Heritage Corner

International Symposium on Water and Culture, Monday, February 3rd, 2020, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan, (Organized by High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP), National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan (MLIT), UN Center for Regional Development (UNCRD/UNDESA), and ICOMOS Netherlands) Water nurtures a unique and diverse culture of a society that becomes a solid foundation of sustainable development of regions. Innovative paths for regional development can be found by looking at people’s lives and livelihood through a water lens. Leading experts on water and culture will present cases of rich water culture and their impact on regional society and economy. Good practices and lessons on water-related regional development will be shared from both historical and modern cases. The panelists discussed how the issue of water and culture can ...

Last night I took a part in an online discussion for television and live stream programs with the representatives of the Municipality of Amsterdam and the Housing Corporation Rochdale about living in Amsterdam Southeast. It was organized by the New Metropolis Zuidoost, a branch of Pakhuis de Zwijger, a think tank for urban and sustainability issues.  I had to be bold in five minutes that I had during the broadcasting. So what I said is that Amsterdam Southeast was built based on the ideals of Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect, that everyone no matter from which background has the right to light, air, and space. He dreamed of urban development that separated work, living, recreation, and various modes of mobility. This ideal was applied in Amsterdam Zuidoost in the 1960s to be the largest experiment ever in the world in terms of scale and innovations. The experiment was lead by Cornelis van Eesteren, the pioneer of modern architecture in the Netherlands. The reality showed that some...