Under Pressure: Motstandsdyktige byer

UNDER PRESSURE: RESILIENT CITIES

How can cities be better equipped to handle changes and stress?

We are in a time of great upheaval, pandemic, climate crisis and war. This also puts the cities and their residents under ever-increasing pressure. How can cities be better equipped to handle changes and pressures?

In this session OMA will be looking at two of the major crises of our time: the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine.

Our way of thinking about cities, urban life and densification must be seen with a new perspective and with the backdrop of the changed world situation.

Climate crisis and war mean that urban developers must look up and think globally and long-term in a new way. Resilience combined with all the qualities we see as important in the city;

How must we think and work going forward?
In this session we will draw the broad lines about cities under pressure - why is understanding the crisis in an urban perspective important? We will discuss what major consequences the ongoing crises may have for urban development as well as looking into the architect and developer's social responsibility (this is also includes the audience in the room), how to operate in a changing world.

Can we address Norway's privileged situation to put it into perspective - why it is important that we wake up and contribute? We will debate which resources are required to be adaptive and resilient and give specific examples.

Panel:

Oleg Drozdov, architect and founder Kharkiv school of architecture, co-founder of Ro3kvit.com Urban Coalition for Ukraine

Will discuss how can we make resilient cities that can adapt to crisis and bounce back, from either warfare or climate changes. A modernist master plan may not be the answer.

Annemie Wyckmans, professor, head NTNU Smart sustainable cities

Based on the EU Mission project - the 112 climate-neutral cities by 2030 – Wyckmans will discuss if that still is possible in the face of the war, energy and financial crises that demand a large part of cities' political attention and resources.

Making cities more inclusive, just and beautiful, and strengthening local cooperation models, can engage citizens better in the transition, make it part of their identity and culture, and make them feel empowered to actively take part.

Brent Toderian, International thought leader on better cities, sustainable city planning and creative urban design; advisor to cities around the world; and ex-chief city planner for Vancouver, Canada.
Will discuss how cities are proactively tackling the many emergencies and crises they are facing, including war, violence, pandemics, inequity, unaffordability, car dependency and the climate crisis - what can smart cities learn from each other?

Moderator: Sigrun Aasland, Director, ZERO

Key words: Resilience, flexibility, nature, taxonomy, storm water, reuse, diversity, the productive city.

St. Olavs Plass 5, med inngang fra Universitetsgata.