The City in Time: Space, Culture and Heritage
Interdisciplinary conference, 2–3 November 2021.
Main content
As our global population becomes increasingly urban, it is critical to understand the role of cities in the development of society. The City in Time brings together historians, archeologists, geographers, urban planners, and policy makers to discuss urbanization across timescales and disciplines over two days: 2–3 November.
In considering urbanization as a process, the spatial concerns of geography overlap with the temporal questions of histories as seen in the many cultural layers exhibited in the built and experienced environments of towns and cities.
The first day of the conference will be concerned with fundamental topics in urban development from a range of disciplines that address both past perspectives and future challenges.
The morning of the second day follows up with a focus on urban heritage, its management and popular engagement. The last session of the conference addresses strategies for sustainable urban living in the future. The conference concludes with a round table discussion in which participants will connect and debate themes from the entire meeting.
The language of the conference is English.
PROGRAMME
TUESDAY 2 NOVEMBER
08:30–09:30 Registration and coffe | |
Session 1: The City: Past, Present and ProspectsHow do we view urbanization as a historical and contemporary process from a range of perspectives? Chair: Aidan Conti, Professor in Medieval Latin, University of Bergen | |
09:30 | Welcome by University Rector Margareth Hagen |
09:45 | The Urban "Now": Generating concepts across time and space in the midst of an urban world, keynote by Jennifer Robinson, Professor of Geography, University College London |
10:30 | Coffee |
11:00 | Origins of towns – historical perspectives by Geir Atle Ersland, Professor of Medieval History, University of Bergen |
11:30 | Prospects – geographical perspectives by Jakob Grandin, Researcher in Human Geography, University of Bergen |
12:00 | Questions and discussion |
12:30 | Lunch |
13:30 | Urban Resilience, Vulnerability and Sustainability – Ancient Perspectives by Simon Malmberg, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Bergen Urban structures, space, and resilience in medieval Europe – archaeological perspectives by Dirk Rieger, Head of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and Preservation of historical Monuments, Hansestadt Lübeck |
14:10 | Coffee |
14:30 | Architectural perspectives – the human and visual experience by Petter Bergerud, Professor of Architecture, University of Bergen |
15:00 | Questions and discussion |
15:45 | Poster session |
18:00 | City walk: A visual experience of conference topics. Our guide will be professor in Medieval History Geir Atle Ersland, University of Bergen |
19:00 | Conference reception at Håkon's Hall – for all participants |
WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER
Session 2: Urban heritageHow do we balance the concerns and aims of heritage management with contemporary and future development? | |
09:00 | CANCELLED: Heritage visions for the cities of tomorrow: Why care? Keynote: Hanna Geiran, Director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage |
09:45 | Possible strategies for urban heritage preservation? by Ingun Bruskeland Amundsen, Architect MNAL PhD |
10:15 | Coffee |
10:45 | Climate change adaptation in medieval towns, and how to find sustainable solutions by Johannes de Beer, Researcher, Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) |
11:15 | Inhabited Historic Cities and the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention by Dennis Rodwell, Architect-planner and International Consultant in Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Urban Development |
11:45 | Questions and discussion |
12:15 | Lunch |
Session 3: Sustainable cityHow can we imagine and develop responsible, resilient, and sustainable futures for evolving urban environments? Chair: Anna Elisa Tryti, Project Director at Vestland County Council | |
13:15 | Populism, instability, and rupture in sustainability transformations by Tarje Wanvik, Research Director NORCE |
13:45 | The politics of today shapes the city of tomorrow by Thor Haakon Bakke, Commissioner for Climate, Environment and City Development, The Municipality of Bergen |
14:15 | Coffee |
14:35 | Panel discussion Our concluding panel discussion will address and revisit key topics from the conference. Anna Elisa Tryti, Project Director at Vestland County Council and Tarje Wanvik, Research Director NORCE, will steer the discussion.
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15:30 | Closing words by Åslaug Ommundsen, Professor of Medieval Latin philology and Academic Director of the Medieval Research Cluster |