1st INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIUM-SIZED METROPOLITAN AREAS

- PRESENTATION
- WHY IN LA RIOJA?
- TARGET PUBLIC
- OBJECTIVES
- AREAS
- STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME

PRESENTATION

The world’s cities and territories approach the beginning of the 21st century immersed in a process of continual transformation. Cities are expanding over larger regional areas, with new characteristics and different problems and opportunities for development, and prompting the emergence of a new territorial figure: the city-region.

This process of change is dominated by competitiveness between cities and territories. The victors in this contest will be those capable of defining a “future profile”, of forging a commitment to excellence in specific areas in which they can achieve competitive advantages.

This new situation entails a new set of rules. The complex relationship between cities and territories requires the application of management policies and instruments that differ from traditional ones, as well as with the participation of all sectors in society.

We start from a concept of territory as the driving force fuelling the progress of a society, whose citizens enjoy cohesion and an increasingly better quality of life, rationally taking advantage of its environmental resources.

The potential of territories and the image that we have of each of them do not always coincide. Highlighting this image and perfecting it in order to tap its real potential, as well structuring the appropriate development strategies, has given rise to a new concept: the marketing of cities, managing the brand associated with a city or territory to develop tourism and business, attract investment and enhance its cultural and political presence.

The International Forum “Territorios21. New ways of life and living in Europe” was organised to develop these ideas in greater depth. The Forum will be held on November 8 and 9 at the La Rioja Congress Centre and Auditorium (Riojaforum), and will coincide with the celebration of World Town Planning Day.

The Autonomous Community and society of La Rioja host this 1st International Forum on Town Planning in Medium-Sized Metropolitan Areas. It is the first time that an event of these characteristics will be held in Spain.

Some of the most prestigious national and international town planning experts will participate in this event in Logroño to analyse the economic, social and environmental challenges facing our cities and territories, their current situations, evolution and possibilities with respect to the future.

“Territorios21” is called and organised by the Autonomous Community Government of La Rioja, through the Department of Tourism, Environment and Territorial Policy, under the technical management of Fundación Metrópoli, with the sponsorship of the Official Architects’ Association of La Rioja and the collaboration of numerous business and professional institutions.

This Forum stands to develop into a meeting point for all operators involved in urban development: operators responsible for urban planning policies, professionals from the sector, consultants and companies responsible for projects, companies from the real estate sector or involved in urban services, university teachers and students and society in general.

Over these two days ideas and experiences will be presented on converging themes on the development of medium-sized city-regions that may give that extra advantage to such territories.

The debate will examine the local framework in the 21st century, characterised by the process of global opening. The experiences contributed by city-regions and by the main Spanish and European urban development authorities will elucidate upon the prospects for the town planning of our territories in the new millennium.

/\ Up /\

WHY IN LA RIOJA?

La Rioja is the ideal forum for staging this congress, given its excellent geographical, social and economic characteristics for it to become a model city-region, provided that it achieves adequate territorial development.

In this global world, the size of La Rioja, with adequate territorial planning, ceases to be a weakness and becomes a strength. A small-sized territory has greater capacity for offering responses and closer institutional cooperation than other larger regions, whose size and organisation prevent them from enjoying such degrees of flexibility.

The Autonomous Community Government of La Rioja has assumed this new concept of territory and has recognised the excellent opportunities that are emerging for the development of the region, raising the flag of sustainable urban development.

The first step consisted in the creation of the political body that is responsible for providing a cohesive approach to all matters affecting the sustainable development of its territory: the Department of Tourism, Environment and Territorial Policy.

This body is responsible for designing the framework of actions to achieve:

- balanced territorial development;
- economic and social cohesion;
- human development compatible with the environment;
- rational use of resources and conservation of natural and cultural treasures.

Of the planned projects, it is worth highlighting the following:

- The Territorial Strategy of La Rioja; this document will set out the guidelines for the development of the Autonomous Community over two decades.

- The Metropolitan Area of Logroño, a project that represents the first attempt to establish an “intelligent territory” in La Rioja. Starting from the inter-relationship of the capital of La Rioja with the surrounding municipalities, cooperation is established at supra-municipal level and the keys for tackling the future with optimism are analysed.

