Urban MAESTRO Kick-Off Meeting

The quality of urban places in cities is typically not the product of a single intervention but results from the accumulation over time of a complex combination of factors, behaviours and decisions from multiple stakeholders.  Through this action, UN-Habitat, University College of London (UCL) and the Brussels Bouwmeester Maître Architecte aim to explore innovative ways European cities are being designed and financed.  Urban MAESTRO will focus on those approaches where public authorities act in a semi-formal or informal capacity as enablers or brokers rather than through regulatory or direct investment powers.

The launch event will provide an overview of consortium partners’ activity in the field of urban design governance, will seek feedback from urban practitioners, and will identify synergies with relevant urban policies implemented by Member States and related Institutions.

Introduction

Paulius Kulikauskas, Chief, UN-Habitat Office for Europe

Javier Peinado Lebrero, Head of sector, Natural resources, EC EASME

Christos Fragakis, Acting Head of Unit, Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, EC DG RTD

Urban Design Governance: What is it about?  Issue, relevance, experience, approach.

Prof. Matthew Carmona, University College London

Kristiaan Borret, Brussels Bouwmeester/Maitre-Architecte

Shipra Narang, Coordinator, Urban Planning and Design Branch, UN-Habitat

Frédéric Saliez, Programme Officer, UN-Habitat

How can Urban MAESTRO contribute to better European cities? 

Users’ and practitioners’ perspective.

Dialogue with urban practitioners, NGOs, real estate sector, local authorities and universities.

Moderated by Ugo Guarnacci, Project Adviser, EC EASME

Member States and EU institutions’ perspective.

Looking for synergies with Member States’ and European Commission coordinated initiatives in urban research (JPI Urban Europe, H2020, JRC), urban policies (Urban Development Group, European Urban Agenda), architectural policies (European Forum for Architectural Policies, Creative Europe), cultural, environmental, development cooperation and related policies.

Conclusions

Phebe Dudek, Policy Officer, Innovating Cities, EC DG RTD

Paulius Kulikauskas, Chief, UN-Habitat Office for Europe

By invitation only.   Please contact unhabitat-europe@un.org for details