After an intensive efforts all the arrangement for TV production are completed. TV contracts have been undersigned for all partners. The TV companies have appointed TV producers who are directly responsible for the productions. A workshop for TV producers organised in Tallinn between the 31/3 and 2/4 2000 made prof. Lars Rydén and Naseem Jeryis to visit Estonia in January 28-30. Responsible for the Workshop - Mr Uffe Wikström of Abo Akademi, University Turku, in co-operation with Mr Magnus Lehman at the Baltic University Co-ordination Secretariat. 

TRAVELLING SEMINARS

Two SUPERBS seminars are already completed, thanks to the involvement of their organisers they were successful and fulfilled the expectations of the participants. Sometimes weather caused small problems, but everywhere we were kindly welcomed by the model sites’ hosts.

The first seminar "Urban Development and the Role of the Municipality" took place between the 13th - 18th of April, 2000. SWEDEN and FINLAND were hosts for 40 participants from municipalities and universities of seven countries. The seminar was organized as Days of: Uppsala, Hagaby (just outside Uppsala), Hällefors (in central Sweden), and Abo/Turku. These places - selected cases of vibrant cities and neighbourhoods - illustrated practical applications of different sustainability principles. Urban planning experts, scientists and municipality decision-makers discussed, while travelling on bus and boat, the promoted solutions in each of these places, and found inspiration for working towards the idea of the sustainable city. To read about the venue of the conference click here.

II SUPERBS SEMINAR POLAND – GERMANY - LITHUANIA

7th - 13th of September, 2000 Theme: "Building Sustainable Communities"

The second, Polish -German -Lithuanian seminar took place on September 7-13, 2000 in Sopot, Suchy Dwor, Berlin, Hannover and Hamburg. About forty participants had the chance to experience history as well as the newest achievements of civilisation. Program in Poland concentrated on exploring the urban planning principles governing the sustainable public and semi-public spaces. Visits to the thousand year old Gdansk Main City, the hundred year old Sopot’s residential area and newly built Suchy Dwor community were chosen to illustrate the theoretical presentations. To read about the venue of the conference’s Polish part click this Interactive Plan of Sopot.

German part of the seminar was concerned with ecology and put emphasis on implementation of sustainable technical solutions in visited buildings. The Norman Foster’s dome and the Expo2000 exhibition, to mention a few, impressed everybody. The Lithuanian presentations of the Kaunas case were arranged in Sopot, but all participants were invited to visit Kaunas at the conference "City Environment 2000" on September 28-30, 2000, where 50 participants gathered to discuss and listen to lectures about environmental and sustainability issues. Part of the conference was devoted to the Superbs Project, there was a premiere of Superbs’ TV films and concrete decisions connected with pilot version of the Sustainable Community Development and Urban Planning were made.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CITY ENVIROMNENT 2000

28th-30th of September, 2000

On September 28-30, 2000, 50 participants from all over the world gathered to discuss and listen to lectures about environmental and sustainability issues. Part of the conference was devoted to the Superbs Project, there was a premiere of Superbs’ TV films and concrete decisions connected with pilot version of the Sustainable Community Development and Urban Planning were made.

BALTIC MEETING POINT

6-9th of May, 2001

On May 6-9th, 2001, the conference "Baltic Meeting Point 2001" was organised in Uppsala, Sweden under the theme "Sustainable Community Development". A considerable participation of SUPERBS partners was possible not the least due to a special grant from the Swedish Institute. The conference was organised by Uppsala City, in co-operation with the universities in Uppsala, the county council and the county board and several other partners. It included visits to Uppsala city, the Hagaby eco-village, and several of the sites of importance for municipal management, such as Uppsala Energy plant, Biogas production facility, and waste management office.

To find more details visit:     www.balticmeetingpoint.com

III SUPERBS SEMINAR LATVIA - ESTONIA – RUSSIA

6th - 12th of April, 2001

The third Latvian-Estonian-Russian seminar took place on April 6 - 12, 2001. The theme was "The role of the citizens - developing participatory democracy". Some 36 participants gatherd in Riga where the Latvian conditions - legal economic and democratic - for urban planning were discussed at depth. In addition the unique Jugend houses in Riga were visited. Next day Jelgava was visited and the means used in the city to involve the inhabitants in the planning work for the city was presented and discussed. Jelgava with its old heritage in combination with a terrible destruction after two wars and 40 years of Soviet occupation is in search of a new way for the city. The small town of Livani was visited to see the various ways to promote economic development in a situation where the most important resource is the citizens themselves, not the least students who took a large responsibility for their town. Next day in Tartu, Estonia, the situation in two residential areas in need of extensive renovation was studied and the role of the inhabitants and the municipality was debated.

Next day in Novgorod Russia was overwhelming to most of the participants in the seminar. The unique beauty of the city and its old churches, monasteries and Kremlin was also a concern for the city itself which put considerable efforts into use of modern means of urban planning, such as GIS, to develop the city and still conserve its cultural heritage. The extensive travel ended in St Petersburg where an final attraction was a visit to the cities many interesting environments and architecture.
To read about the venue of the conference click here.