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Tue, May 8, 2007 : Last updated 20:13 pm (Thai local time)



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Home > Regional > Five themes on urban transformation at the Holcim Forum for sustainable construction were discussed.





Five themes on urban transformation at the Holcim Forum for sustainable construction were discussed.

Normative urbanism:

Architects should maintain their romanticism in order to go beyond the norm. They should accept inequality as a drive of urban development and a way to make the norm productive. Go out, change things, test and accept failures.

Informal Urbanism:

Currently very much in "fashion". Architects and planners are now in pursuit of urban pleasure that thrives on innovation, interaction, information and sustainability.

Green Urbanism:

Cities have come a long way in terms of promoting green spaces. The next phase will be sustainable urbanism intertwined with social and economic priorities. Sustainable urbanism will open up opportunities for effective planning and implementation. It will not be just green - but all colours of the rainbow.



Touristic Urbanism:

The degree of activism should not be under-estimated. Before, tourism was about exploring but has now shifted to include "packaged experiences". Excessive dependence on tourists has deprived cities of paying importance to communities as an asset of their own identity.

The success of Barcelona is one example of a grassroots effort and not just "top down". Tourism development should be regarded as an opportunity for regenerating communities and empowering the locals.

Temporary Urbanism:

Don't forget that in many instances temporary has become permanent as in the case of many refugee camps or the Gaza strip.

The United Nations today has become the biggest supplier of housing worldwide. Some places, such as Kabul, have seen over-investment, which means they are costly to run. A "one week camp" can easily become an urbanised area.








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