The ‘14th Biennale of European Towns and Town Planners’ took place in Naples / Italy from 21st to 24th April 2024, hosting approximately 200 urban planners from across Europe. Around 80 projects were presented and discussed, embedded in a comprehensive programme organised by the ‘European Council of Spatial Planners’ in cooperation with the ‘Instituto Nazionale di Urbanistica’ in Naples.

Our colleagues Svenja Knuffke and Lutz Krämer-Heid were on site and presented AS+P's services and plans for the sustainable reconstruction of the Ahr Valley. In their current role as ‘municipal coordinators’ on behalf of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and the flood-damaged communities along the Ahr, they elaborated on the challenges and opportunities associated with the sustainable reconstruction of the Ahr Valley. Both urban planners reported on the experience they have gained over the past two years in the Ahr Valley, highlighting the requirements for planning man­age­ment at various scales.

The AS+P project was explained against the background of current planning requirements resulting from climate change and attracted the attention of many planning colleagues. Their exchange with the expert community showed that AS+P’s planning approach and implementation are effective.

All contributions and results, including AS+P’s work, will soon be compiled in a comprehensive documentation and published inter­nationally.