From the 24th of September until the 27th, TU Delft hosted the Complexity Theories of Cities conference. The conference was organized by U-Lab - Laboratory for Cities and Urban Landscapes - and presented the research of eighteen speakers in this field, including INTI researcher Ekim Tan.
“Three decades of research have established the field of complexity theories of cities as a dominant approach to cities. Now that the field has come of age, it is time to stop for a moment, look back at what has been achieved, with appreciation, but also with sober criticism and then look forward at potentials that have yet to be realized. As for potentials yet to be realized, this conference will explore the implications of complexity theories of cities to planning and urban design. As examples to what we have in mind consider, firstly, Mike Batty’s (2008) recent observation that “In the past 25 years, our understanding of cities has slowly begun to reflect Jacobs’s message. Cities are no longer regarded as being disordered systems. Beneath the apparent chaos and diversity of physical form, there is strong order …”. Secondly, Portugali’s (2008) criticism that “in their search for statistical data to feed their models practitioners of USM tend to overlook the non-quantifiable urban phenomena” and as a consequence, some of the central questions of 21st Century cities and urbanism”. As for potentials yet to be realized we would like to emphasis in this workshop the implications of CTC to planning and urban design.”
The conference was attended by INTI Director Michelle Provoost, who also took part in a round table discussion on the applications of complexity theory and urban simulation models. The Almere Schaalsprong project was introduced by Dr. Provoost and Schaalsprong Director Henk Meijer.
The experts present at the conference advised INTI and the Municipality of Almere on ways to move foreward with the Schaalsprong.
For more information on this event click here.
