The International Architecture Showcase - Mimetic City

Between 19 June and 4 July the British Council, in partnership with the Architecture Foundation and more than 34 London-based embassies, presented a programme of exciting new work by practices from different countries on the theme of 'The Welcoming City'. The International Architecture Showcase featured exhibitions, installations, film screenings, debates and lectures hosted by diverse institutions across London, with the aim of challenging perceptions and opening minds to new possibilities in urban living. Check out the Mimetic City Istanbul event, a collaboration between Kerem Turker of Rada Design and Noema Research and Planning.
http://www.lfa2010.org/event.php?id=352&name=turkey_mimetic_city

Ostrava 2015

The Czech city of Ostrava is currently preparing a bid for EUCOC 2015. On May 13 and 14, Lia Ghilardi and Colin Mercer visited the city and lead a series of talks and workshops on Cultural Planning and Mapping designed to help the city to focus on its cultural and creative economy priorities and aims.
In addition to that, on June 24-25 Ostrava will host a major conference on the soft factors influencing regional development. Check it out!

2010 EU Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

2010 is the EU Year for combating poverty and social exclusion. Last year’s international economic and financial crisis is very likely to have long-term consequences for growth and employment across the EU and elsewhere. In this scenario, the piloting of proactive and enlightened new forms of urban governance at local level will be increasingly vital for cities large and small. We believe that the dissemination of urban and social innovation’s good practices is a key step in helping civic leaders and communities to find better solutions to the problems presented by the current crisis. This is why, as well as the development of practical projects and initiatives, our contribution to the EU Year against poverty will be each month to feature inspiring examples of social and urban innovation that have made a real change to the lives of the vulnerable and the excluded.

PICNIC 09 – Amsterdam

What are the great breakthroughs that will change our lives in the coming decade? Will they improve our economy, deal with the environment and make our lives more livable? What are the alternative urban, social, digital, scenarios for our future?
PICNIC ’09 tackled all this and more.
If you have missed this truly unique three-day event, go to:
http://www.picnicnetwork.org/search/5905/en

The International “Futur en Seine” Festival

Futur en Seine is a Festival of the Digital city, a unique cultural, technological and social event taking place between the 29th of May and the 7th of June across Paris and Ile de France region. For ten days, participants will be able to see, touch and interact with innovative technologies and applications, which will be part of daily life in the digital city of the future.

Futur en Seine also presents a pioneering international programme of debates and conferences about the state of cities and digital democracy. On the 5th and 6th of June Lia Ghilardi will be presenting Noema's more recent cultural and urban mapping projects at The Digital City in the Next Five Years Conference.

For the latest updates on the event see: http://www.futur-en-seine.org/en/world-future-digital-city/index.php

Forum for Creative Europe

On Thursday 26 March the Forum for Creative Europe will take place in Prague. Organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic in collaboration with European Commission, the conference is one of the main events of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. With over 50 speakers, artists, policy makers and practitioners from Europe and outside the Forum will be an opportunity to make the case for creativity in a world in turmoil.
Lia Ghilardi will be among the speakers and in her presentation she will discuss how cities can be more creative in the way they deal with competitiveness by focusing on their unique DNA defined across urban, social, human and cultural capital.

To follow the Forum live please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J526Q-Wczbc
www.forumforcreativeeurope.cz/en

Cultural Planning and Cultural DNA: A Sustainable Approach to Placemaking

A large gathering of members of the Union of Baltic Cities took place in Turku (Finland) on the 24th to the 27th of September 2008. The main subject of the event was the discussion of how to find the cultural DNA of places. Inspired by Lia Ghilardi, participants (mainly from the planning and urban development disciplines) spent two days documenting the distinctive character of Turku. The results of this work will be disseminated in a report which will be ready in December.
For information, please contact: Samuli Saarinen, Environmental and City Planning Department,
Master Plan Office,Turku
samuli.saarinen@turku.fi

Gävle Conference

The auditorium was full on the opening day of Konstcentrum’s seminars on cultural planning and art in public space. Artists and people working in cultural fields from all over Sweden mixed with interested local residents and international guests.
Lia Ghilardi, founder and director of Noema Research and Planning Ltd in London, talked about her method of mapping places from a cultural perspective. She began by cautioning against large architectural flagship projects which are often at risk of becoming " a second-life architecture for fantasy cities"...

Read more at: www.gavlekonstcentrum.se