Following the success of the first edition of the Shaping the City in Venice in 2018, the second edition is scheduled to take place on the 15th and 16th of October 2021 in the iconic Palazzo Michiel in Venice, Italy. Shaping the City tackles contemporary urbanization and key issues in the city, presented and debated through the perspectives of a group of academics, urban planners and designers, architects, policy makers, and scholars.
Through diverse presentations and panel discussions, the forum confronts the fundamental topics shaping the cities in the world. The conversations are structured in a way to portray an array of international perspectives about urbanism and architecture. The dialogues and exchanges are tailored around four main sub-themes:

• Architecture for the People
• Building through Technology
• Climate Change and Resilient Cities
• Re-imagining the City

The evolving discussions over two days recognize the significant role urban planning and design plays in molding the interaction of people with their cities and their well-being. The forum sets forward new thoughts around the rights to the city, through a spatial, pragmatic, yet inclusive and sustainable approach. Shaping the City 2021 looks to tackle these themes in dialogue to Venice: where the historic city with its lagoon presents an emblematic lieu to experience the rising global issues of climate change, resiliency, urban space and people’s movements.

Session 1: Architecture for the People

This theme of Shaping the City is explored through the social lens of architects and urban planners within our contemporary world. It focuses on social issues in the city, urban inequity, emerging issues of the displacement of communities, new architectural values and spatial identity. It explores how regeneration projects, social housing, and urban policies are reactivating the neglected parts of the urban fabric of the city and promoting dynamic and social transformations. Throughout this theme, alternative approaches to housing that stress on urgent issues such as population displacement due to geopolitical issues, the global refugee crisis, citizenship, as well as due to global warming, and environmental issues are studied. It addresses how architecture and urban design influences the well being of people and their livelihood. The Covid-19 pandemic left its mark on our cities and communities. Shaping the Post-COVID City is also explored within this theme, where architecture and urban planning is seen as a catalyst for an inclusive city and to improve urban health.

Session 2: Building through Technology

The built environment and its construction material have proven to be one of the most significant contributors to global warming and CO2 emissions. Having a healthy planet, building sustainable houses, achieving equity and environmental justice are the pillars that architects and designers are working to achieve. This third theme of Shaping the City explores the possibilities of new sustainable and vernacular materials as a construction solution. It demonstrates the latest trends and improvements in architecture technology and innovative materials. Best practices and examples from different settings are explored where the aim is to use eco-friendly construction materials and alternatives to help combat climate change. Employing architecture technologies, as virtual reality, automation and 3D printing in designing our built environment, is another focus discussed in this theme. The new advancements and developments will highlight the conscious choices about materials and techniques that reduce the impact on our environment. Finally, many lessons learnt from these projects will be presented as well as how these projects are shaping new architecture and the future city.

Session 3: Climate Change and Resilient Cities

The momentum around creating thriving, healthy, vibrant, environmentally friendly and resilient cities is mounting. Architects and urban planners play a crucial role in replying to the most threatening crisis our world is facing: climate change. This theme explores how to engage with the surrounding urban systems and discusses concepts related to urban resilience and climate change adaptation in designing and building cities. Cities are the engines of change, and present the opportunity to shape the future of millions of inhabitants. Planning for a resilient future entails tackling current challenges and proposing solutions in an integrative, inclusive, and risk-aware manner. Leveraging spatial planning and design are key elements explored by the group of researchers, architects, urban planners and environmental activities through diverse projects that confront the topic of “Climate Change and Resilient Cities” and its impact in our daily lives.