NEW CITIES Inspirational International Conference

NEW CITIES. For the first time in Romania, representatives of the cultural environment, architects, ambassadors and decision-makers, representatives of the local authorities, will participate at a public, interactive and inspirational conference that brings up into discussion, as main thematic, the future in architecture and urbanism. The event will be held on June 13, at The National Theatre of Bucharest, in the Pictura conference room.

Kisaburo Ishii, Japan’s Ambassador to Romania, will be present at the event. Kisaburo Ishii has over 30 years of experience in urban planning and construction. The New Cities International Inspirational Conference will have a total of 27 speakers from Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Ireland and Romania.

His Excellency Kisaburo Ishii has taken the time to answer three key questions on the topic of the debate:

Q: From your point of view which is the main challenge/problem which the cities and large congested urban areas currently face?

A: Cities have already entered into postindustrial society and post nation society, and the growth center of the country shifted to big cities or urban conglomerate. In those big cities, in addition to conventional urban infrastructure and services as the main challenge big cities need to satisfy the request of more diversity, more connectivity to other economy and culture! On the contrary, local cities will face migration of people and industry to big cities and already suffer from aging and shrinking cities. Unlike big cities, the challenges for those small cities are different, according to their localities.

Q: What solutions do you think there are to “befriend” the cities with its inhabitants?

A: Inhabitants in big cities have become global and versatile. To make cities cozy for those global inhabitants, it is essential to review all urban infrastructure and services from the new inhabitants’ point of view, whether system easy to understand, signs easy to recognize, notice for multi-language, etc.

Q: How do you envision a model of durable urban area development, how does an ideal city look like?

A: Now not only economy but also culture has moved towards big urban areas especially global megalopolis where economy are based on knowledge and cultural industry and not on conventional production lead economy. Global culture and economy are changing more rapidly and more dramatically and cities or urban development have to respond to these changes. The model of durable urban development for the present and future will be or must be more responsive and flexible to economic and culture transformation without loosing its identities. This means not rigid conventional theoretical urban planning but comprehensive and flexible urban policy, this is the model I envision for the ideal city.

New Cities is about:

• a new vision of developing cities adapted to contemporary urban challenges of overcrowding, pollution, traffic, public transportation, green spaces, etc.
• intelligent building solutions, whether they be related to management or infrastructure, meant to improve the quality of life in the city.
• the “humane city”, about participation and involvement in the life of the city, about how the individual has to be brought back in the centre of the discussion about the future of urban planning.

When will NEW CITIES arise in Romania?
How will they look?
How are these cities of the future in other parts of the world?

These are the questions that the 27 guest speakers of the event will try to answer.
NEW CITIES Conference attendees will have the chance to witness a live, ample, and in premiere debate about the quality of life in big cities taking into consideration the views of the architect, the municipality administration, the anthropologist and the business man.

The NEW CITIES Conference is part of LAUD and INGLASS Expo-conferences, which will take place the next day, June 14, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Bucharest.

New Cities is a view day to National Awards for Built Space – Romanian Building Awards RBA.