Every year, for the world town planning day, November 8th, many events are organised.
Since this day was created, it is a special time to gather and think about the future of our towns and territories.
In France , this year, this special meeting will be held in Marseille, from the 8th to the 10th of November 2005.
Citizens are more and more concerned about not only town and country planning but also sustainable development at local, European and worlwide scales.
Europeans town planners, gathered in the European town planners Council (Conseil Européen des Urbanistes – CEU), recently released an important document : the “New Charter of Athens “. This new view of towns and territories future leads us to hope and humanism.

More and more local communities, State départments and firms are sharing these values. Civil society, organisations and inhabitants feel more and more concerned.

But how is it like in the real world? Can we sense the risky thousands actions, which mould it and throw it into confusion?

How can we built accomodation for everyone when land property fetches huge prices?

How to reach a better natural resources management when renewable energies remain so marginal?

How to rethink our mobility, when every day our roads are overcrowded and when we see no deep inverse trend?

we are pulled this way and that by contrary feelings depending on whether interests are public or private.

Reality is so “Our house is burning and we’re looking elsewhere* …”. We haven’t given up of hope but time goes fast and our behaviour does not change quickly. It’s a daily struggle with ourselves, individually and collectively, that we must lead in order to reach big changes.

How to succeed? Which “dreamed cities” can we imagine ? Which fine motives can make human beings surpass their short time economic interests? How can professional people enlight and support needed democracy’s participation process in cities?

“Between abundance and rarity”, numerous are European and worldwide local governments and firms which research, find tracks and take actions.
Thanks to many statements from here and from other parts in the world,we are going to wander what are the new questions of our time. Can we collectively engaged ourselves and what for? To live in society it is also “le fil à trois brins” which means that all together we can make rules, contract and behaviour work together.



* cf. official statement of President Jacques Chirac at Johannesburg World Summit 2002.

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