The point of the evening is to establish lessons for designers, planners, ecologists working on sustainability issues in the urban environment,. We aim to focus not on the small scale of architecture and housing, but on sustainability and ecology at the large scale of urban planning. This approach is fuelled by the ambition of New Town Almere to use C2C and sustainable principles for the future ‘Schaalsprong’, the large extension Almere is undertaking. Can Almere and other Dutch cities learn from other experiences and other eco-cities, such as Masdar City?

Most definitions of “sustainability” connect the dots between society, economy and the environment. The complex interdependencies of these aspects are obvious. During this evening, the speakers will examine the objectives and realities of Eco-cities by examining their internal and external systems. How do truly sustainable cities deal with issues of energy, waste, transportation and social interaction? What are the qualities and challenges specific to Eco-cities? What are the relationships between Eco-cities and their surrounding contexts? With this lecture evening, INTI hopes to add depth to the current debate around sustainability, and offer alternative strategies for future Eco-New Towns. It is our hope that the presentations and discussion will reveal the challenges and opportunities that arise when one attempts to provide a sustainable habitat at the urban scale.

Confirmed speakers include Winy Maas (MVRDV, The Why? Factory), Brian Clegg (author of Ecologic: The Truth and Lies of Green Economies), Peter Mensinga (ARUP, AARDLAB), and Gideon Amos, (Chief Executive of the British Town and Country Planning Association - TCPA). The event will be moderated by Bert van Meggelen and introduced by Michelle Provoost (director INTI).

Time: 7pm-10pm November 9, 2009

Language: English

Speaker Biographies:

Winy Maas: The work of MVRDV/Maas has been exhibited internationally, received numerous awards and published widely. In 2009, Maas received the AIA Honorary Fellowship for "being one of the most influential architects of his generation". Winy Maas teaches and lectures at various institutions, and takes part in international juries; he teaches Architectural Design at the MIT as well as Architecture and Urban Design at the Technical University, Delft. Maas founded, in 2008, and directs the research institute for the future, The Why? Factory, connected to the Delft School of Design. Maas is also a widely published author.

Brian Clegg: Brian Clegg read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, specializing in experimental physics, and went on to study Operational Research at Lancaster University before taking up a position at British Airways. In 1994 he launched a new career providing creativity consultancy to corporations and writing for magazines and books. He is a fellow of Royal Society of Arts and edits the www.popularscience.co.uk website. Brian has written nine popular science books, including Ecologic; the truth and lies of green economics (2009), which won the 2009 IVCA Clarion Award for books, for best practice in communicating the importance of CSR, sustainable development, social inclusion and ethical debate.

Peter Mensinga: Peter Mensinga is the Senior Sustainability Designer at the Amsterdam ARUP office. Mensinga joined ARUP in 2006, after graduating in Mechanical Engineering and Technology Management from the Technical University Eindhoven and studying Architecture at the Academy of Architecture and Urban Design in Rotterdam. He is a multi-disciplinary engineer with particular interest in the interface between building, engineering and architecture. Mensinga has worked as an engineer for 15 years with a focus on sustainability and environmental issues, and has been involved in architectural design for 4 years. Some recent projects include work on the Schaalsprong Almere and Tianjin Eco-city, China, as well as Logroño Eco-city, Spain. Mensinga is also the Director of AardLab.

Gideon Amos: BA Dip.Arch(Oxford) DipUD MA RIBA MRTPI FRSA
Gideon is Chief Executive of the Town and Country Planning Association. A qualified urban designer and a chartered architect, he came to the TCPA in 2000, after four years as Director of Planning Aid for London. At the TCPA he co-authored “A Programme for Sustainable Communities” and edited the report “Connecting England – A Framework for Regional Development”. He is a member of the Planning Sounding Board at the Department for Communities and Local Government and a member of the Government’s 2016 Taskforce to achieve zero carbon homes. He is also a Fellow of the RSA, and in his spare time he a non-executive Board member of Swan Housing Association. In December 2008 Gideon received an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for services to sustainable development.

Introduction:

Michelle Provoost is a partner in Crimson Architectural Historians, Rotterdam. With Crimson she engaged in a large number of research and design projects in the field of urban planning, architecture and art from 1994 on. From 1999-2007 Michelle Provoost has been a staff member and project leader of WiMBY!, an urban regeneration project in the New Town Rotterdam-Hoogvliet. In 2003 she wrote her PhD. publication on the Dutch modernist architect Hugh Maaskant: Hugh Maaskant, Architect of Progress.
Michelle Provoost is the author and co-author of many publications and articles in national and international magazines. From 2008 on she is the director of INTI (International New Town Institute) in Almere, an international knowledge institute on the history and design of new cities worldwide.

Moderator:

Bert van Meggelen: Bert Van Meggelen has been involved in architectural and urban development culture for the past two decades, including a period as Director at the Academy of Architecture R.A.G. (Rotterdam, Arnhem, Groningen). He was also the Director of Rotterdam Cultural Capital 2001. Van Meggelen is currently the Director of MAAT-werk, an office for urban and cultural programs. MAAT-werk develops concepts for new housing and tourism projects, and also supports urban transformation processes with cultural and artistic strategies. Van Meggelen studied Sociology in Rotterdam, and History, specialising in „the Sociology of Housing and Living“ in Utrecht. Between 1980 and 1998 he taught Architecture, and from 1988 to 1998 he served as Vice-Chancellor at the Academy for Architecture in Rotterdam.

For more information or to make reservations, send an email to info@newtowninstitute.org or call us at +31 (0) 36 534 4070.