Many of the bloggers at Global Site Plans continue to learn about urban planning and urban design long after they finish formal schooling. One of the most interesting ways to go beyond standard classroom education is by attending any of the multitudes of conferences that are presented by colleges, research facilities, and companies each year. These are a few of the most compelling urban planning conferences occurring between January and June 2012.

• Retrofitting For Energy Efficiency: January 31 – February 2, 2012
  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

This conference focuses on retrofitting of existing structures and infrastructures. Rather than present a shiny new vision of the future, the Brisbane conference is primarily concerned with practical steps to lowering the ecological footprint for urban areas. Leading engineers and architects will weigh in on new technologies and potential strategies for a more eco-conscious world.

• Green Development: Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure: February 2-3, 2012
  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This conference discusses the growing population and its effects on infrastructure. As communities accommodate more people, they also need to adjust to create greener, sustainable living patterns for residents. This event discusses the current condition of green urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture and its potential for the future.

• Architecture for Leisure in Post-war Europe: February 17-18, 2012
  Leuven, Belgium

Europe, after World War Two, has been a rapidly changing landscape. With many cities bombed into ruin, modern cities, and newly developed urban planning methodologies, converted both eastern and western Europe over the decades. This conference features a wide range of speakers and subjects contrasting reconstruction of the capitalist west with the socialist east. It seems a little bit of everything is covered including tourism, travel, sports, and public spaces.

• Intervention Reaching Out to the Bottom Billion: March 3-5, 2012
  Penang, Penang, Malaysia

For all the benefits of globalization, the bottom billion have been left behind. This conference discusses sustainable architecture and urban planning for improving the places where the world’s lowest monetary earners live and work.

• Urban Design Theory & Practice in Iran Since the 1950′s: May 16-18, 2012
  Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran

Iran has gone through momentous political and social change since the 1950′s and this conference especially interests me because it discusses not just urban planning practices in the middle east but how urban planning practices have shifted as Iran changed regimes.

While attendance at these conferences may be out of geographic reach for some, attending events like these spark debate and inspire innovation. Have you checked to see what educational events are occurring near you?

Jordan Meerdink

Jordan Meerdink, a former GSP blogger, is a graduate of the The Ohio State University. He holds a B.S. in Architecture with a minor in studio art. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jordan inherited an early interest in mechanics and construction from his grandfather, a developer who was one of the early practitioners of prefabricated housing, and his father who is a retired store owner and highly capable D.I.Yer. Currently living in New York City, he continues to produce art and furniture with a focus on smart, ecologically responsible design. Jordan has a special concern for design that serves people outside the traditional clientele of architects, with an interest in architecture that deviates from the beaten path, ranging from Baroque churches to dismantled bomb shelters.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 7:33 am and is filed under Architecture, Education and Careers, Engineering, Environment, Environmental Design, History/Preservation, Land Use, Landscape Architecture, Social/Demographics, Urban Planning and Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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