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Fifth Vienna Architecture Congress When a city’s rhythm slows down and the pulsating life of a city dies, then politicians employ a new medical stimulant. It sets the flow of vital energy in motion and alters it by captivating the citizens’ attention, redirecting it to the heart of a city: this is reference to the new bait for old and desolate city centers, by-passes, magnets or implants. They do not happen haphazardly, in fact they are planned and carried out deliberately with regard to the new urbanization of Europe, or in other words, they are assigned various guiding models: Well-known and famous architecture is courageously intervening in old city structures, breaking with tradition and provoking with spectacular projects. Actual architectonic intervention is regaining significance. Imageforming projects and reurbanisation projects together serve as the figureheads of a new optimism. Individual parts of the "damaged" quarters are being reanimated and the city extended inward by way of capillary densification: by filling the gaps, rebuilding, adding on a storey or more, enlarging, and overbuilding, units are created that transform tension into energy. Largescale industrial fallow land, most frequently, in central locations is being newly defined. The de-industrialization of the post-industrial era calls for radical new economic and cultural orientation. If our cities do not wish to sink, they must define themselves as products. They must become more attractive in order to create a positive investment climate and new incentives. Aside from geographical location qualities such as accessibility, climate, and leisure activities, the accumulation of institutions, especially of administration, education, research, the arts, culture, and sports plays a major role. Now is the time for city quality in terms of city growth and city rebuilding. But also city quality in terms of frequency and intensity of human relationships, as a multitude of ways of living and the overlapping and superposition of varying uses. Differences must again be superimposed upon each other rather than segmented. Architecture that animates activates social willingness, produces closeness and promotes wanting to join in. In this case animation stands for the replenishment of an emotional deficit. Areas that animate create pleasure and stimulate. City areas that are motivating create identity which is of value to society as a whole. Identity as an indication against the estrangement, rootlessness, and disorientation of its citizens. An essential prerequisite therefore is unmistakability. The hearts of the city are being revitalized despite the aspirations of theoreticians to the telepolis, despite the advocates of the region and the planners of yet newer and larger settlements, shopping centers, and commercial parks in the periphery and the countryside surrounding the city. Had the pendulum of area planning swung in the direction of the periphery in the past, the public now remembers the origin of the impulse, its center. The dense, compact city, that economizes its space and resources and bundles its flow of traffic and humanity, is increasingly proving to be the urban ideal of the future. The concept of "city rebuilding" aims at densification, integration, superimposition, and complexity, at the high-risk maximum of simultaneity of events, opinions, goods, and social conditions, which is simply sensual intensity and urbanity. The old cities are the "hearts of Europe". There is no general reconstruction underway as during the Gründerzeit of the 19th century. The current strategy is selective. New structures and implants are being inserted into the very centre of these old hearts. Their beat is new and accelerates the rhythm of the old, weary heart. The Fifth Vienna Architecture Congress does not only intend to uncover the strategy behind the creation of a new city structure, but also wishes to increase the awareness for and to reflect upon the socio-political changes taking place in Europe by initiating an interdisciplinary debate. On the one hand, this strategy serves as an essential medium for a new political construction of meaning, on the other hand, it finally makes a clean sweep of outdated ideas and concepts and creates new identities and models. Experts, scientists, architects, and city planners shall investigate and analyze the new "hearts of Europe". |
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Press page Current events Past events Dates: Fifth Vienna Architecture Congress Information: Ines Purtauf Tel.: +43 (1) 522 31 15 - 25 Fax: +43 (1) 522 31 17 Email: purtauf@azw.at |
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