LAND USE AND URBAN PLANNING PRACTICES
IN CITIES OF EU ASSOCIATED COUNTRIES
u-forum
INTERNATIONAL FORUM
MARCH 1-2/2019
TBILISI, GEORGIA
Aspired to continue the dialogue on how different political, economic and socio-cultural events shape urban planning practices, U-FORUM-TBS brings together an international community of researchers, practitioners, and educators to create an open, interdisciplinary discussion platform.
THEME
The goal of the forum is to analyze the concepts and practices of urban planning, which have been employed as a response to the Association Agreement. The theme of the forum enables discussions on the representation of local behaviors and EU values; questions of expertise and education; and of ideas and methods.
In 2014, European Union signed the Association Agreements with Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Although the Agreements are the profoundly technical documents, they also bear a geopolitical significance affirming the European identity of the associated countries. While the documents do not address cities directly, nearly every economic sector will undergo the comprehensive adjustments. Hence, those changes will inevitably affect the way we plan (and study) cities. Therefore, holistic harmonization with EU cannot be overlooked by the professionals and scholars in the field of urban planning and design, as well as by the city governments.
Furthermore, Association Agreement marks the beginning of yet another metamorphosis for the region. The radical socio-economic changes faced by cities during the last three decades left a vivid mark on the urban landscapes.
Issues, such as environmental and social injustice, as well as transportation and housing shortages are well documented in both academic literature and governmental papers. Addressing those challenges will require professionals to foster the critical attitude towards the legacy of past practices and EU values.
URBAN TOURS:
The chaotic urban structure of Tbilisi can be perceived as it’s identity, since chaos is the reason of it’s attractiveness, but at the same time, the hinder for it’s development. For various political, economical, social reasons, distinct structural urban units were formed through history. Bellow are listed some of the most important urban areas which depicts the architectural development of Tbilisi through time.
PANELS
RETROSPECTIVE OF URBAN PLANNING PRACTICES IN GEORGIA SINCE 1991
Newly elaborated strategies, norms, and approaches have been exercised through the prism of the long-established professional behavioral practices. Such practices proved to be inert to implicitly realize new formal protocols. They failed to effectively adapt to the new modes of governance and its definitions of human and space. Hence, the goal of the panel is to track the evolution of urban planning in Georgia during the last thirty years (1989-2019). It aims to challenge and advance the cultural knowledge we acquired through a critique of the way we design Georgia's cities.
CURRENT URBAN PLANNING PRACTICES
The panel considers discourse on contemporary issues of urban planning and design practice in light of the EU association agreement as well as the New Urban Agenda (2016). It confronts pressing questions regarding the external factors of economic, environmental, and political systems, and internal forces of tools, techniques, and strategies for design. Addressing the multifaceted nature of the profession, we invite scholars and practitioners to explore issues currently at stake within the industry. The panel welcomes presentations that explore the relationship between research and practice, as well as how research by design warrants the pathway through which knowledge, plans (or other design products) come into being.
INTEGRATED SCIENTIFIC APPROACH FOR URBAN PLANNING
Today urban planning and design studios have emerged as domains of interdisciplinary, collaborative examination of specific topics, policies, and geographies. The panelists will investigate the ways in which urban planners and designers interact with other professionals to ensure lasting urban change. Speakers will address the challenges that planning teams face when "translating" the data from various disciplines and prioritizing the particular aspects of urbanity.
TEACHING URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN
Global transformations taking place in the world's cities are exerting pressure on educational institutions to develop numerous urban-focused programs and courses. The demand for such programs is also stimulated by the new international policies with growing sensitivities towards the local contexts. The goal of the panel is to give the floor to leading educators to discuss new and innovative ways to teach urban planning and design in the classroom.
The forum is a result of a long-term collaboration between Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), represented by the Department of Human Geography and NLP City Institute Georgia.
TSU is a paramount partner which is responsible for the scientific component of the event. It has a long history of delivering high-quality research on urban and regional development, providing expertise to national and local governments, as well as international donor organizations in South Caucasus and beyond.
City Institute Georgia (CIG) is a German-Georgian NLP, which aims to study, analyze, and develop approaches to solve problems of spatial and urban planning. The company recently consulted one of the most important projects in the region – Revision of Tbilisi General Land Use Plan. As a result by facing the new realities constituted by the Association Agreement and a new urban agenda, CIG has accumulated a unique experience, which served as an inspiration for the forum.
Dr. Abel Polese
Dublin City University and Tallinn University
Dr. Joseph Salukvadze
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Dr. Vladimer Vardosanidze
Urban Planner
Dr. Rusudan Tevzadze
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Dr. Nikoloz Abashidze
Union of Architects of Georgia
Scientific committee:
Organizing team:
Elena Darjania
PhD candidate at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State Unviersity
Gvantsa Salukvadze
PhD candidate at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State Unviersity
Dr. Mamuka Salukvadze
CEO, City Institute Georgia
Nino Khositashvili
Communications Manager, City Institute Georgia
Sophia Todua
Junior Urban Planner, City Institute Georgia
Andro Kortua
Junior Urban Planner, Graphic Designer, CIG