Contemporary urban development processes are associated mostly with the transformation of existing structures. These may include such topics as radical reuse concepts for various areas, including ones dominated by traffic, regeneration and redevelopment of abandoned areas and brownfield sites, as well as the transformation of various types of public and common spaces. Of course, these are just a few from a wide array of topics that shape current discourse on the future of cities. Many will argue that equally important are environmental, social, and economic issues, dealing with inequalities as well as - on the other side – with the physical shape of urban architecture. The wide scope of these topics proves that we are still in search of a true new planning agenda for our cities and that its character may differ depending on the character and location of the city.
The main purpose of organizing the conference on „Transforming Cities” is to present and discuss currently debated and practiced planning concepts that will shape the future of our urban spaces. The intention is to invite practitioners (planners and urban designers), municipal leaders (city architects, and planners), academicians, and other professionals dealing with diverse planning, design and development issues. Such a debate shall allow understanding how to deal with various issues and problems as well as how to put these in the broader context – both regarding the interdisciplinary character of the issue and best practices derived from the experience of other parts of the world.
SESSION 5 SELECTED EXPERIENCES OF CITY TRANSFORMATION
The intention is to make this conference a venue for exchanging good practices and reassuring the key stakeholders in efforts associated with refining the local planning practices. At the same time, this will serve as an opportubity to discuss various development issues on the example of the City of Gdańsk.
