More green innovation and business development for social sustainability between city and countryside

Researchers and practitioners are welcome to Urban Research to discuss and formulate research questions in the urban-rural context with focus on food production in relation to urban development. Would you be interested to join and contribute to developing this platform for transdisciplinary research within Mistra Urban Futures? 

Do the limits between city and country contribute to social polarisation? What is the situation like in Gothenburg, and in particular the north-eastern suburbs, where the urban and rural landscapes meet? An increase in green innovation and business development with social sustainability in this peripheral border zone could help stem the economic, social and cultural segregation. This would in turn have a positive impact on environmental sustainability, CO2 reduction, energy and resource consumption.

Researchers, municipal officials, politicians and city inhabitants are not in touch with each other on the future of urban-rural Gothenburg. This leads to the emergence of mental and cultural wall between the city and the countryside (suburban - rural). The issues are complex and require research approaches in several dimensions.

A creative encounter between natural and social sciences could, for example, result in local projects where work on CO2 reduction by local food production and distribution close to the city centre also have positive economic and social effects. Conversely, it is worthwhile to monitor how better social cohesion, cultural competence and a developed sustainable local economy can contribute to CO2 reduction.

Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Time: 13:00 to 16:30
Venue: Entrance Mistra Urban Futures, Läraregatan 3, Vasa A

For those who want to continue the discussion, do so at an After Work at Club Avancez, Gibraltargatan 1a, Chalmers Villan. Please note that while entrance is free drinks are not complimentary.

>> Register here for Urban Research at the latest the 8th of March!
 

Katrin Bohn

Key note speaker is Katrin Bohn, University of Brighton. Katrin Bohn lectures in architecture. Her interests and practice lie in sustainable architecture and urban design. She runs a London-based architectural practice and environmental research consultancy with Andre Viljoen, centered around the concept of Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL) through which the gap is bridged between sustainable thinking and lifestyles and current urban design debates.

Programme

13:00 - 13:10 Introduction, Ylva Norén Bretzer, University of Gothenburg and co-ordinator at Mistra Urban Futures 
13:10 - 13:20 Urban rural Gothenburg - a short background. Peter Rundkvist, Development manager, Gothenburg Development North East, Business Region Göteborg AB
13:20 - 14:20 "Designing the food-productive City", Katrin Bohn, University of Brighton
14:20 - 14:50 Coffee
14:50 - 15:10 Peter Rundkvist and Dan Melander Gothenburg Development Northeast / Business Region Göteborg AB provides background and comments from the work on sustainable urban development in north-east Gothenburg.
15:10 - 16:30 Open discussion led by Ylva Norén Bretzer
16.30 - After work mingle at Club Avancez