Report | Video impression by Mitja Thomas | Pictures slideshow | Contribution by Felix Madrazo | Expert workshop

With:

• Jacques Costongs, Vice-Mayor of Maastricht
• Somik Lall, Senior Urban Economist at the World Bank
• Felix Madrazo, Founder of Supersudaca, network of Latin-American architects and urban planners
• Graeme Evans, Professor Culture and Urban Development, Maastricht University
• Wim van den Bergh, Architect and professor at RWTH Aachen

How do we design and manage attractive urban settings which stimulate an active and engaged citizenship?

There are many ways to conceive an urban region that is able to counter trends of ageing and depopulation, that is seen as a hub of cultural innovation and that cherishes diversity and economic prosperity. This involves conscious as well as unconscious choices about the way emerging infrastructures are to be used, and by whom.

What would a city, neighbourhood, region look like if it relied on the active participation of its citizens rather than on urban planners’ assumptions?

Can experiences from other places in the world inspire us? How do participatory initiatives work in practise and how successful are they? In other words: who owns the city?