Ecocity World Summit 2023 London, Barbican Centre Architecture Event, Sustainable City Design

Ecocity World Summit 2023 London News

22 June 2022

Location: Barbican Centre, City of London, England, UK

Ecocity World Summit announces 2023 theme ‘Connecting Communities’ and launches call for submissions

Lakeside Terrace restaurants, Barbican Centre:

photo © Max Colson

Ecocity World Summit 2023 in London

Ecocity World Summit has announced that the theme for the 2023 edition is Connecting Communities. The theme will investigate the critical role of collaboration in creating sustainable cities of the future.

Taking place on 6-8 June 2023 at the Barbican Centre, the hybrid London Summit aims to support collaboration across sectors, disciplines, localities, cultures, and economies, in tackling global social, economic and environmental issues.

The Summit’s programme will be centred around four key topic areas: biodiversity, how can we restore and sustain ecological integrity through species and ecosystem diversity, locally and globally?; new lifestyles, how can culture, new technology, urban design and governance enable sustainable behaviours and a healthy and equitable future?; regenerative design, how can we design, build and operate our buildings and urban places to have a net-positive impact on our environment?; healthy ecosystems, how can we responsibly manage our natural and material resources to sustain healthy and restorative systems?

Ecocity will be launching a call for ideas, research, and projects, with a portal opening for submissions in September 2022. The aim is to identify concepts and applied thinking that support the theme of Connecting Communities by specifically showcasing examples of innovative collaborative design approaches, co-curation practices, and participatory citymaking for sustainable transformations.

Proposals can come from any type of organisation. Submissions will be reviewed by an Academic Committee, and selected for presentations, posters and papers that will form part of the Summit proceedings. Further details of submission criteria and the process will be released in July, sign up for updates via the website ecocity-summit.com.

Brixton Boundaries Workshop organised by Squire and Partners for the London Festival of Architecture 2019:

photo courtesy of NLA

Ecocity 2023’s mission is to gather and grow a network of urban stakeholders supporting sustainable futures; disseminate learnings and intelligence between cities and citymakers; provide a forum to challenge existing urban systems, policies, and priorities; inspire collaborations that support participants to act on key targets; and ultimately to leave a legacy in London through partner pilots and a learning programme.

The Summit will bring together a network of academics, innovators, professionals, activists, and political leaders from across the world. The London Festival of Architecture 2023 alongside a learning programme will provide a platform to engage the public in key themes tackled at the Summit.

London Ecocity World Summit is led by New London Architecture (NLA) in partnership with London & Partners, the Barbican Centre, professional conference organisers MCI and Ecocity Builders.

Amy Chadwick-Till, Summit Director, Ecocity World Summit 2023, said: “We hope to uncover pioneering concepts and case studies for collaborative approaches to city making – success stories to learn from and inspire others.”

Kirstin Miller, Executive Director, Ecocity Builders: “The most successful cities and neighbourhoods of the future are going to be those who figure out how to effectively collaborate and execute their plans. London is, excitingly, embracing complexity and creativity at the core of change. This edition of the Summit is going to be dynamic, and we can’t wait to get it started!’

Christina Olsen, Acting Director – British Columbia Institute of Technology, Centre for Ecocities, said: “Academics, youth activists, policy makers, urban planners, ecologists, concerned citizens, and more. Such diversity helps compost old ideas into fertile new directions of thinking, taking action, and working together. That’s what the theme of connecting communities is all about.”

New London Architecture

New London Architecture (NLA) is an independent, purpose-led membership organisation for everyone with an interest in London’s built environment. Its purpose is to improve the quality of people’s lives by making London a better place to live, work and visit. Its vision is to become the world’s leading centre of excellence for the built environment. NLA’s activities are broad-ranging and include research, publications, events, exhibitions, tours, learning programmes, websites and social media platforms, awards and competitions, the world’s largest architecture festival and public galleries that feature large interactive scale models of London.

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Twitter: @nlalondon
Instagram: @nlalondon
Facebook: @NewLondonArchitecture

Ecocity World Summit

Ecocity Builders oversees Ecocity World Summit, the long-running conference series on sustainable cities and urban ecology. We develop and implement policy, design and educational tools and strategies to build thriving urban centres based on “access by proximity” while seeking to reverse patterns of sprawl and excessive consumption.

We are concerned with city design, planning, building, and operations in an integral way and in relation to the surrounding environment and natural resources of the region. We believe the form of the city matters, that it is within our ability, and indeed crucial, to reshape and restructure cities to address global environmental challenges.
http://ecocity-summit.com

About the Barbican

A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme further underpins everything it does. Over a million people attend events annually, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite.

The architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, the Barbican Theatre, The Pit, Cinemas 1, 2 and 3, Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, public spaces, a library, the Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre.

The Barbican is home to Resident Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra; Associate Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra; Associate Ensembles the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia, Associate Producer Serious, and Artistic Partner Create. Our Artistic Associates include Boy Blue, Cheek by Jowl, Deborah Warner, Drum Works and Michael Clark. The Los Angeles Philharmonicare the Barbican’s International Orchestral Partner, the Australian Chamber Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are International Associate Ensemble.

The Barbican’s Communities & Neighbourhoods team work with local communities to create inclusive and sustainable community run festivals, projects and networks. Inspired by the bold ideas and creativity of communities, it believes in working with neighbours across east London, and learning together to develop inclusive and sustainable projects and networks.

Ecocity World Summit 2023 Connecting Communities images / information from the New London Architecture (NLA)

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