Roland
KREBS
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
I am an Urban Planner with experience in integral urban planning and design. I got a Master in Urban Planning at TU Wien, Vienna (2001), and I did an additional Master in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina. This year I complete a Postgraduate in Rehabilitation of Historical City Centres at the Universidad Obierta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona.
Since I obtained my planning licence in 2009 from the Chamber of Architects I work independently with my own urban planning practice. I am a URBACT Thematic Specialist on Urban Planning since 2009 and joined TUTUR – Temporary use as a tool for urban regeneration, an URBACT Pilot Transfer Network as URBACT specialist. In 2013 I joined the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) of the IDB, similar to URBACT on the Latin American Level.
In 2010 I joined the team of the Federal Railways Company (ÖBB) to develop the EU funded Main Train Station for Vienna. I was project leader for urban development of this 110-hectare urban brownfield. I developed an innovative planning method , the “Collaborative Urban Design” methodology, first of this kind in Austria. Six teams of Architects and Planners, together with main stakeholders developed an urban plan and strategy for a part of the area.
As a lecturer at the Vienna University of Technology, I teach at the Institute for Urban Design the topics of dialogue orientated design and urban strategies, urbanism and urban planning.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
On an international level I work since 2001 in various European and Latin American countries on urban regeneration projects, housing projects, urban strategies and rehabilitation of historical city centres and centralization projects.
As a Thematic Expert at the URBACT project, TUTUR - Temporary use as a tool for urban regeneration, we initiated with a multidisciplinary planning team an exchange of knowledge and expertise from an Temporary Use agency in Bremen (giving-city) to the receiver-cities Rome and Alba Iulia (Romania). http://tutur.eu
In 2010 I created with a team of researchers the project “Urban Managua”, an exchange of knowledge and experience for the creation of a dialogue orientated planning methodology for rehabilitation of the city centre of Managua with focus un housing in the context of slums. http://www.urban-managua.org/english-short-version/
In 2013 these activities intensified when I got assigned as urban planning consultant at the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/emerging-and-sustainable-cities/emerging-and-sustainable-cities-initiative,6656.html
Since 2001 I am learning and researching about participatory planning tools and the introduction of the “dialogue” as a crucial element and activity in the planning process. I developed various projects in Latin America and Europe. See my projects at this site: http://www.rolandkrebs.net
B.3. Proficiency in English:
From 2001, I work on various international urban projects, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe (mainly Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, etc.) - firstly on real estate projects, later, from 2008 exclusively on urban, public projects for municipalities.
Almost all projects I did in the past were developed and implemented in English language. From 2013, I worked for two years partly in Washington, DC at the multi-lateral Organization Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on international urban development projects, mainly in the Caribbean and Latin America. Even though the output of the projects of the IDB is in Spanish language, the prime working languages is English.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
As an urban planning specialist I learned that exchange of good-practices and exchange activities help to test new ideas in cities. But, every city is different. Each municipality has a different level of planning know-how. Planners shouldn’t just copy-paste traveling ideas of methodologies. We should adapt wisely to the given situations and adapt the need of cross-thematic and multi-disciplinary planning approaches. Research and scoping about other successful practices and policies in other cities is crucial successful transfer good-practices.
In my previous experience, eg. the TUTUR project, even the city of Bremen as a giver of expertise was able to reflect and contextualize their practice in urban regeneration through the development of Temporary Use projects------WebKitFormBoundaryeBgCxb7trXL7pBO7
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KREBS
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Urban Strategic Planning
Summary Thematic expertise:
My experience in the topic of Urban Strategic Planning is widely spread and I deal with it on a practical and academic level since 2009. My expertise about Urban Strategic Planning is mostly about urban growth, density, compact city, inner-city development based on concepts of proximity and sustainable mobility, and on how urban planning strategies are being implemented through urban design projects.
In the field, I worked quite intensely on Urban Strategy plans in Latin America. In a city program, which is similar to URBACT, I provided urban strategies based on urban growth studies with two scenarios: Tendential spatial growth (business as usual, passive planning) and smart growth (applying smart rules, densities, pro-active planning and design). Based on these studies and the application of prioritization-filters, together with the local teams I designed strategic action plans for these cities to tackle urban growth with strategic urban projects.
