The new urban life – better principles, better cities

What type of urban qualities should we allow for while planning new neighborhoods and improving existing urban environments? What should be included in the public space of the city, who should be able to participate and how? This edition of Think Tank in Almedalen is about the city’s communal spaces as a public resource – about its content and interstitial spaces.

As cities are built more densely, new lifestyles and needs emerge. New programmes, dreams and urban behaviour combine to create new cities, with possibilities to improve social interaction, quality of life and climate issues. Shared public resources must be utilized to their full potential – for multiple uses and activities simultaneously. Boundaries between work, housing, education, leisure and the private and public spheres should be more flexible.

What are the implications of the above on the urban fabric? What role should be assigned to public meeting spaces? Who should have the right to use them? We focus on the social potential, on involving local communities in the planning process, on urban greenery, food and culture. The aim is to achieve a more open and tolerant programming of urban spaces, where spontaneous events and temporary activities can take place, in brief: a generous and rich urban environment.

What are the underlying principles such a city is shaped by?

The focus is on the following driving forces:
Community potential & participation
Food & culture
Urban greenery & ecosystem services
Lifestyle & local

Panel guests:
Christer Larsson, Director of City Planning, Malmö
Jan Åman, Atelier Slice / Atelier Food, founder and cultural entrepreneur
Mattias Gustafsson, URBIO, landscape architect and CEO

Time and place:
10:00 – 11:00, 30th June 2015
Arkitekturträdgården, Strandgatan 16A, Visby

Read more on Sveriges Arkitekter's website