16 Oct Chief city planner of Oslo, Norway — Europe’s 2019 Green Capital Winner — to present public lecture on urban sustainability as part of Norway conference at UND
Norwegian Researchers and Teachers Association of North America convening annual gathering at UND for first time since 2003
IF YOU GO:
What: Lecture by Ellen de Vibe, former chief city planner of Oslo, Norway, on urban sustainability strategies that led to Oslo being named 2019 “European Green Capital.”
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019
Where: Gransberg Community Room in the Gorecki Alumni Center on the UND campus
Admission: Free and open to the public
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The University of North Dakota will play host to a public lecture by the former Chief City Planner of Oslo, Norway, at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Gorecki Alumni Center on campus.
Ellen de Vibe, who only recently retired as the city planner of Norway’s capital city, is slated to present on the city planning and policies that led to Oslo’s prestigious recognition as the 2019 European Green Capital. Her work at the Agency for Planning and Building Services in Oslo heavily influenced the cityscape of Norway’s largest city and cultural hub, and helped it win distinction as Europe’s most environmentally conscious capital.
De Vibe’s visit to UND is part of a multi-day annual seminar (Oct. 17-19) of the Norwegian Researchers and Teachers Association of North America (NORTANA), which is convening this year at UND. Her lecture will take place in the Gransberg Community Room of the Gorecki Alumni Center. It is free and open to the public.
De Vibe will be joined at UND by fellow Norwegian, Ingar Brattbakk, a city researcher for the Oslo Metropolitan University Work Research Institute. As a societal geographer, Brattbakk uses Oslo as the focus of his research on socioeconomic and ethnic segregation, deprived neighborhoods, and community development work.
Democratic spaces
De Vibe and Brattbakk’s presence at UND for NORTANA’s annual seminar, or “Norgesseminaret,” is fitting, as this year’s event is all about Oslo and the city’s attempts to embrace diversity and inclusivity in the public square.
The theme of the NORTANA conference, which traditionally is conducted entirely in Norwegian, is “Oslo: Democratic Public Space.” Local conference hosts Melissa Gjellstad and Steve Finney, faculty in UND’s Department of Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures, have put together an event in which participants will explore the “Fjord City” concept and the divisions within Oslo neighborhoods and public spaces, which influence the way Norwegians perceive Oslo and its multicultural neighborhoods. They’ll also study how Oslo city planners have worked conceptually to redesign and intentionally integrate the urban public spaces within the city.
Conference organizers are expecting about 30 participants to take part in this year’s NORTANA event at UND. UND last hosted the event in 2003.
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David L. Dodds
Director of Communications
UND Today
Division of Marketing & Communications
University of North Dakota
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