Urbanities,
Vol. 3 • No 1 • May 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
131
accessible for the European attendees, who were the massive predominance, but also for the
reason that it is the direct personification of the transformational processes taking place in
Europe. A city, which was divided by a border wall until 1989 and so significantly marked by
the consequences of ethnic and political intolerance, is now, as the centre of one of the
wealthiest states of Europe, undergoing a deep transformation. As expected, some of the most
distinctive monuments of contemporary architecture and urban planning of Europe are
created here, but against expectations despite the wealth and technical advancement of
Germany cranes have stuck out in all directions for decades already and despite the constant
construction commotion the urban infrastructure, which was neglected for several decades, is
changing only slowly and ponderously.
The conference was opened by Sarah Green, leader of the Eastern Periphery of
Europe project with a lecture called Relocating Borders: Locations so far and Visualising
Borderlands. Her introductory lecture not only presented the entire project and opened the
individual topics of the conference, but also outlined the prospects of research for the future.
Through her talk, Sarah Green made it clear that the project should not end with the
conference, that it was her intention to develop the research network further and expand the
knowledge base by further research events.
The individual panel discussions followed the introductory lecture. Approximately
fifty panel sessions took place over the three days of the conference. Each panel discussion
had ca 90 minutes available and 4 – 6 contributors were proposed for each of them. Not all of
the panels were fully blocked with contributors, so at some there were fewer contributors,
sometimes only two of them, but it can be stated that the panel discussions for the most part
maintained a high level. Usually, eight panel discussions took place in parallel, so those
interested could select thematically closely related questions and draw a maximum of stimuli.
On each day of the conference, there were moreover further joint keynote lectures and also
topical joint panel discussions and round tables. Of the joint events, it is necessary to
highlight especially the successful keynote lecture by T. H. Eriksen and particularly the
keynote by Saskia Sassen, which was placed at the conclusion of discussions on Sunday in
the late afternoon. At the end of the conference, when such large gatherings usually fall apart
and the participants leave early, Saskia Sassen was able to fill the main conference hall and
keep the audience’s attention with a riveting lecture until the moment when it was necessary
to thank the organisers and vacate the premises.
