Conference: ‘New towns are political statement’

New towns, such as Almere in the Netherlands, are not so much success stories as they are political statements. That is the main proposition that will be put forward at the "New Towns and Politics" conference, which will be held on Nov. 11-12 in Almere. The conference is being organized by the Design and Politics chair of Delft University of Technology, among others.

Dreams

Creating a new city is every politician's dream and would also represent the pinnacle of any town planner's career. Yet new towns experience above-average levels of urban problems such as poverty, segregation and civil unrest. How is it possible that towns built according to the latest economic and social models end up falling so far short of the mark?

Are new towns actually, above all else, just political statements? This question will be the central proposition put forward at the New Towns & Politics conference.

Controversy

The conference will bring together architects, sociologists, politicians and writers to explore the political aspect of new towns at the conference. 'New towns' young and old will be examined and critically appraised by famous and sometimes controversial speakers such as the sociologist Kenny Cupers (Buffalo, New York), the architects Zvi Efrat (Tel Aviv), Nathalie de Vries (MVRDV), Kees Christiaanse (KCAP) and Georgeen Theodore (New York), architecture journalist Kieran Long (London) and researchers Azadeh Mashayekhi (Teheran) and Adri Duivesteijn (Municipality of Almere).

The conference will be organised by TU Delft's chair in Design as Politics, the International New Town Institute and VU University Amsterdam's Han Lammers chair. It will take place on 11 and 12 November in the library and theatre in Almere, the Netherlands' New Town par excellence.

More information:
Programme and registration: www.newtowninstitute.org./spip.php?article241

Provided by Delft University of Technology