My academic background is Urban and Regional Planning with a broad spectrum of planning. Since 2009, I am working for the Technical University in Vienna at the Institute for Urban Design and Planning. Our research fields are the topics of urban growth, centralities, density (and typologies), and functional urban vs. rural areas, not only in strategies, but also on how these strategies are being converted into urban projects.
Theme / Policy:
Integrated Urban Renewal
Summary Thematic expertise:
In the field of Integral Urban Renewal, I was able to gain experience with various projects and academic studies. As planner, designer and urban manager I participated in many urbanistic competitions, planning studies and urban projects in Austria, Europe and Latin America. Additionally, I conduct academic lectures about the topic of urban renewal, integral project approach, etc. at the Institute for Urban Design and Planning at the Technical University of Vienna.
On a neighbourhood level, planning is converting into a process. Drafting designs for urban renewal is one thing, implementation is the other: Neighbourhoods are very complex organisms, with their own rules and structures. Therefore, it is very important to include people, who are affected by the process, into the planning process. The planner has to understand these complexities and his own role and develop inclusionary plans with the community.
I was able to contribute as lead planner to important projects on the neighbourhood level, eg. the “Hauptbahnhof Wien”, or other projects like the URBACT project TUTUR - Temporary Use as tool for urban regeneration in Bremen, Rome and Alba Iulia. I also did many integrated urban renewal projects applying participatory urban design methodologies like the “Urban Design Laboratory”, a method which works perfectly for urban renewal projects.
Further information: www.rolandkrebs.net
Theme / Policy:
Sustainable Housing
Summary Thematic expertise:
As for the thematic expertise of Housing, I gained experience the last few years through the participation of urban design competitions and my engagement as project leader for planning at the “Hauptbahnhof Wien” – the Vienna Main Station urban development project. Hauptbahnhof Wien is a very centric urban development project, only 1,5 km from the Ringstraße. The project foresees the construction of 5.000 housing units.
Together with multi-disciplinary teams we developed and designed housing projects from small to big scale, but always with a very urbanistic approach. Leading questions are: What happens on the eye level, ie. what is the role of the ground floor area? What kind of public or semi-public space do we want to establish? Do we want to continue constructing identity-less residential areas, or do we want to start creating urbanity?
Housing is the one of the most important element in urban strategies, urban plans, etc. To create a holistic and integral approach, one has to think about (affordable) housing as the main element in the development. At the Hauptbahnhof Wien, this goal was achieved.
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
As for participatory methods I would like to highlight two programs I participated in the past:
I worked for TUTUR – Temporary use as a tool for urban regeneration, an URBACT Pilot Transfer Network in partnership with the municipalities of Rome, Bremen and Alba Iulia. We, jointly with the partner cities, developed participatory Local Action Plans, which were drafted by the community through a participatory planning process. One of the important lessons learned was that participatory planning tools not only lead to project-ownership, but also lead to regeneration processes on a neighbourhood level by defining a concrete urban vision and goals. Outcome is the TUTUR methodology: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqn28w2k1i8vs4x/FINAL_REPORT_TUTUR_final.pdf?dl=0
Additionally, I would like to mention my engagement at the Cities Program of the Inter-American Development Bank, based in Washington, DC. At the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI), I was responsible for the exchange of knowledge products and dissemination. On a regional level, similar to URBACT in Europe, ESCI focuses on exchange of know-how and learning in order to re-establish planning in the cities and regions, and create innovative planning tools for the cities.
