Special Session – Planning for Sustainable Urban Regions
The session introduced innovative planning approaches from a newly setup long-term funding priority of BMBF called Sustainable Development of Urban Regions (SURE). In total it stretches over a period of more than eight years with different funding phases incorporating 10 large research consortia involving more than 30 research institutions in Germany, numerous companies and several multi-national networks. The regional focus of this initiative is China and Southeast-Asia at the forefront of accelerated urban growth. Each project represents trans-disciplinary research, aiming for change and lasting impact. Thereby, the German partners closely cooperate together with local research institutions as well as local and national governments.
By means of this ambitious initiative, new and fresh ways of planning and spatial interventions to overcome the shortcomings of traditional planning will provide the basis for more evidence-based decision-making for local stakeholders thereby supporting more people-centered urban and regional development. In the course of the proposed session, four projects of SURE will introduce their case-study related approaches:
- Data driven policies for resilient urban design (Linking disaster risk governance and land-use planning: the case of informal settlements in hazard prone areas in the Philippines)
- Integrating quality of life into sustainable urban transformation of Phnom Penh (Build4People)
- Territorial approach to climate action (Urban Rural Assembly)
- The role of infrastructure, digitalization and resources for climate action (PolyUrbanWaters)
The aim of the subsequent discussion with the audience was to reflect on those concepts and approaches and how to change the way we plan for the sustainable development or urban regions. The focus was on planning tools as well as on their possible application in terms of global solutions towards more resilience.
