Little bit more than a century ago, it was the state and public administration that could control and shape the unprecedented urbanisation dynamics of the industrial revolution. Little less than half a century later it was the political turn in planning and the market that undermined this dominant role of the state. In the context of the present informational revolution however, universities tend to play a central role in the knowledge economy and the development of cities and regions.

The Hungarian Society of Urban Planning (MUT) teamed up with the University of Pécs to co-organise The Annual Conference of Urban Planners (OUK) to investigate this topic. We would like to invite you to help to trace the changing role of universities in urban development from a series of interdisciplinary perspectives. We aspire to develop a multi dimensional picture about this evolving relationship to have a better understanding about the potentials and challenges.

Keynote speakers

To be confirmed later

Section discussions and presentations

1. The Informational turn | Chances for an informational turn in the Hungarian economy
2. New economic player | Universities as economic actors in knowledge economy
3. Innovation ecosystems | The social context of innovation
4. Human Security | Urbanisation and human security in the developing countrie
5. The Informational city | The informational turn in urbanism
6. “Univercities” | Collective urban development scenarios
7. Products and services | The informational products and services universities can contribute to urban development
8. The architectural toolkit | Knowledge management and Architecture