City and Regional Planners met together in October 2024 in Siena, Italy, to “Reinventing the (In)Visible Cities: From Heritage to Innovation, Forging Pathways to Resilience”. Prepared by ISOCARP with 50 volunteers, the Congress attracts 500+ participants coming from 70+ countries to discuss on 430 papers, participate to 10 Urban conversations, 8 Special sessions, 9 high-level Keynotes in plenary sessions, attend to 6 awards, and mobilize 18 young planners and 13 high-level professionals on placemaking charette for the City of Siena.
Siena is the city of “Invisible Cities” (Italo Calvino), the symbol of the strong relationships between the city and the hinterland (fresco of the “Good government”), where culture and planning are rooted in the communities (il Palio festival), the first city to adopt pedestrian street. The Congress was rooted in the city with different site locations for sessions among the famous Teatro dei Rinonovati, the Santa Maria de la Scala museum, the University, with site visits with local partners, gala dinner in a historical site and in a neighborhood center, and project productions for the city of Siena.
Thanks to UN-Habitat (Ana Claudia Rosenbach and Michal Mlynár) and UNESCO (Jyoti Hosagahar) the Congress was positioned with key international agencies for planners. The large experience in the preservation of historical centers is source of innovation that inspires urban regeneration based on circular economy, a critical contemporary challenge that drives the new planning paradigm moving from the old fashion “city of speed” to the contemporary “city of proximity” (Carlos Moreno’s 15 minutes city). The new approach in heritage conservation (Jad Tabet) refers to the Historic Urban Landscape Recommendation of UNESCO (2011), a holistic approach based on the city and regional planners’ approach. Several initiatives from UNESCO World Heritage Center (Jyoti Hosagrahar) provide a global framework to share experience and give easy access to innovative experiences on historical centers. Inclusiveness is central in city and regional planning and critical for resilience (Orna Rosenfeld) to face contemporary challenges. Revitalization of cities and towns is critical to reduce the Carbon print of cities. And like a story can change a city, film making is a way to change city planning (Chris Elisara). Starchitects (Massimiliano Fuksas) can play a guiding role to make cities more resilient.
Three Special Sessions were initiated by the host city, on how to regenerate and find contemporary uses for some of the city’s most valuable historic buildings; how best to integrate universities in the urban fabric; and how to re-design climate neutral smart cities.
The Chinese Urban Planning Society presented impressive regeneration projects and realizations of China’s most significant heritage sites: the forbidden city of Beijing; the grand canal national park with its 13 port cities; the Ming dynasty tombs area; the innovative reuse of a national park; and a more theoretical approach to the co-occurrence if virtuality and reality by using digital technology for urban conservation and regeneration. This session was transmitted to China with simultaneous transcripts in English and Chinese, arguably the most impressive application of AI at the congress. Indonesia presented updates from its move from planning to controlling the built environment, including the new capital. UN-Habitat focused on landscape architecture to create climate resilient cities, and UNESCO addressed the new collaborative instruments provides to share innovation on World Heritage historical centers. The Qatar delegation managed to garner ISOCARP members from all over the world to reflect on collaborative capacity building for planning.
The awards were more diversified than ever in World planning congresses: projects, books, articles, sketches, short cuts and short texts. They reflect the creativity of planners in different fields.
The 16 Young Planning Professionals supported by 4 senior planners appeal for fostering empathy towards residents and expert colleagues, enabling a sensible development of multidisciplinary strategies that consider community, its history, and its identity, without neglecting the challenges of the present, even using unconventional approaches and research techniques. They invite to unveil the hidden city, to unlock the diverse layers of urban heritage, looking at it as a living organism—where various social groups coexist and thrive. Urban planners serve as vital mediators, harmonizing competing interests and making the most of precious, limited land.
The “mini Urban Planning Advisory Teams” was an experiment: how to provide useful insight to the Municipality of Siena for the redevelopment of a site. By connecting the Heart of the City (around il Duomo) the team fix the mission, identified the stakeholders, discussed the challenges and the potentials, brainstormed, mobilize benchmarks, fixed solutions and the way forward.
The scientific program of the Congress was multidimensional and immersive, structured around five tracks: 1) Cultural Heritage for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Futures; 2) Innovation, creativity, legacy: Cities of/for Tomorrow; 3) Urban Memories and Inclusive Regeneration; 4) Sustainable Urban Density; 5) Circular Urbanity. Focusing on both the historical and the emerging cities around the world, their different levels and scales, the complexity of our times and the fragile condition of our cities were explored across 23 sub-themes, merging theoretical and practical knowledge.
Introducing new modes of comprehension and action thought open discussions and a dynamic exchange of information and experiences, several issues were highlighted as a necessity:
- holistic, future oriented approach in planning and resource management due to the anticipated dynamism, flexibility and adaptability of urban environment;
- application of multifaceted methodologies based on the emerging trends/innovative approaches;
- civic engagement and inclusive decision-making;
- the synchronization of the material and the digital realm;
- the synergy of long-term perspectives and short-term plans;
- sustainable and productive balance of international collaboration/initiatives and bottom-up initiatives;
- re-utilization of resources and the importance of closed-loop systems
- upgrading and intensification of circularity.
The contributions generated the preferred signposts for the planning professionals, highlighting the importance of education, multidisciplinary, awareness, innovativeness and promotion, as well as co-creation/co-production/co-benefits and cross-sectoral collaboration. Several factors influence the contemporary urban reality, exposed to climate extremes, hyper-urbanization, technological acceleration and growing instability. A variety of emerging topics was tackled by participants, targeting a synergy between cities, urban society and development trajectories, while searching for the innovative responses, methods and tools which could facilitate the inevitable urban transition to globally preferred development paradigms and desired futures – based on sustainable transition, resilience, and benevolent socio-technical and ecological transformations.
The Urban Conversations focused on technical planning tools: the use of generative Artificial Intelligence in planning; Action positive energy districts; Integrated urban investment; nature-based solutions; How to plan for blind and partially sighted city users; Co-creation techniques to stimulate active travel; The use of storytelling in participatory planning; as well as Participatory games. They also explored policies for sustainable regeneration of cultural as well as physical heritage and measures to preserve social values. The sessions held in a round without technical props were the most conducive to inclusive participation of all those present, harnessing the collective knowledge of both the practicing planners and academics. The experience of face-to-face dialogue for sharing wealth of practical and tacit knowledge was successful as these informal exchanges dealt with a very wide variety of topics currently preoccupying planners when coping with today’s fast moving, increasingly interdependent and uncertain world.
The multivariate programme of the ISOCARP Diamond anniversary congress reflected the essence of ‘The City’: complex beyond grasp, ambiguously formless, in constant flux. This 60th World Planning Congress offered participants from diverse cultures and backgrounds the unique opportunity to use spaces of heritage buildings in the UNESCO-listed historic centre of Siena in Italy for informal Urban Conversations to share their professional experiences and develop ideas together towards a more sustainable urban future.
ISOCARP, October 2024
