c.e.u. council for european urbanism news

Meeting with SOS Paris to share views

A fact-finding committee from the Council for European Urbanism (CEU) will visit France during the last week in September to review new plans for building towers in Paris. They will share initial findings at a meeting with SOS Paris, a long-established organization specializing in architectural issues in Paris.

With a few exceptions after World War II, new towers have always been banned in Paris. After strong negative public reaction to the 1973 Tour Montparnasse, strict height limits were enacted again in 1977, limits that lasted more than 30 years. In July 2008, however, the City of Paris revoked the ban, citing a housing shortage and an interest in providing towers for corporations. Amid heated opposition, it raised the height limits for housing on the periphery of Paris, and it approved construction of six tower projects. The Paris controversy follows similar citizen opposition to new towers elsewhere in Europe. Criticism of the proposed 100-story Gazprom tower in low-lying Saint Petersburg helped to force that project out of the historic city center, and controversy has surrounded the 72-story “Shard” tower in London.

But CEU committee members stress that they are not coming in with preconceptions. “Our role is to help improve the quality of urban environments, using the best lessons around us – past successes as well as past mistakes”, says Michael Mehaffy, a CEU board member and Sir David Anderson Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. “So we will review the proposals and give our honest assessment, with careful evaluation of long-term sustainability, economic viability, and potential impact on local identity”.

“We are delighted to welcome the expertise of this CEU delegation”, said Jan Wyers, a resident of Paris and a member of SOS Paris. “The new proposals make a number of claims about sustainability and economic development, and we need to evaluate those carefully. We cannot afford to make a terrible mistake that will leave future generations much poorer, in more ways than one. That would certainly not be a ‘sustainable’ strategy”.

The CEU committee will visit several proposed areas of tower development on Friday, 30 September and Saturday, 1 October. The committee will make preliminary comments then and will issue a ‘white paper’ of findings a short time later. Members of the press are invited to join the tour, subject to space availability.

CityPicture aims to “make the city visible”

A new web venture by Berliners Claudia Christen, Jürgen Cyranek and Rebecca Cyranek aims to make cities more visible on the web. The three feel that images are necessary to help explain theoretical concepts of the city. And indeed, the old adage that “a picture tells a thousand words” is here well exercised.

The High Line, New York, discussed in a post on www.CityPicture.co.uk

The site was founded in August 2010 and so far covers a range of issues about cities and includes a wealth of images of cities. The site is definitely one to watch as it develops into a useful web resource.

www.citypicture.co.uk

The Urbanism of Paris: Old and New Traditional Neighbourhoods.

Organised in collaboration with CEU – Council for European Urbanism, Norway.

We will visit some of the most important historic neighbourhoods of Paris, and compare them with two recent developments based on traditional urbanism and architecture:

Le Plessis-Robinson, an urban extension to Paris, still under construction.

Le Plessis-Robinson, 6 kilometres south of Paris

Masterplan and design by François Spoerry, Xavier Bohl, Marc & Nada Breitman and others.

http://www.ecocompactcity.org/Plessis-Robinson/New_Eco_Compact_City_Plessis_Robinson.html

Val d'Europe, adjoining Disneyland Paris

Val d’Europe, close to Euro-Disney.

Masterplan by Cooper, Robertson & Partners, NY. Architects include Pier Carlo Bontempi, who designed the award-winning public space Place de Toscane:

http://www.traditional-building.com/Previous-Issues-08/JunePalladio08Peoples.html

Val d’Europe web sites:

http://www.valdeurope.com/

http://www.cooperrobertson.com/what_we_do/projecttype/cities/val.php

http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/CORP/EN/Neutral/Images/uk-2008-06-04-val-d-europe-award-for-excellence.pdf

We will also meet members of the NGO “SOS Paris“, currently involved in a campaign to prevent several new skyscraper proposals close to the historic centre of Paris.

Websites:

http://www.planetizen.com/node/47061

http://sosparis.free.fr/p1_s.htm

Proposal for pyramidal skyscraper in Paris

Registration fee:

Approx. 400 Euro, 350 £ GBP for the 4 -5 days tour program (travel, accommodation and meals not included).

Further information

Please contact Audun Engh at CEU Norway for all information regarding this tour.

Audun Engh

The 19th annual event from the Congress for the New Urbanism

The annual Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is the leading venue for new urbanist education, collaboration, and networking. CNU members come from around the world to discuss development practices and public policies, learn from recent innovative work, and advance new initiatives to transform our communities.

Drawing on the close relationship Madison has with its agricultural neighbors, CNU 19 will build on the theme of “Growing Local.” The conference will explore linkages that urban communities have with local food production, the food economy and the infrastructure that has developed around this symbiosis.

It’s not just about growing food though. The conference will extend the “Growing Local” theme to include the nurturing of non-agricultural local economies and local connections — from Madison’s burgeoning bicycle industry and bike culture to its commitment to community involvement and participation, and pursuit of growth that reinforces a distinct sense of place. The region’s balance of vibrant urban life, rural charm, and natural beauty make Madison an ideal backdrop for CNU 19. Confirmed speakers include author and urban historian William Cronon, Trek CEO John Burke, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Congressman Blumenauer, the six original visionaries of CNU, Seaside, FL founder Robert Davis, and many, many more.

Read more…

An Oasis of the Silk Road on the Brink of Extinction
9.00 – 12.30, Thursday 27 January 2011
Brussels, Belgium

Two years into Beijing’s ‘Kashgar Dangerous House Reform’, and the Old City of Kashgar in East Turkestan, or China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), faces near total destruction. There is a pressing need to assess the damage incurred, implications for the region’s Uyghur population, and to identify ways in which damage can be mitigated.

To address this urgent need, Ms Frieda Brepoels MEP will convene a conference, ‘Kashgar: An Oasis of the Silk Road on the Brink of Extinction’ at the European Parliament in Brussels from 9.00–12.30 on 27 January 2011 in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the Belgian Uyghur Association.

The conference will provide a rare glimpse into one of the defining cultures of Central Asia and a city that has witnessed the passage of Tamerlane, Genghis Khan and Marco Polo. But for political reasons Beijing refuses to include Kashgar in a UNESCO application that would grant the city World Heritage status.

Discussions will explain the unique value of Kashgar’s townscape as a site of international architectural and historical significance, identify the city’s relevance to the Uyghur identity of the region, and place Beijing’s reconstruction plans in the context of its policies towards ethnic nationalities. A constructive debate drawing on European and international case studies will also assess what possibilities remain to protect a unique city from being lost forever.

More information on the event is available fromwww.unpo.org/article/12104

Venue
Room PHS 5B001
Paul-Henri Spaak Building
European Parliament
60 Rue Wiertz
Brussels
Belgium

Registration
Registration must be made before 16 January 2011.
To register, please send your full name, date of birth, place of residence, nationality, organisation to:
Email: ekrockow@unpo.org
All relevant information will also be provided at:
www.unpo.org/article/12104