Life in Europe’s urban sprawl

Despite its history of compact towns and cities, Europe has increasingly become a continent of sprawling urbanized landscapes. Approximately one third of the European population calls these places home. Since, in general, they are complex patchworks of a variety of uses, the neat division of city, suburb, and countryside is no longer meaningful.

Urban sprawl is usually not so dense and may be lacking the tight-knit fabric and communities that we are trained to recognize in European cities. Although suburbs have always traditionally been understood as peri-urban spaces directly linked to an urban center, the current expansion spreads further in the territory and is therefore rarely understood as truly urban. Nevertheless, even if urban sprawl does not look like a city, it is still urban in character and has forms, patterns, and its own logic. What is the urban reality of today's Europe? What remains of compact cities and what new scenarios are being opened up by the growing prevalence of urban sprawl?

In the framework of the Suburbia exhibition, this international seminar consists of three panels and will conclude in an open debate in which the architect and urbanist Nathalie de Vries will speak with the architecture historian and critic Hans Ibelings.

 

09.30 - 11.15 | Theory

The session will offer theoretical and historical perspectives on urban sprawl in Europe. 

Participants: Hans Ibelings/ Francesc Muñoz, Chair: Lluís Ortega

 

11.30 - 13.15 | Design

The session will explore issues related with the design of the urban sprawl. 

Participants: Nathalie de Vries/ Joan Roig/ Mette Skjold, Chair: Hans Ibelings

 

15.00 - 16.30 | Policy

The session will deal with planning policies of urban sprawl and their impact on the economic sphere.

Participants: Sofie de Caigny / Ljubo Georgiev / Pere Sala i Martí, Chair: Hans Ibelings

 

This seminar has been curated by the architecture critic and historian Hans Ibelings.