reSITE 2016 - program and public events

Prague will host one of the most significant architectural and urban planning events in Europe on June 16 and 17, 2016, where experts from around the world will come to bring successful solutions on how cities in Europe and the West can smoothly adapt to the influx of new residents. Carl Weisbrod, the chief planner of NYC, urban sociologist Saskia Sassen, professor at Columbia University, and leading critic from the New York Times Michael Kimmelman will come from New York.

From Germany, the most represented country, Martin Rein-Cano will deliver one of the keynote speeches and the chief planner of Munich and the founders of the Refugees Welcome initiative will also speak at the conference. reSITE will organize the largest urban planning game to date, “Play the City,” which, under the leadership of the concept's author, urban planner Ekim Tan from Amsterdam, will engage around 800 conference attendees. Affordable housing, design for sustainable and resilient cities, and migration as a development potential will be among the key topics. There will be evening salons, workshops, bike rides, and a party celebrating 5 years of reSITE, all free of charge for the general public.



New York and Germany, leaders in migration experience
“Diversity is what makes New York New York, and I miss it a bit in Prague. A recent study showed that residents of culturally diverse cities have higher incomes and living standards. Cities with higher diversity are more pleasant, fairer, and more sustainable. And much more attractive,” says Martin Barry, director of reSITE and landscape architect from New York. This year, Germany will be one of the most represented countries. We have invited top architect Martin Rein-Cano, who captivated the world with his concept of the multicultural urban park Superkilen in Copenhagen. We have invited representatives of cities – for example, one of the chief planners of the city of Munich Martin Klamt, and social innovators – the co-founders of the initiative Flüchtlinge Willkommen Jonas Kakoschke and Mareike Geiling. “The German experience with migration is layered, not only because Germany is a dream destination for many refugees, and that on a mass scale, but also due to the experience of the reunification of the country and the flow of people between economically unequal parts of unified Germany,” explains reSITE's program director Osamu Okamura.

Affordable housing as the main task for the coming years
Carl Weisbrod, New York's housing policy expert and city planning commissioner with over thirty years of experience, has worked with both Mayor Bloomberg and the current mayor De Blasio. He has been involved in major changes that have made New York safer, greener, better connected, and has social housing as one of his priorities. New York architect Mimi Hoang, a Harvard and MIT graduate and visiting lecturer at Columbia University, specializes in micro-units for young families. Ursula Struppe, head of the integration and diversity department of the city of Vienna, will come from Vienna. Mascha Onderwater from the Amsterdam studio B+B Bureau, which was behind the winning project transforming Vienna's main thoroughfare Mariahilfer Strasse into a pedestrian promenade, will also attend. A completely unique experience comes from Swedish architect Krister Lindstedt, who is managing the relocation of the entire city of Kiruna, which had to give way to mining of raw materials.

Innovatively about urban innovations
The 5th annual conference will bring a novelty within its two-day format. About 800 participants will experience an innovative game technique of participatory planning “Play the City”. On a large scale, residents and urban planners in Amsterdam, Brussels, Istanbul, and Cape Town have already adopted this method. This experience will elevate all participants' thoughts about the city, their work, ideas, and projects. And about how to implement them. Organizers have listened to the wishes of those who wanted more opportunities to connect with speakers and fellow participants. The game will be led by the concept's author, urban planner Ekim Tan, active in Amsterdam and Istanbul.

World-class leaders of their generation will meet in Prague
Migration can be photographed at borders. It can be solved in cities. By choosing this year's theme, reSITE aims to shift attention from borders to cities. Focusing on borders only amplifies fear and hatred. Long-term solutions can be found in cities, which have been natural centers of human migration for millennia. However, this is not just about the refugee phenomenon. More and more young people from generation Y want to live in cities, which is why politicians should find big themes in sustainable urban development solutions that can ensure them political support.

At the conference, 49 experts from 20 countries will speak, with a list published on the website.
We expect about 800 delegates from Europe and overseas, representatives of cities, investors, developers, creative industries, and civic initiatives. Among the visitors will be about 150 of the most significant real estate investors and developers alongside mayors and representatives of the civic sector. What to expect from a world-class conference? An influx of inspiration, proven solutions, new contacts from the Czech Republic and abroad, and finally a platform for collaboration and understanding among related fields.
Photo Gallery http://resite.cz/en/media/#gallery

