#urbanlandscapes2026
Urban landscapes 2026 – SPECIAL GUEST
For several years now, Urban has been organising a series of monthly conferences where both the public and the private sector discuss architecture, urban renewal and cultural heritage.
These conferences, dubbed “Urban Lunch”, are an opportunity to meet up, discuss and learn more about architectural themes.
As part of Urban’s 2026 theme of urban landscapes, Urban and A+ Architecture in Belgium* are teaming up for an Urban Lunch dedicated to Paola Viganò.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Date: 23.06.2026
- Location: Auditorium KBR, Boulevard de l’Empereur 2, 1000 Brussels
- Reception and (free) lunch: 11.30 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.
- Conference: 12.15 – 2.00 p.m.
PROGRAMME
Introductions:
- Audrey Henry, State Secretary for Land Use Planning, Urban Planning, Public Cleanliness and Energy.
- Sarah Lagrillière, Deputy Director General of Urban
Conference:
- “Rethinking space planning”, by Paola Viganò, architect and urban planner (FR)
Paola Viganò was born in Italy in 1961, and is one of the leading figures in European urban planning today. She is an architect and urban planner, as well as a professor at EPFL in Lausanne and at IUAV in Venice. In cooperation with urban planner Bernardo Secchi, she has developed influential concepts such as the “porous city” and the “horizontal metropolis”, which are renewing the reflection on contemporary territories. Her work explores the links between urban planning, ecology, landscape and spatial justice. She has participated in many urban projects in Europe, notably in Antwerp and in the Grand Paris region (Atlas de Paysages – Landscape Atlas). In 2013, she won the Grand Prix de l’Urbanisme in France. In 2025, she was also awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” during the Brussels Architecture Prize ceremony, organised by Urban and A+ Architecture in Belgium.
“Rethinking space planning” is Paola Viganò’s reflection on how urban planning and architecture today must go beyond the modern models that are based on a strict separation of functions and territory control. She advocates a more open, ecological and relational approach to space, with attention for landscapes, uses and environmental fragilities.
*Urban is the Brussels Capital Region’s administration that is responsible for urban planning, cultural heritage and urban renewal. It implements public policies aimed at supporting urban, heritage and landscape transformations in Brussels.
A+ Architecture in Belgium is Belgium’s leading magazine devoted to contemporary architecture and the culture of the built environment. Since 1973, it has been documenting and criticising architectural developments in Belgium through publications, exhibitions, debates and editorial platforms.
