory and in practice- to developments and challenges in cities and regions such as: the blurred settlement structure (urban nebulae, new relationships between urban and rural areas), the gap between plan and action, the integration between spatial, economic and social planning/policy; social exclusion and spatial segregation, the multi-cultural, (social, cultural, ethnic) diversity, the tensions in urban and regional governance.

Issues to be addressed
Europe needs new discourses, new (relational) approaches and new concepts to tackle problems and challenges it is faced with: the metamorphosis in and of space, growing complexity, fragmentation, increasing awareness of environmental issues, strengthened environmental movement, inter-urban competition, longstanding quest for better coordination - vertical and horizontal-, a more action-oriented planning within a long term perspective, the definition of collective goods in a multi-cultural and fragmented society.
Where (in theory and practice) do we find new analyses, new methods, new instruments, new discourses, new ways for involving citizens, new approaches and new concepts? How to avoid that as soon as these analyses, discourses, approaches and concepts are developed into policy concepts and are translated into action programs a disjunction is witnessed and the 'new' becomes interpreted by use of more traditional (spatial) planning - urban and regional - vocabulary (nested hierarchy, compact city…) and instruments?

TRACKS

01. Plan implementation
Track chair: Tuna Tasan-Kok (K.U.Leuven, Belgium) Tuna.tasankok@asro.kuleuven.be

02. Planning for multicultural cities
Track chair: Serena Vicari (Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Italy) serena.vicari@unimib.it

03. Settlement structure and metamorphosis of space
Track chair: Jef Van den Broeck (K.U.Leuven, Belgium) Jef.VandenBroeck@asro.kuleuven.be

04. New discourses and approaches in planning
Track chair: Frank Moulaert (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne) frank.moulaert@skynet.be