To be in a dialogue with all citizens will be the future of city planing and is key to livability in the urban challenges.

Readings | The International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam was founded in 2001 in the conviction that archi- tecture and particularly urban planning are a public concern. The focus is on the city, where in the near future almost 80 per cent of the world’s population will produce more than 90 per cent of our wealth. Because that it is important that this is done in a sustainable manner, we actively and concretely work on plans and projects for the city of tomorrow. On the international platform of the biennale, we encourage the exchange of knowledge and expertise among cities, between professionals and public, between the Netherlands and abroad, and across sectors and disciplines. In the IABR Ateliers, we deploy research by design to work with local, regional and national authorities on strategic visions, plans and projects, always insisting on applicable results that make a concrete contribution to a sustainable urban future.

IABR  is now on the seventh edition of inventing our sustainable future.

IABR–2016– THE NEXT ECONOMY. It is an exhibition and a continuous program of activities in and around former warehouse Fenixloods II in the Rotterdam district of Katendrecht. Led by chief curator Maarten Hajer, an international Curator Team will once again focus on the future of the city, investigating the relationship between design and tomorrow’s economy. IABR–2016 presents more than sixty projects on 2,600 m2 of space, partly developed in its own IABR Ateliers, partly gathered together from all over the globe. Together, these show a range of possible futures for amongst others living and working, clean energy, regional development, and health care. Even more than in previous editions, the seventh International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam will integrate both exhibition and program. With WHAT’S NEXT, a varied program comprising lectures, conferences, and debates kicking off in the opening weekend, IABR facilitates the active participation of visitors in the discussion about the future of the city. From 23 April until 10 July 2016, IABR–2016 is a platform for creative coalitions of designers, administrators, businesses, citizens, and other agents of change with fresh ideas and imaginations of the twenty- rst century city. The IABR will share the most important conclusions of eleven weeks of debate with the audience in a closing debate on Sunday 3 July.

More …