News

PURPLE was invited to speak at this conference organised by the municipality of Milan, which is currently preparing a new city plan. Ariane Decramer of the Liason Agency Flanders-Europe represented PURPLE.
In order to develop a strategy to preserve agriculture and the agrarian landscape as a historical heritage, the municipality of Milan is consulting technicians, politicians, citizens and farmers.  In May 2010, an exhibition on the same theme will take place at Triennale of Milan. 

Summary

Programme

Mrs Lenie Dwarshuis, President of PURPLE, addressed the first Sustainable Food Planning Conference in Almere the 9th of October 2009. The conference explored ways in which food can and should be incorporated in planning practices, policies and research.
It was an initiative of the AESOP (Association of European Schools of Planning), the ISOMUL (International Studygroup On Multiple Use of Land) and the Rural Sociology Group of Wageningen University.

View the President's speech in full.

Link to conference presentations and a report of the discussion.

Heiko Kasseckert, one of PURPLE's Vice Presidents, has been elected Director of the Planungsverband Frankfurt, Frankfurt Region's Planning Authority. Kasseckert is currently Deputy Director and will take over his new function on 26th January, 2010.

The Hohe Strasse, the High Road, was an ancient trade route between Frankfurt and Leipzig. Today, it is a first class cycling route linking town and countryside. As a part of Frankfurt Rhein-Main’s Regional Park it contains places to rest and stay and to enjoy the landscape – often with a hint to local history.

The latest achievement is the Entrance, at the very edge of Frankfurt’s built-up area. There, next to stools and deck chairs, a map carved in COR-TEN steel provides information about the route. A second steel plate shows names of towns and cities along the Via Regia between Kiev and Santiago de Compostela because the Hohe Strasse is a part of that larger European route.

PURPLE colleagues who attended the General Assembly in autumn 2008 will remember the Hohe Strasse from the excursion.

This event is being held in Brussels on 6 October as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities.  Follow this link for more information about the programme and how to register.

All responses and a short summary document are available on the DG Environment website.