Within this program I created a participatory planning tool for medium size cities, the „Urban Design Laboratory“ and tested it in ten cities. See the process here: http://issuu.com/rolandkrebs7/docs/2015_02_15_lecture_udl_idb_short_de
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
In previous urban development projects, I was engaged in all activities of the project cycle: proposal writing, development of ideas and planning tools, project implementation, reporting, supervision and evaluation. Before 2012 I worked as a consultant for the Austrian Development Agency at the project DELLAM in Nicaragua, supervising and monitoring the project process. https://www.dropbox.com/s/adb3jdxa8b1v7av/2012%2012%2020%20DELLAM%201%20schlussbericht.pdf?dl=0
At the TUTUR project, my role was not only to support the Lead Expert in the development of the project, but also to propose a structure of the monitoring and evaluation: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ekr3ah75r4v5nzy/TUTURINTERIMFINAL17012015.pdf?dl=0
The Lessons Learned chapter of the Final Report of TUTUR sums up the results and experience at these projects: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqn28w2k1i8vs4x/FINAL_REPORT_TUTUR_final.pdf?dl=0
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
Since 2009, I work as a lecturer and assistant professor at the University of Technology in Vienna, at the Institute for Urban Design and Planning. I conduct design studios, theoretical and practical classes about urban planning and design, especially about public space, housing among other urban issues. With the current research projects about planning methodologies, techniques and inclusionary planning like “Urban Managua”, the “Urban Design Laboratory” among others I keep up to date about sustainable urban development policies, trends and funds.
I regularly participate in urban design or other urbanism oriented planning competitions. I exchange knowledge with other universities. I gave lectures and/or was visiting critic at GSD Harvard (Cambridge, USA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Universidad de Palermo (Buenos Aires, Argentina), ETH Zürich Summer School of Architecture in Barranquilla (Colombia), Society of Architects Buenos Aires, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Universidad Centroamericana (Managua, Nicaragua), Universidad de Cantabria Santander (Spain) and the Centro Universitario Quetzaltenango (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala).
I am regularly visiting the URBACT webpage, read frequently the posts of the blog, the twitter messages, facebook, etc. This is my main source of information for European Programs in the context of urban development.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
Adapting methodologies is key to ensure consistency in the design and delivery of concrete products: At the previous URBACT project, where I have been involved, we had the challenge of transferring the know-how and experience of an agency of Temporary Use in the relatively large city of Bremen (population 650.000) to a completely different and more complex situation in Rome (a metropolis with population of 2,8 Million) on the one hand, and the transfer of experience to a small city like Alba Iulia (population 63.000). This situation is described in our mid-term report (page 87) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q4bhu17f7yydgpk/AADMs735VTA0hwnS_ZXXqxRea?dl=0 and in the lessons learned section of the Final Report (page 49) https://www.dropbox.com/s/6mb3drfjfny5epm/FINAL_REPORT_TUTUR_final.pdf?dl=0 .
The methodology, which we defined as a base line for the case of TUTUR, had fixed and flexible elements: Fixed elements in the methodology were the creation of a Local Support Group, the creation of a Local Action Plan, etc., the flexible part referred to the creation of an agency, or as in the Bremen case, outsourcing of the agency to a NGO.
Another example is the application of the “Urban Design Laboratory” in the course of the IDB-Cities Program ESCI. The methodology had to be adapted to each city, after a precise evaluation of the stakeholders and of the planning topic. See this presentation: http://issuu.com/rolandkrebs7/docs/2015_02_15_lecture_udl_idb_short_de
Summary Expertise:
As an urban planning specialist I can offer a broad expertise, from general strategies to small-scale design and interventions, but also inclusionary planning and design methodologies and techniques, especially in designing and delivering integrated and participatory policies.
Empowering communities through the creation of Local Support Groups is key in the development process of urban projects. We, jointly with the partner cities, develop participatory Local Action Plans (LAP) in each partner city, which are drafted with the local planners. The planner gets a new role as moderator and facilitator for participatory planning processes.
I am well experienced in participatory planning, recently as URBACT Thematic Specialist at TUTUR – Temporary use as a tool for urban regeneration, an URBACT Pilot Transfer Network in partnership with the municipalities of Rome, Bremen and Alba Iulia. We, jointly with the partner cities, developed Local Action Plans, which were drafted by the community through a inclusionary planning process.
Another participatory planning methodology is the participatory planning-tool for medium size cities, the „Urban Design Laboratory“ (UDL) that I tested in 10 Latin-American cities. As a consultant for the Cities Program of the Inter-American Development Bank, based in Washington, DC, I developed urban projects with the communities with a state-of-the-art and flexible tool-kit.
Further information: www.rolandkrebs.net
Informations
Residence location:
Austria
Languages:
German - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
roland.krebs@gmail.com