Chicago, IL, Aug. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) today announced the crux of its annual international conference, October 16–21, in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur: “What does it mean to humanize high density?”
According to the United Nations, about 70% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050. This could mean as many as 2.5 billion people shifting their residence from rural areas to cities in the next 25 years, with the greatest increases in urban density occurring in Asia and Africa. This migration will fundamentally alter the balance between nature and cities, vertical and horizontal urbanization and individuals and their communities.
“High-rise buildings play a critical role in managing the effects of rapidly increasing population density in cities around the world,” stated CTBUH CEO Javier Quintana de Una. “But people must be the protagonists in this narrative. We must ask, ‘How can high-density urbanization support equitable and healthy living? How can a new generation of towers help balance professional, civic and social engagement? How can we weave tall buildings, the natural world and the communities that inhabit them in new, meaningful and productive ways?’”
To answer these questions, more than 1,000 of today’s industry-leading experts, representing a wide range of disciplines and specializations, will convene in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to deliver and participate in hundreds of workshops, presentations, panel discussions and off-site tours that aim to determine the future of density (select presenters and topics listed below).
“Determining the right balance of density requires approaches that are responsive to and respectful of a multitude of variables,” continued Quintana de Una. “Together, we will instigate the conversations that define density, distinguish it from overcrowding and debate and weigh these variables—foremost, the human variable—and their role in the complex calculus of achieving equilibrium in urban population density.”
Those other variables include:
Vertical layering
According to Swinal Samant, Visiting Senior Fellow, National University of Singapore, who will present “Humanizing Vertical Cities with Layered Systems,” “We continue to treat the ground level as the primary reference plane. Vertically stratified multi-modal transport systems—including drones, personal mobility devices and automated vehicles—present novel opportunities for the redistribution of commerce and other activities vertically. This allows re-imagination of the ground plane, transformation of urban landscapes and a paradigm shift for cities, turning urban land to pedestrianized pastures for humans and other species, and ultimately creating resilient urban habitats.”
Social spaces
“Social spaces serve as the counterpoint to the planned rigor and mass of dense urban development. They are the energetic centers of our cities, anchoring our communities and accommodating the activities which make us human. These are special spaces which do not conform to the rules—instead they disrupt the ubiquity of urbanity,” explained Travis Soberg, Principal & Director of Sustainable Design, Goettsch Partners, who will present “Social Spaces and the Buildings That Tolerate Them.”
Adaptations in the AEC industry
“In the coming years, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry will need to confront worldwide challenges of overpopulation and shifting demographics,” stated Ilkay C Standard, Founder, GenX Design & Technology, who will present “Future-Proofing AEC: Facing Overpopulation and Demographic Changes.” “Increased construction demand will lead to swift urban expansion, and the AEC industry must prepare for reuse, adoptive use or the recycling of building materials. This can be addressed through robotics, AI, 3D printing and modular and timber construction to address labor shortages and boost efficiency. Collaborating with industries like aerospace, automotive, healthcare and manufacturing, too, can further enhance construction practices, utilize the global workforce more effectively and adapt to evolving professional roles.”
Urban connectivity
According to Astrid Piber, Partner/Senior Architect, UNStudio, who will present “New Optimism in High-Density Urbanization,” “We have seen a shift from perceiving skyscrapers as solitary buildings, or objects, in our cities, to understanding these vertical structures as new neighborhoods in the sky. Designing these vertical ‘cities-within-cities,’ taking into account current societal, socioeconomic and environmental issues, means we have to rethink urban connectivity. And if we can ensure that these urban ecosystems remain future-proofed, isn’t there a new optimism connected to skyscrapers and high-density development?”
Land use
“All signs indicate that cities have been and will continue to be our collective future, so understanding high density as an urban experience is key,” stated Carol Willis, founder and director of the Skyscraper Museum, in New York, and an opening keynote speaker at the event. "Cities are by definition human, and we shouldn't dehumanize them through bad architecture, bad engineering, bad government and bad use of the land. We don't pay nearly enough attention to the importance of land as a resource. ‘Vertical density’ that embraces tall buildings and an expansive public realm as a way to use land wisely and create healthful and equitable urban environments is a humanistic goal that challenges all the professions united by CTBUH.”
To view the full list of speakers, presentations and programming at the CTBUH 2023 International Conference, “Humanizing High Density—People, Nature & the Urban Realm,” please visit: https://ctbuhconference.com/. To request additional details, arrange to attend the conference as a member of the media and/or arrange interviews with experts, please contact CTBUH Marketing and Communications Director Charles Mutscheller: cmutscheller@ctbuh.org.
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to smarter, more sustainable cities and a more viable future for global populations.
Specifically, CTBUH focuses on the critical role of density in addressing climate change. CTBUH is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in Shanghai, China, and Venice, Italy. CTBUH’s worldwide membership network includes companies from fields such as real estate development, architecture, engineering, cost consulting, building management and construction, among others. In addition to hosting leading industry events, CTBUH produces research and reporting on issues of significant consequence to its membership. Its most utilized asset is its building database, a compendium of detailed data, images and technical information on more than 30,000 tall buildings throughout the world. CTBUH is best known to the public as the arbiter of tall building height and the global authority that bestows titles such as “The World’s Tallest Building.” For more information, please visit ctbuh.org.
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