The Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development has played a key role in the success of the first international workshop for climate resilient urban regions of the future. Its focus was on the canton and city of Geneva.

Under the patronage of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Geneva Fondation Braillard Architectes (FBA) hosted a two-week international workshop for climate-friendly urbanization in July. This involved the city of Geneva, the canton of Geneva, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Bureau Haus, the Services industriels de Genève (SIG) and the Liechtenstein Institute for Strategic Development (LISD).
One of the objectives of the workshop was to coach Swiss urban planning and architecture specialists so they could become “agents of change” for the greater Geneva area. It was part of a large scale Ecocentury Project run by the FBA and its partner organizations, which includes the LISD. The aim is to decarbonize urban spaces. This involves making metropolitan areas more resilient to climate change and meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement by 2030, if possible.
New and practical solutions for urban areas and regions were developed in Geneva. The participating designers, planners, engineers and social scientists came up with innovative proposals. For example, they developed scenarios for the sustainable renovation and consolidation of Les Marronniers, a quarter in Grand-Saconnex near Geneva Airport. 
According to a press release, the LISD played a key role in the conception, implementation and success of this innovative format for sustainable infrastructures and spatial development. The institute has also been driving forward regional workshops for many years, including on a cross-border basis with the Lake Constance region. Its pioneering work has been both specific and creative. “Cities that are designed, managed and above all lived in differently are the order of the day,” the press release writes.
The workshop was “a test for new and greater educational framework” as envisioned by the FBA and its partners. A new generation of experts from urban architecture and design as well as decision-makers are to lead this change.

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