XXIV International Seminar on Urban Form (Valencia): City and territory in the globalization age

Mañana dará comienzo en la ETS de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia el XXIV International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF), bajo el lema “City and territory in the globalization”, al que acudirá una amplia representación del IUU compuesta por Juan Luis de las Rivas (miembro del comité científico del congreso y ponente en una sesión plenaria), Enrique Rodrigo, Miguel Fernández y Marina Jiménez.

Toda la información sobre este congreso esta disponible en su página web, donde podéis descargar el programa detallado. Os adjuntamos finalmente a continuación la presentación:

The XXIV ISUF Conference in Valencia will examine urban morphology by exploring two dialectical relationships.

The first concerns global versus local issues. The significance of this relationship is embedded in the structure of many of the papers presented. Most of them seek to clarify, in some way, concepts, methods, sources or techniques, or combinations of these. They have commonalities with, and take a global approach to, the different disciplines concerned with urban morphology. However, for the most part they demonstrate applications to local environments.

The second concerns the dialectical relationship between research and practice. Two aspects are particularly evident in these papers. There is the description of urban forms, especially with regard to general principles relating to their arrangement and development. Then there is the recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of these physical outcomes, leading to recognition of social and environmental flaws, and consideration of the bases and means of rectifying these in practice.

In this light, we enter this Conference mindful of four principles pertaining to the future of ISUF as a forum for urban research and practice.

1. That various types of urban planning and design can be improved by deepening understanding of morphological configurations of urban space by applying global knowledge.

2. That the reading of the morphological configuration of urban space acquires especial value when its effectiveness is demonstrated locally.

3. That to achieve high quality living environments we must study social behaviour, adjust urban programmes and improve the design of public spaces.

4. That achieving sustainable balanced urban environments requires the regulation of space, respecting antecedent forms in scale, proportions and materials.