European Association for Urban History 16th International Conference: “Cities at the Boundaries”
Application Deadline: 30.09.2023
Modern ideas about urban futures easily transcend national boundaries. However, until the 1950s, urban theory and architectural design concepts invariably originated in Europe or in the US, and the resulting global flow of ideas was mainly unidirectional „from the West to the rest“. Around 1960, the flow finally began to change direction when Tange Kenzō (1913-2005) became the first non-Western architect whose ideas were received globally. This resulted in a variety of influences, ranging from inspirations for certain single buildings or megastructures designed or built by European architects to the actual realisation of cities or parts of cities in Europe by Tange‘s office (e.g., Skopje, Bologna).
The panel aims at examining Tange‘s influence on European architecture and urban planning in a comprehensive way. The organizers aim to understand why he became accepted as part of the Western-dominated global avant-garde of architects, and how his ideas and projects have shaped European discourses on urban futures.
The organizers seek to understand how Tange‘s architectural and planning ideas were transferred to Europe in terms of networks, exhibitions, languages and media. What impact did his individual designs such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum or larger events such as the World Design Conference 1960 in Tokyo have in terms of Tange‘s publicity in Europe? What were the motives that led European stakeholders from different areas of construction-related decision-making, such as municipalities, interest groups and professional associations, to invite Tange to participate in competitions or to commission him directly? In a world divided by the Cold War, how important – if at all – was his Non-Western background, especially for the discussion of his works in eastern Europe and for the Skopje project? How did the planning processes in Tange‘s European projects proceed in terms of his involvement in the realization or the accompanying media coverage?
The organizers invite scholars from various disciplines, including but not limited to urban history and urban planning, cultural studies and architectural history, to present case studies of realized or unrealized projects in various European countries. The organizers also invite papers on the discussion of Tange’s designs and buildings by European architects and urban planners or on the coverage of Tange in European architecture and planning journals or in the general media. (Session organisers – Katja Schmidtpott (Bochum), Beate Löffler (Dortmund))
Submissions should be made via the EAUH site: All information is available on the website: https://