Background

The Eurasian corridor, which expands over vast continental areas from the Far Eastern Asia to Europe, has been known as connecting line of various civilizations between the East and the West, evoking a romantic idea about the history accumulated in these areas. The growth management issues have become crucial since 1980’s as the rapid economic growth in several regions in Eastern and Southern Asia as well as Middle East has resulted in the appearance of mega-cities with the population of more than 10 million. Tokyo, Shanghai, Manila, Mumbai, Tehran and Istanbul are suffering from the super-concentration of immigrating population. The conventional methodology of urban planning is not any more useful for dealing with the urban management problems.

Parallel to the growth side, another type of urban problem has come to appearance: shrinking cities. In the northern part of the globe, countries such as Russia, Japan and Korea are facing a serious problem of declining population derived from the ageing society and the internal displacement of population. Even other nations in the south are said to face this problem sooner or later. The dual phenomenon of the Growing and the Shrinking is a fundamental problematic which threatens the Eurasian corridor.

Besides, since 1990’s, a series of geo-political upheavals occurring in these areas have resulted in drastic changes of inter-regional relation beyond border, accompanied by intensification of communication and implementation of regional and urban development. This rapid transformation, however, has threatened unique historical and ecological environment maintained in these areas. Experts and professionals have alerted from time to time the negative aspects of such environmental changes pushed by the tide of globalization.

Conferences since 2003

The Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) has launched a series of programs of international cooperation in this field since 1999. The Workshop for Networking and Conservation of Historical Cities in Eastern and Central Asia, which stared in 2003 as one of such programs, aimed at the partnership among the interested institutions within the designated area. The First Workshop took place in Kunming (China) in early 2004, then annual workshops followed every year in different places such as Samarqand (Uzbekistan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Ufa (Bashkortostan Republic, Russia), Tokyo (Japan) and Hoian (Vietnam). The purpose of these workshops is to strengthen the partnership among concerned institutions and local governments so as to establish an international platform within these countries. Strategic approach toward the conservation of environment in Eastern and Central Asia has been elaborated through seven years’ experiences. Since 2009, this workshop has been strengthened with the participation of some European countries so as to scope on broader perspective on actual urban problems. With the new name of the International Policy Forum on Urban Growth and Conservation, the partner institutions have pursued an innovative methodology to connect the urban issues over Asia and Europe. Istanbul (2010), Hamadan-Tehran (2015) and Samara-Moscow (2017) have hosted this policy forum successively.

Under this circumstance, the 10th Policy Forum is now being prepared in Iran with its Iranian counterpart based in Tabriz. One of the major concerns of Tabriz Conference is the growth management and environmental/heritage conservation within the areas where the comparison between rapidly-growing core cities and poorly-shrinking local towns is distinct. The shift of urban population toward more economically-promising mega-cities characterizes its disparity. The rapidness of the urban transformation as well as the uneven distribution of wealth within the country does not allow to react with appropriate intervention. New strategy for the correction of such situation is widely needed. Inter-regional cooperation between matured part and rising part of the world is urgently necessary. Exchange of knowhow and scientific view by way of inter-regional communication would certainly lead to more effective approach for the solutions. International collaboration on the basis of local identity is crucial for establishing consolidated environmental/heritage policy.

Objectives

The objectives of Tabriz (Iran) Conference could be summarized in a following way.

1. The basic idea of the conference is to share the notion of “routes”, including that of the Silk Road as well as the Pan-Turkish, Russian-speaking and Chinese cultural zones and to fix the idea of “corridor” which cuts through these zones. Diversity within the vast cultural areas enables the intensification of mutual network and partnership among the cities and institutions which participate in the platform.
2. From the academic point of view, it is intended to develop the know-how and knowledge on eastern and central Asian cities achieved during the last decades. By establishing the common use system of the data-base stocked in respective institutions, the smooth exchange of necessary information is to be promoted. Language barrier is another aspect of mutual communication.
3. From policy-making point of view, it is crucial to discern the appropriate direction for future planning of historical heritage and environment within the specific areas of rapid development. General idea, by comparing similar types of development in the world, should be achieved so as to react to actual problems by implementing detailed programs for each cities and region within the designated areas.
4. As an exchange program among concerned institutions and municipalities, this conference is to play the role of the platform for experts, professionals and managers who are deeply involved in urban growth management issues, in collaboration with other international organizations. Workshops for younger generation are included in this program for education and training purpose.