An Invitation from our planning friends in Amsterdam

Dear UPPSA,

I'm a member of the Amsterdam Student Association of Planning (ASAP) and your organization helped us to orginize activities on our studie trip to Chicago in the summer of 2009. We are currently organising an international symposium with Susans Fainstein as keynote speaker and her 'Just City' concept as the main theme. The symposium provides an interactive program through workshops. The cases of the workshop are the Zuidas (South axis business district), the reprofiling of the red light district and the Overhoeks redevelopment project. I believe this symposium offers an unique opportunity for students interested in urban planning and form to apply the learned theory in practice. And the symposium is attracting students from all over the world, so we are confident on a fruitful transfer of knowledge.
With this e-mail I would like to invite you to our symposium and ask you to help us promote our symposium by forwarding the information below. Furthermore, I hope our associations will continue to cooperate when the occasion occurs.

Many thanks,

Jasper van Dongen


Amsterdam: Just City?

The Amsterdam Student Association of Planning organizes a symposium about the Just City concept from Susan Fainstein. This professor from the Harvard University is our keynote-speaker. She observes a slow decay of Amsterdam as a 'just city'. Can Amsterdam remain a Just City while globalization forces cities to adopt neo-liberal policies? What are the conclusions for other European cities? The symposium takes four days in February and students can join workshops, lectures and explore the city of Amsterdam. The workshop cases are the Zuidas (South Axis business district), the Overhoeks redevelopment project and the reprofiling of the red light district. This event will take place on February 14-17. Visit the Website and check out the Brochure for more information. Email to info@asapnetwork.nl to register or help us advertise!

Website: www.asapnetwork.nl
Brochure: http://www.asapnetwork.nl/pdf/brochure_participants.pdf



A brief preview of the program:


Monday: You may check in at the hostel from 15:00. This is followed by a canal cruise through Amsterdam to introduce the participants to the city and each other. After dinner it is time for the opening of the symposium, with the first key-note speaker Eric Corijn, who is going to outline the conditions of the network society that effect today’s urban planning practices. After a brief discussion on the subject this day's program ends with the opportunity of informal drinks.

Tuesday: The morning will start with a lecture at the university that outlines the Dutch planning tradition and the context of Amsterdam. After the lunch you will be introduced to your workshop assignment with a site visit and by attending a presentation on the project. After dinner it is time for the main lecture of Fainstein on the Just City concept and her view on Amsterdam. Justus Uitermark, criticizer of Fainstein's theories, will react on her speech. Afterwards there is an opportunity, like the evening before, to socialize.

Wednesday: The Wednesday starts of with an optional visit to a museum. After noon you will start working out the assignment with your workgroup. For this, there will be a teacher of the university present to assist with any questions about the material and assignment. In the evening the Physical Planning Department of Amsterdam (Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening, or DRO) will provide a lecture on the Structural Vision: Amsterdam 2040. This plan is a statutory planning instrument. It is a long-term strategy and implementation package in which choices are made regarding the functions of living, working, recreation, accessibility, social amenities and sustainability.

Thursday: On this final day of the symposium the workgroups write a small essay on their assignment and prepare a short presentation. The assignment will be about analyzing the case of your workshop within the Amsterdams structural vision by using the Just City concept as an analytical framework. The groups give a short presentation on their findings at the end of the afternoon. There will be a prize contest for the best proposal and all reviews will be bundled into one 'treaty for Amsterdam'. The symposium will be closed on a happy note with a closing dinner and party.