The conference is organized by TU Dortmund University/ Spatial Planning Faculty/ Department of Urban Design and Land-Use Planning in collaboration with German Jordanian University (GJU)/ School of Architecture and Built Environment, and is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The Conference forms the culmination of a three year project by the two universities that explored the role of public space as a catalyst of urban transformation, taking a critical and comparative stance on the conceptualization and the role of public space and public urban nodes in urban integration, giving special focus to contexts of industrial areas, renaturalization of neglected ecological components, and integration of critical social groups such as the Syrian Refugees. Parallel lessons were taken from the Ruhr Region in Germany and from the districts of Marka and Sahab within the geographical expanse of Amman/ Jordan. The Conference will showcase the products of the Project, in form of student work, research projects and knowledge exchange that occurred among the German-Jordanian counterparts; it will showcase the role of major stakeholders envisioning and enabling urban transformation in Jordan; and will act as an international platform to discuss new ideas and create the opportunity to initiate a dialogue with esteemed colleagues and global intellectuals.

The conference follows the broad themes of:
· Urban transformation and the role of public space
· Nature based planning approaches
· Social and cultural dimension of cities