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The first international OPUS Symposium will be arranged in Stavanger, Norway June 26th – 28th 2008 at the Little Concert Hall, Bjergsted as an official event of the Stavanger2008 year as one of the Cultural Capitals of Europe.
Arranged by the University of Stavanger, and the University of California at Davis in collaboration with Stavanger2008 and the National Association of Norwegian Architects.
OPUS 2008 will bring leading designers and researchers together to explore the value and design of open public urban spaces. This urban design symposium will be held in Stavanger Norway as an official event of Stavanger 2008. The symposium will explore how public spaces transform the cultural life of cities and towns including European Capitals of Culture such as Liverpool, Graz, Stockholm, etc. Historic and contemporary projects will be featured and a design workshop will be held to explore their implications for planning and better connecting public open spaces in Stavanger and Sandnes. The symposium is organized by the Open Public Urban Spaces (OPUS) Project of the University of Stavanger and University of California, Davis.
Emphasis of the symposium will be placed on how public spaces can contribute to a better urban life. The symposium will seek answers to these questions:
· what cultural meaning do open urban spaces represent?
· how do urban spaces function as arenas for cultural activities?
· are urban spaces open enough? can they contribute to a more inclusive urban life? if so; how?
· how are open spaces distributed from the core to the fringe of the urban landscape?
· how are urban spaces used? are they fit for evolving needs and use?
· how can they be more pedestrian oriented / walkable?
· how can they be more stimulating for business and services?
· how can urban spaces enhance and support identity?
· how can urban spaces reflect the expectations of the general public?
