Taubman College Haar speaks at Moscow Urban Forum
Sharon Haar, professor and Chair of the Architecture program at Taubman College, recently spoke at the 2014 Moscow Urban Forum. Haar spoke as part of a session titled, “The Campus as City: The New Role of Social Infrastructure in the City.”
The session sought to discuss the changing role of social facilities in the city – which is especially noticeable in the case of university campuses. According to the session description, “They [university campuses] are becoming more integrated into the urban environment and, through concentrating innovative and other companies targeting an international audience of students and teachers, are becoming important drivers of development, attracting a new stream of knowledge, people and finance. The rethinking of the relationship between educational institutions and the city is often associated with the need to optimise costs, and upgrade the model of ownership and management of buildings and infrastructure. For example, if a campus has a stadium, the city could consider the possibility of using it for the needs of its citizens, instead of building a new one. Participants in the session discussed leading models for the creation, organization and financing of educational facilities, and their changing role in the city.”
The Moscow Urban Forum took place December 11-14 and has established itself as an important international event for discussions between some of world’s most acknowledged experts in city planning and urban development. Discussed are the opportunities and challenges that are vital for modern megacities and the growth perspectives of global cities not only in the context of economy and efficient management, but through the eyes of an individual citizen as well.
