What does it mean to design with courage in a time of accelerating change?
Climate pressures are intensifying, social and ecological resources are stretched, and urban infrastructures are pushed beyond what they were ever designed to handle. Cities, the most complex human systems, must respond.
Urban Courage brings together designers, urban practitioners, researchers, and students to discuss where change is needed – and how design can help make it happen. What can courageous design make possible?
The conference marks 20 years of the Master’s Programme in Sustainable Urban Design (SUDes) at Lund University, at a time when Lund University has been ranked #1 in the world for sustainability. Together, these milestones offer an opportunity to reflect on two decades of work in sustainable urban design and to consider what comes next.
Join us in Lund on 22 September to celebrate 20 years of SUDes and explore the possibilities of courageous urban design.
This open event will take place in School of Architecture at Lund University, A-building, Exhibition Hall, Klas Anshelms väg 16, Lund and will be streamed live on Youtube.
Go to the Live-stream on Youtube here:
Program:
Welcome
09:15-09:30 Welcome by Per-Johan Dahl and Jesper Magnusson
Keynotes
09:30-10:00 Keynote Speaker Tess Broekmans, TU Delft
Urban Fieldwork: Designing every day urbanism
10:00-10:30 Keynote Speaker Jeanette Westergaard Frisk, arki_lab
The power of listening, when designing with people and building communities
10:30-10:45 COFFEE BREAK
Keynotes
10:45-11:15 Keynote Speaker Finn Williams, City of Malmö
Public Purpose: The case for Malmö and municipalities to lead by example
11:15-12:00 Panel Discussion moderated by Marcin Wojciech Żebrowski
12:00-13:00 LUNCH
Announcements
13:00-13:15 20-Years of SUDes by Andreas Olsson
Panel Discussions
13:15-13:55 SUDes Alumni Panel Discussion: FROM AMBITION TO ACTION: What does it take to make sustainable urban design happen?
with Ashwin Karjatkat (City Planning Office, Gothenburg), Delia Moldoveanu (&Rundquist), Fiona De Heer (The Hague Municipality), Jonna Ekholm (Gehl) moderated by Rozálie Kašparová (STUDIO BISTRO)
13:55-14:05 Competition Winner Annoncement by Teresa Arana and My Harrfors
14:10-14:50 SUDes Alumni Panel Discussion: URBAN DESIGN FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE: What will the next generation of urban designers need to take on?
with Masoumeh Mirsafa (SUDes, Lund University), Marcin Wojciech Żebrowski (Urbcast/Urban Partners), Hugo Settergren (IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute) and Teresa Arana (SUDes, Lund University) moderated by Rozálie Kašparová (STUDIO BISTRO)
Conclusion
14:50-15:00 Concluding Remarks and Way Forward by Ida Sandström
Exhibition
15:00- Coffee, Exhibition & Informal Networking
Keynote Speakers:
Tess Broekmans
Prof. Tess Broekmans is an urban designer, Professor of Urban Design at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft, and a partner at Urhahn Urban Design. She specializes in urban transformation, working on projects ranging from post war neighborhoods to city centers, and from site-specific concepts to urban regions. Her design work and research are driven by a fascination with the role of time and the interplay between design and daily life: looking back in order to look forward, and seeking ways to enable the city to evolve alongside changing needs. It is about balancing structure with flexibility and making room for the unexpected. Urban design is never truly finished; it is an ongoing quest, as the world around us is constantly changing.
Jeanette Westergaard Frisk
Jeanette Westergaard Frisk is an architect, urban designer, and co-founder of the Copenhagen-based studio arki_lab. With extensive experience in sustainable urban design and democratic planning processes, she has spent over a decade translating complex spatial challenges into inclusive, human-centered environments.
Courageously stepping away from the traditional model that places the architect at the center of design, Jeanette co-founded arki_lab to redefine the role of the architect, shifting from "the master" to "facilitator" inviting people into the proces of urban development. At arki_lab, she champions the philosophy that true urban resilience requires participatory processes, designing with communities rather than just for them. She has pioneered actionable tools and methodologies that empower citizens, students, and local stakeholders to take an active role in shaping their shared urban invironment and landscapes.
Finn Williams
Finn Williams has been the City Architect of Malmö since 2021. He previously worked to promote public architecture and planning in the UK through roles at Croydon Council and the Greater London Authority, and as the co-founder and chief executive of Public Practice. Finn is a Mayor’s Design Advocate for the Mayor of London, an Independent Expert for the EU Mies van der Rohe Awards and has been a Visiting Professor of Practice at the Institute of Innovation & Public Purpose at University College London.
We thank our Sponsors & Collaborators:
Råängen
City of Malmö
Lund Municipality