- The Special Plan for the El Alto Oja area is a project currently in the study phase that will benefit Ezcaray, Ojacastro, Zorraquín and Valgañón. It is another example of how to progress towards the future, by co-ordinating efforts to tackle common problems, sharing services and relaunching the development of the area by exploiting its important historical and natural heritage.

- The Plan for Non-Building Land is the document that will integrate respect for the environment in urban development. It is an update of the Special Plan for the Protection of the Natural Environment, which was, for a long time, the instrument that brought together all the environmental regulations currently in force under the same umbrella.

- Work is underway to prepare the preliminary draft for the future Territorial and Urban Planning Law, which will adapt previous Autonomous Community laws (pioneering legislation in Spain) to the new territorial planning instruments and to the new models of territorial management that have gradually appeared in recent years.

/\ Up /\

TARGET PUBLIC

The International Forum “Territorios21. New ways of life and living in Europe” is eminently practical in nature and inter-related for all the operators involved in urban development. Specifically, this Forum is aimed at:

 - Actors involved in town planning policies in towns, cities, metropolitan areas, regions or autonomous communities, countries, the European Union, etc., with political or technical responsibilities in institutional organisations.

 - Professionals from the sector (town planners, architects, engineers, economists, geographers, sociologists, lawyers, etc.)..

 - Consultants and companies commissioned to perform studies, analyses, plans and projects in connection with these issues.

 - Companies operating in the real estate sector or related with urban services and infrastructures of the territory.

 - University teachers and students interested in this subject.

 - Society in general, citizens in particular and the groups that represent them.

/\ Up /\

OBJECTIVES

 - Foster a debate on the development of “city-regions” and our territories in the globalisation phase.

 - Promote the dissemination of a new territorial culture.

 - Raise awareness among actors involved in town planning and land management on the need to achieve a balanced and sustainable development of our territories.

 - Exchange experiences between different cities and territories in Europe.

 - Disseminate the territorial policy that is being developed in La Rioja.

 - Raise citizen awareness on the importance of the sustainable and balanced development of the territory of La Rioja.

 - Boost self-esteem and respect for the values of our countryside and territory.

 - Make La Rioja a reference point for medium-sized “city-regions” and a meeting point for debate on this subject.

/\ Up /\

AREAS

- INTRODUCTION. LA RIOJA AS A CITY-REGION

Presentation of the characteristics of La Rioja to become a model city-region and new trends in territorial development. Presentation of a proposal for the development in the area of fossilised dinosaur footprints in La Rioja, one of the candidate regions that UNESCO has accepted for designation as a World Heritage site. The speakers will include Japan’s Minja Yang, Deputy Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.

- TRENDS IN TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT

The new trends in the development of city-regions will be presented from different viewpoints and with the intervention of different professionals: professionals working in a world of cities.

The main event of these conferences will be the celebration of World Town Planning Day, with the reading of the “European Charter on Town Planning” by Jan Vogelij, President of the European Council of Town Planners.

- DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIUM-SIZED METROPOLITAN AREAS

Professionals will present their experiences developed in Spanish and European cities, such as Cordoba, Zaragoza, Bordeaux, Porto and Logroño.

This will be followed by a roundtable discussion with political representatives from the region of La Rioja, namely, the Mayors of Logroño and Vitoria and the Mayoress of Pamplona. This will be moderated by Amando de Miguel, a sociologist and expert in matters relating to demographic movements.

- ROLE OF PRIVATE AGENTS

Representatives of business and professional institutions will describe the role of private initiative in the development of territories.

/\ Up /\

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME

1.- Conferences

The programme will include expert conferences given by prestigious experts from the field of town planning. These conferences will address the following themes:

- Intelligent territories.
- Territory and heritage.
- Territory and sustainable development.
- 25 years of Democratic Municipal Governments.
- The European Charter on Town Planning.

2.- Round table discussions

The round table discussions will be the framework for debate:

 - Professionals working in a world of cities.
- Political leadership for the transformation of territories.
- Private operators in the transformation of territories.

3.- Presentation of works

- “The footprints of dinosaurs”. An institutional collaborative project between young planners.
 - Town planning experiences in Zaragoza, Bordeaux, Porto, Cordoba and Logroño.

/\ Up /\