Danube Future Works, NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS on the DANUBE Executive Conference #1

From May 12th to 14th 2024, the first Danube Future Works / New European Bauhaus on the Danube. Executive Conference was held at the Ulm School of Design (HfG Stiftung Hochschule für Gestaltung) in Germany. Co-hosted by the NONA project, funded under the Interreg Danube Region Program as part of the New European Bauhaus and NEBoD (New European Bauhaus on the Danube), the event gathered experts and practitioners to explore innovative solutions for urban and rural transformation across the Danube region. The event brought together a transdisciplinary pool of decision-makers, urbanists, artists and activists, business leaders, finance experts, academics and NGOs from the region. DANUBE FUTURE WORKS had a hybrid conference-workroom format. Major keynotes were alternated with transdisciplinary working sessions and professional inputs from a series of experts.

The Danube Future Conference delivered:

I. CASE STUDIES workroom case studies and panel discussions: localising global solutions to translate theory into practice, the conference featured workroom case studies sessions: Belgrade addressed âManaging Sustainable Emergency”; Gabrovo presented âThe Power of Everyday”; Ravne na Koroškem discussed âAll Hands for Transition”; and Reșița explored âA Practice of Care, Against Post-Industrial Blues.” 

II. KEYNOTES and INPUTS delivered by inspiring people from all over the Danube Region on concrete development perspectives for degraded or underused areas. Speakers represented public authorities, NGOs, businesses and academics. A holistic approach to regional development sessions (inputs) was organised around six critical thematic pillars: innovation, finance, new governance, culture, new planning tools, and inclusion. These themes addressed the core challenges and opportunities facing the region.

III. CULTURAL SIDE EVENTS best practices: visit of Stadtregal Ulm. A highlight was the site visit to Stadtregal Ulm, a former lorry production site transformed into a vibrant urban quarter. Once degraded, Stadtregal is now a thriving space for living, working, and cultural activities, exemplifying successful urban repurposing in line with the New European Bauhaus goals.

To find out more about impressions, opening and final panels, keynotes, and inputs on the topics, click on the link to the results & recordings from Danube Future Works conference #1.

Focus thematic areas were on spatial development and green transition, leveraging existing resources, and green financing models. The incorporation of construction culture-blending architecture, design, and environmental consciousness aligns with the broader New European Bauhaus initiative. Shaping the future through collaboration the Danube Future Works conference was a valuable platform for networking and inspiration, combining expert presentations and case studies. 

It emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to drive regional development and sustainability, setting the stage for future initiatives that foster green investment and transform degraded spaces across the Danube region.