Abstract Summary
This workshop aims to bring the issue of affordability and accessibility (back) into discussions on the sustainable further development of middle European cities. It is hard, maybe even impossible to miss current discussions on the sustainable further development of our built environment. Every mayor, every minister of housing and urban affairs in every interview, be it in the trade or non-trade press, stresses that we need to transform our built environment to achieve climate neutrality. There is a constant repetition of claims to reduce motorized traffic and put an end to urban sprawl, facilitate walkability and create healthy, liveable, and resilient urban environments. While these claims are well justified, we see only little awareness of the fact that prospering cities become ever more unaffordable and hence, inequitable. Various reports show that the severe shortage of affordable housing poses a serious threat to the cohesion of societies. In this 90-minute workshop, we will explore the potential of (re-)densification strategies concerning the production of environments that are not only energy efficient and economically sustainable, but also equitable. Participants will understand and scrutinize cities as complex (adaptive) systems. In particular, they will challenge current efforts and develop new approaches for transforming cities with regard to social equity. Questions for debate will be: What are the socio-spatial dynamics at play for and against an accessible and convivial city? How much messiness, and how much regulation is needed? What are access conflicts, and how is access negotiated in cities? The workshop will be loosely based on the concept of Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats (1985) and consist of three parts: 1) Introduction and stimulus presentation, 2) Collecting opinions and reactions to the problem, and 3) Generating ideas and possible approaches. The target audience is research fellows, politicians, policymakers, city officials, architects, urban planners, and citizens. Familiarity with current debates regarding the further development of the built environment is a prerequisite. Workshop organizers: Dr. Uta Leconte, Researcher and Strategist, fromworktotext, Munich, Germany Dr. Jan Silberberger, Expert for Urban Development, Drees & Sommer, Stuttgart, Germany
