Five workshop themes addressing transitions in urban morphologies worldwide provided a platform for addressing the challenge of how processes of urban formation can be managed in order to attain long-term sustainable conditions.

Urbanism is understood in an expanded framework to include the design of policies and terms of governance for the making of the physical environment. Particularly at issue are operative strategies that can be deployed within the constraints determined by currently available resources. What feasible means, techniques, and methods can be brought into play in an innovative manner to increase the performance of the city?

Click on the links below to view a description of the theme and the presenters who made a contribution to the working group at the Holcim Forum 2007:

• Normative urbanism - between convention and differentiation
• Informal urbanism - between sanctioned and shadow orders
• Green urbanism - between ecology and economy
• Touristic urbanism - between local and global
• Temporary urbanism - between the permanent and transitory