Towards the symbiotic city ?
The Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) is an academic partner of the 7th edition of the Ecoparc Forum. Entitled "Towards the symbiotic city ?", this forum will be held on September 5 at the "Aula des Jeunes-Rives" in Neuchâtel. It represents the opportunity to bring together researchers, practitioners and responsible of public communities to question the hidden resources of urban areas.
By questioning the urban sprawl, the scheduled end of fossil fuels and, more broadly, the limited availability of resources consumed by cities encourage the development of strategies to reduce their environmental footprint.
The concept of symbiotic cities enhances hidden resources, understood in a broad sense, creating new synergies across the district, city or urban area. The issues considered in this context do not only concern energy, water and materials, but also initiatives to strengthen social and intergenerational cohesion in the heart of the urban area.
This theme being in the heart of its research activities, the LAST has contributed with great interest to the elaboration of the program of this biennial event, which will bring together speakers known for their oratorical skills and the originality of their work. Thanks to the diversity of the researches and examples being presented, the 2013 Ecoparc Forum constitutes an opportunity to identify essential issues as well as priority strategies striving towards a sustainable future for Swiss and European cities.