Among the speakers will be represented:
17 architects, e.g., Martin Rein-Cano, Topotek 1 (Berlin), Mimi Hoang, nArchitects (NYC), Michal Sulo and Miriam Lišková, SLLA Architects (Bratislava), Mascha Onderwater, B+B Bureau (Amsterdam)
7 urban planners, e.g., Carl Weisbrod (NYC), Martin Klamt (Munich), Krister Lindstedt, White Architects (Stockholm / Kiruna)
13 representatives of municipalities, e.g., Ursula Struppe (Vienna), Anu Riila (Helsinki), Petra Kolínská (Prague), Petr Hlaváček, IPR (Prague)
17 lecturers at leading universities, e.g., Saskia Sassen (NYC), Kuba Snopek (Moscow), Lukas Feireiss, Studio Lukas Feireiss (Berlin)
6 social activists, e.g., Jonas Kakoschke and Mareike Geiling, Flüchtlinge Willkommen (Berlin), Marta Siciarek, Center for Support of Foreigners (Gdańsk)
3 leading critics and journalists, e.g., Michael Kimmelman, New York Times (NYC), Henry Foy, Financial Times (Warsaw), Berrin Chatzi Chousein, World Architecture Community (Istanbul)
8 curators, e.g., Philip Horst and Matthias Einhoff, ZKU – Center for Art and Urbanism (Berlin), Valentina Zotova, CANactions (Kyiv), Samu Szemerey, Design Terminal (Budapest), Egbert Fransen and Charlot Schans, New Europe - Cities in Migration, Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam)
3 developers, e.g., Petr Palička, Penta Investments (Prague), Omar Koleilat, Crestyl (Prague)
7 innovators in design and social projects, e.g., Marcus Westbury, Renew Newcastle (Australia), Riccardo Conti and Joana Dabaj, Catalytic Action (London), Ekim Tan, Play the City (Amsterdam).
Most of them hold multiple roles and work interdisciplinarily.

Free services for visitors
Tickets can be purchased at the standard price until June 12, after which they will increase. The capacity of student tickets, which have long been sold out, has been increased by an additional 20 places. A free children's corner and nursery will be available for visitors with children. A playful environment with experienced staff directly under the roof of Forum Karlín will welcome even the smallest children from 6 months. Registered participants also have the opportunity to travel to Prague for free on trains and buses operated by Leo Express from Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, or other Czech cities. The conference program will take place both days from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Morning coffee will be served, and registration will open at 8:00 AM.

#reSITE2016 will offer a rich program for the public
This year, reSITE will again feature a free public program – salons, workshops, bike rides, and a party. Besides the two-day conference at Forum Karlín, many experts will be available to meet and discuss at publicly accessible events held on Thursday, June 16, and Friday, June 17, throughout Prague. reSITE will culminate in a Friday party at the pop-up bar and dance hall Stalin under the metronome in Letná, managed by Containall, with DJs from Endless Illusion, and supporters of reSITE will be able to leave with a tattoo of a bird, the symbol of the 5th reSITE on migration.

On Thursday, June 16, and Friday, June 17, two salon discussions with architects will take place each evening at the Maharal club of the Emblem Hotel starting at 7 PM. The first discussion on the topic of migrating knowledge and the intersection of culture and architecture will be moderated by Philip Horst, who will invite Mimi Hoang, SLLA Architects, or Martin Klamt. At the same hour on Thursday, there will also be an evening workshop on integration led by Jakob Hurrle from the Multicultural Center. On Friday evening at 6 PM, you can embark on a ten-kilometer bike ride organized by IPR Prague in collaboration with Rekola. Petr Kučera will guide cyclists through the current construction development in the area of the Holesovice meander, Karlín, Libeň, and Rohanského nabreží. The ride will also pass through the new Troja Bridge. On Friday at 7 PM at the Maharal club, there will be a salon discussion about the advantages of a diverse society, led by Mónica Márquez Bobadilla along with Marcus Westbury and Marta Siciarek. On Friday, June 17, at 9 PM, reSITE invites all supporters to a party at the pop-up bar and dance hall Stalin in Letná Park. Managed by Containall, DJs from the Endless Illusion label will perform here as we celebrate 5 years of activities for a better city to live in!

reSITE is a non-profit platform that supports the understanding and interaction of urbanism, policy, culture, and economics in a world of ever-growing cities. It presents the insights and projects of internationally recognized experts to a wide professional and lay audience. For the fifth consecutive year, reSITE invites world leaders in urban planning, architecture, and urban development, as well as political leaders from inspiring cities, to Prague. reSITE is not a closed conference; it brings numerous accompanying events, discussions, film screenings, exhibitions, or bike rides aimed at the general public. reSITE was founded in 2012 by landscape architect Martin Barry from New York. Osamu Okamura is the program director of reSITE.

The reSITE conference has so far been attended by over 2,300 guests, and more than 250 personalities of global significance have visited Prague, including engineer and philosopher Cecil Balmond, former mayor of Reykjavik Jon Gnarr, former mayor of Bogota Enrique Peñalosa, head of transport planning for New York City Janette Sadik-Khan, head of urban planning for New York City and landscape architect Alexandros Washburn, and architect James Corner, both associated with the New York High Line project, Craig Dykers from the Norwegian firm Snohetta, urban planner and architecture critic Michael Sorkin, urban planner Reinier de Graaf from the leading studio OMA, Michael Kimmelman, architecture and urbanism critic from The New York Times, professor and urban economist Edward Glaeser from Harvard University, architect and urban planner Adriaan Geuze from the firm West 8, or Greg Lindsay from the World Economic Forum. All of them make reSITE one of the most innovative, engaged, and extensive festivals on designing cities, urban development, public space, and architecture in Europe.

WHAT: reSITE 2016 Cities and Migration
WHEN: June 16-17, 2016
WHERE: Forum Karlín, Pernerova 53, Prague 8, Czech Republic,
REGISTRATION: More information and registration here.