Progressive urban development – Mitigate, Educate, Participate

What kind of city do you want to live in? How will your city meet the challenges of the future?

The development of urban living is one of the key challenges for our future – even for those who do not live in cities.

Cities of different sizes, histories and levels of development are laboratories for innovative answers to any number of social, environmental and economic questions. Good and not so good experience concentrates in urban spaces.

Cities have to address these issues – and the people expect to be involved in the processes which will shape the way they live!

The seminar will seek to address 3 key issues:

• climate change and sustainability;
• re-structuring  industrial sites and create new living and working opportunities in the urban space;
• citizens’ participation in these processes of change.

Venue:

Committee of the Regions

Rue Belliard 101, 1040 Brussels

Room JDE 63The debate will take place

Interpretation:

English, French, German

Programme

12:15 – Registration (ground floor)

12:30 – Walking lunch buffet (6th floor)

13:00-14.30 – Debates (room 63, 6th floor)

Speakers:

• Uli Paetzel, Mayor of Herten (Germany)
  The urban development concept “Herten 2020”
• Henning Jensen, municipal councillor of Naestved(Denmark), and CoR member
  The CoR perspective on progressive urban policy
• Eric Freudenthal, City manager of Hammarby-Stockholm(Sweden)
  Transformation through citizens’ participation: How Hammarby became one of the most advanced urban districts in Europe

Moderator:

Mark Rogerson, Director, Consilia Ltd

Background on the Lunch-Time Debates on Sustainable Europe

The PES Group in the Committee of the Regions and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) are organising a series of lunch-time debates with an invited audience in Brussels, bringing together political experience and outside expertise to challenge existing perceptions and open up to new ideas.