Denksalon 2022: Transformation through migration in small towns and peripheralized regions

Turning away from fossil fuels, dealing with the demographic change, and maintaining the quality of life – smaller cities in peripheralized regions are facing enormous challenges in particular. At the same time, they have only limited capacities, both financially and in terms of personnel, to meet these challenges. In addition, a profound change in lifestyles and economies is required. It offers smaller cities the opportunity to establish as sustainable, competitive and attractive locations. Immigration can play an important role. It helps to stabilize the demographic situation and new citizens may also contribute new ideas and technical and social innovations to the urban society, thus helping to overcome the challenges ahead. 

Together with local partners, the IZS is investigating this possibility in the current project “Testing the City of the Future – A living and working experiment for a climate neutral city of Görlitz”. First experiences from the project will be discussed at the Denksalon 2022. In addition, the intensive discussions will focus on several questions: What are the requirements for migration from a spatial planning, regional economic and municipal perspective? What are the opportunities and risks of migration, including international migration? What experiences exist in different contexts and what can be derived for urban research and urban development policy?

The Denksalon is addressing interested parties from academia and practice. Short impulse lectures on various aspects form the starting point for the interdisciplinary dialogue in round table discussions and a plenary discussion. 

Background
The Denksalon Ecological and Revitalising Urban Renewal is an event series organised by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Transformative Urban Regeneration (IZS) in Görlitz, a joint institution of the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden and the International Institute (IHI) Zittau of the Technische Universität Dresden. On the basis of different annual topics, the Denksalon discusses the opportunities and possibilities of transformative urban regeneration from the perspective of different disciplines.

Note on Corona regulations
The Denksalon 2022 is currently being planned as a face-to-face event at the Tivoli Görlitz. The organising team is constantly reviewing the situation in the course of the Corona pandemic and will inform participants of changes in the planning and implementation of the event.
Further information on the event 

Contact at the IOER/IZS 
Prof. Dr Robert Knippschild, Dr Stefanie Rößler, Constanze Zöllter 
e-mail: Denksalonioer@ioer.de
phone: +49 (0) 3581 79 24 79-0