43rd International
Making Cities Livable Conference on
TRUE URBANISM &
THE EUROPEAN TOWN SQUARE
Celebrating IMCL's 20th Anniversary
June 1985 - June 2005
Organized with
the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture
Venice, ITALY
June 20 - 24, 2005
Highlights:
Special Exhibit:
- Europe's Most Beautiful Town Squares
Photographs & plans of town squares, market places & community gathering places in Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Germany, etc.
Special 2-day Field Trip/Workshop:
(June 24, 25)
Understanding European Squares
- Guided tours, discussions & study of multi-functional democratic town squares (Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta, Padova), ideal neighborhood community squares (Campo S. Maria Formosa, Campo S, Margherita), urban places for social life (Campo S. Luca), inspirational administrative heart of a great republic (Piazza S. Marco).
Confirmed Speakers:
- Dr. Sven von Ungern-Sternberg, Governor, South Baden, GERMANY, on "Role of the Town Square in Creating a Regional Identity"
- Edoardo Salzano, Former Dean, School of Urban Planning, Venice University, ITALY, on "The Piazza & the City"
- Leonel Fadigas, Professor, Urban Planning, Technical University of Lisbon, PORTUGAL, on "Town Square & City Identity in Urban Regeneration"
- John Dixon Hunt, Professor of the History & Theory of Landscape, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, on "Open Space in Venice"
- Rianne von Melik & Irina van Aalst, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, THE NETHERLANDS, on "The Development of Dutch Town Squares"
- Ewa Maciejewska, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, University of Portsmouth, UK, on "Choregraphing Public Space"
- Kingsbury Marzolf, Professor of Architecture, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, on "Towers of Tuscany"
- Julia Theodoraki-Patsi, Architect, National Technical University, Athens, GREECE, on "Traditional" versus "neo-traditional"
- Suzanne Crowhurst Lennard, Director, IMCL, Carmel, CA, USA, on "Genius of the European Square"
- and more...
Venice
"Those venerable forefathers of ours who a thousand years and more ago set their hands to the task of building up this extraordinary structure must have had -- in addition to enormous will power -- a grain of generous madness."Diego Valeri |
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"The new example Venice set in city planning was never taken in, much less imitated by other cities... For Venice pushed even further, right into our own age, the organization by neighborhoods and precincts whose recovery today, as an essential cellular unit of planning, is one of the fundamental steps toward re-establishing the new urban form."Lewis Mumford |
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"Amongst the greatest impacts which St. Mark's Square delivers can be counted the approach. This epitomizes the 'surprise approach, explosion of space' concept used in so many of the Italian squares; it is carried here to the ultimate. Down a narrow, somewhat tortuous sidewalk lined by high shops on either side, one sees a small arched opening beckoning in the distance... one is impelled forward with an irresistible urge... And then, before one, dancing and sparkling in the brilliant sunshine, in a fusion of architecture, space, color and pageantry, lies the greatest square in the world."G. E. Kidder Smith |
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"...the passage from the dark shadow of a seemingly endless side street into the sunshine of a 'campo' where children chase each other around a marble well shaped like the capital of a fallen column. What a delight for these children, this universe of props: stairways, banisters, low walls, and gates. Venice, capital of tag and hide-and-seek."Andre Fraigneau |
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Plenary & Panel Sessions
include:
- Principles of true urbanism
- Traditional town planning, classical architecture & civic values
- The urban square and spirit of democracy
- Learning from Venice
- Innovative designs for new urban neighborhoods
- The idea of the city & the nature of urbanity
- The city as a work of art
- Historical narrative of old cities
- Classical architecture yesterday & today
- Learning from Old Europe
- Ecological & social sustainability
- From agora to marketplace
- Teaching traditional architecture & urbanism
Hotel accommodations
Rooms were reserved at good rates at two of the finest hotels in the world, the Danieli Hotel, a 14th century palazzo overlooking the lagoon next to Piazza San Marco; and at the Lido des Bains, a grand 19th century bathing hotel on the Lido with swimming pool and private beach.
The hotels provide complimentary motor boat service on an hourly basis to and from the Lido.