Urban Regeneration Forum

The transformation and urban regeneration of Bilbao have positioned the city as an international benchmark, with numerous awards and recognitions. This had led to a steady stream of visitors who wish to discover for themselves how these solutions have been managed in the case of Bilbao and the impact that this impetus has had for the whole of Bizkaia.

  •  The architecture is the outcome of the urban renewal being managed correctly. BIA Urban Regeneration Forum will be a benchmark to showcase the economic fabric that has made those solutions possible.
  • Bilbao‘s urban solutions are driving the transformation of the city and impacting the whole of Bizkaia.
  • The Bilbao brand also immediately brings the word “architecture” to visitors’ minds. In the same way as with metallurgy or shipbuilding in the past, “Bilbao“, and therefore Bizkaia, is associated with “architecture“.
  • In time of crisis such as the current one, opportunities can however be seen for urban transformation and radical interventions, as a different approach to the regeneration already carried out. The following “update” for the regeneration should be offered through the knowledge industry.

What is the BIA Urban Regeneration Forum?

It is a scenario for international debate where the pivotal issues are cutting-edge architecture and urban planning. Using the city of Bilbao as the backdrop for that architecture and urban renewal, it seeks to be an event spotlighting the urban regeneration of the consolidated city. The BIA Urban Regeneration Forum seeks to be a meeting point to consider proposals aimed at generating creative connections fostering flexibility. A dialogue between all the stakeholders involved in the urban context to share the regeneration keys for the good use of resources, innovation in the programming, design, construction, management and maintenance of the city, in order to reach a sustainable balance.

The BIA Urban Regeneration Forum is committed to gathering conclusions on exportable experiences, sharing knowledge and to progress with inspiring solutions for the challenges of designing cities. With a clear vocation for continuity, it proposes a programme of activities that contemplate:

Online BIA meetings

BIA is going to use an online format for the fifth edition of the event, a format that was introduced for the previous one and which was successful in terms of participation and attendance. They are meetings with talks by a range of experts with different approaches to the general theme. They provide the context for the subsequent discussion on the panels that end each day. They are sessions focused on the professional and academic worlds, but are also for the general public, in order to take the debate to SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

The event’s highlights will include a keynote speech by a leading figure, in person, to open the MEETINGS and they will close with a session featuring the 2022 BIA Award.

BIA Award:
“Bilbao Bizkaia Architecture” Award

This prize, which could not be awarded in the last edition (BIA2020) due to the external circumstances, will again be awarded this year. It seeks to recognise those key figures who have contributed to the development of Bizkaia’s society through architecture and urban regeneration.

Past prize-winners have included the architects Norman Foster (BIA2014), César Pelli (BIA2016) and Rafael Moneo (BIA2018) in tribute to their special contribution to the urban regeneration of Bilbao. This year’s prize-winner will be asked to give a talk prior to the prize-giving at the closing ceremony of the V BIA.

Citizen activities

As part of the initiatives included in the forum, BIA likewise fosters citizen participation through exhibitions and different activities for the general public in order to showcase the urban heritage of the territory. The aim is to reach out to the different enclaves of Bizkaia, as well as to the residents of Bilbao, with a special emphasis on children’s activities.

Contact with society is fundamental to convey the social importance of architecture and urban development as drivers to formalise a quality built environment.

Photographs 1 and 2 made by: Edurne Oyanguren Zorita y Oneka Tirado Salinas

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