Even in our so-called “Urban Age,” almost half of the world’s population resides in rural areas. However, the countryside has not yet received adequate attention as a provider of food, water, energy, and biodiversity. In order to address climate change and safeguard critical resources, it is essential to tackle the interrelationships between city and countryside with a territorial and integrated planning approach, involving multiple actors in shaping a common future. The Sino-German research project Urban-Rural Assembly, led by Habitat Unit (TU Berlin) has addressed these issues in living labs in China and Germany, and developed strategies and tools for future change.

The international conference will explore new approaches for understanding and managing urban-rural interdependencies in the context of planetary urbanization, including keynotes by Paola Viganò (EPFL), Nikos Katsikis (TU Delft), and Jian Liu (Tsinghua University Beijing), key findings from the URA project, and contributions from international experts on on territorial planning approaches, best practices from various regions, and policy approaches for just and sustainable urban-rural development.

Day 1: October 1, 6 - 8.45 p.m.
Keynote speeches, URA project presentation and panel discussion
Registration

Day 2: October 2, 9.30 a.m. -5.45 p.m.
Round table discussions on interconnecting people, ecosystems, and resources, concluding panel to discuss future directions for urban-rural integration
Registration

Detailed Program