AUTHORS RECEIVE GERD ALBERS AWARD 2018

5 October 2018

The authors attended the annual ISOCARP Congress in Bodø, Norway from 1-5 October 2018, themed 'Cool Planning: Changing Climate and our Urban Future'. They hosted a special underground session in a former civil defence shelter and former nightclub discussing the repurposing of existing underground spaces. They also presented a paper on 'The contribution of urban underground space to climate-proof and resilient cities'. 

On the final evening, during the awards ceremony, they received the prestigious 'Gerd Albers Award 2018 for Best Book’. 

The jury's report underlined the importance and relevance of the book for urban planning and all those interested in the cities of the future.

"Based on the authors’ rich experience in developing the potential of the underground, the book represents a major breakthrough in the ‘groundscapes’ research. It exceeds the popular narrative on the underground space: the outcomes are based on a comprehensive overview of both the constraints and possibilities for the underground space use as well as in-depth case studies. The ideas, approaches and instruments illustrating how to deal efficiently with the ‘groundscapes’ and how to increase their potential are precious: not only transport hubs, but also subterranean parks, pedestrian zones, commercial, entertainment and cultural facilities, are some of many examples that clearly revolve around the urban challenges of city expansion, extreme energy consumption, the lack of green areas, and threat for public health. Hence, the book offers invaluable advice to a broad audience beyond planning circles interested in creating the cities of the future."

Read more about the ISOCARP Gerd Albers Award.