[posted on 30 June 2005]
A significant event on urban landscapes
The Third Meeting of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention was held in the City Hall of Cork (Ireland) on 16 to 18 June 2005. Its initial theme was ‘Landscapes for Urban, Suburban and Peri-urban Areas’. It was recognised, however, early during the debates that this distinction among the three is now almost impossible, as nuclear cities tend to evolve into urban networks, with varying densities. These networks in turn –in spite of regulatory and planning measures– continue to spread in the countryside, consuming rural and natural areas.
According to the organisers, the purpose of the meeting was:
- to underline the importance of landscape policy in towns, focusing on suburban and peri-urban areas;
- to exchange experiences, examining good and bad practices in the protection, management and planning of the European landscape, focusing on suburban and peri-urban landscapes.
In
addition, the meeting allowed the presentation of diverse views on the
trends and perspectives of urban areas at the turn of the third millennium,
in spite of the limited time allocated to debates. Where general consensus
seemed to exist was on the serious impact of urbanisation on the countryside
and its landscapes, and on the biodiversity of Europe, leading to deep
concern. On the other hand, some of the participants argued in favour of
choices of suburban and peri-urban life.
The diversity of views presented and argued vehemently may be due to the broad spectrum of organisations and sectors from which the approximately 150 participants were drawn, including government, local and regional authorities, public and private organisations and NGOs, professional organisations and academic circles, and intergovernmental institutions, all active in the fields of landscape and sustainable spatial development. It was this diversity that may have been the key challenge of the meeting.
The workshops covered specific themes, such as landscape and urban policies, landscape and social concerns, the Irish experience, landscape and urban programmes and projects, as well as case studies in peri-urban areas.
At the start of the meeting, Thymio Papayannis presented a keynote paper on the New Charter of Athens - 2003, which incorporates the vision of the European Council of Town Planners for cities in the 21st century. This vision concerns the notion of connectivity and relatedness on all levels, including the social, economic, cultural, environmental and spatial ones, leading to cities that ‘...will connect the past with the future through a vibrant present’.
It should be noted, that, within the framework of the Council of Europe, the European Landscape Convention came into effect in March 2004 and has been ratified up to now by 18 countries.
