Purpose of Congress

Much has happened to post-industrial cities in the last twenty-five years, not only in Pittsburgh, but also in Detroit, the Midlands in England, the Ruhr Valley in Germany, and in other post-industrial regions, with positive transformation in some cases, such as in Pittsburgh, and stagnation and decline in others.

The purpose of the Congress was to take stock of what has worked and what has not worked, to share best practices from both sides of the Atlantic, and to brainstorm new urban revitalization strategies for post-industrial cities for the next twenty-five years.

The five themes of the Congress were: Re-Positioning the Post-Industrial City in the Global Economy; Post-Industrialism and the Physical City; The 21st Century City as an Innovation Hub; Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and the Post-Industrial City; and Planning and Social Innovation for Post-Industrial Cities. Delegates discussed and debated these themes in workshops, concluding with a "sense of the Congress" plenary session on the final day.

A post-Congress book will be published documenting the proceedings and the case studies.