IFPRA Europe Congress 2009 Mikkeli Finland

The Ifpra Europe Congress 2009 is to be held in Mikkeli, the capital of Eastern Finland and a gateway to the Finnish Lakeland. Nature is never far away in this city of just under 50,000 inhabitants.

The theme of the Ifpra Europe Congress, Modern Society – Balance with Nature, takes an all-round look at the built and natural environment. Delegates will have a chance to visit a variety of green areas, among them the new horticultural tourist attraction Mikkeli Park.

About Mikkeli

The city of Mikkeli is the capital of the Province of Eastern Finland and it is situated by the Lake Saimaa. Mikkeli was founded in 1838 and has a population of 47,000 inhabitants, it is a lively town with the most beautiful lake scenery. It takes only two hours to drive by car from the market place in Mikkeli to Helsinki city centre. Mikkeli is situated on the crossroads of five highways. Good connections to eastern, southern and central Finland give great opportunities to local business and travelling. Certainly, Mikkeli is a combination of interesting history and traditions, active business, high education and research, culture, nature and internationality.

The congress will include some plenary sessions and parallel sessions which will address the main theme through the following sub-themes:

Green Links in the City
Parks for People of all Ages
The Role of Parks in Developing Civic Pride
The Value of Community Forests
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)
Achieving Biodiversity
Economic Benefits of Parks
Impact of Climate Change on Maintenance Costs
Financing Management Costs
Who Will Maintain Our Parks in the Future?
Using Parks to Address Social Challenges
Can Parks Compete for the attention of young people?
Parks as an agent for Community Sustainability
Are Parks Safe?
Play Areas, Risks & Challenges
Catering for Sport in Parks
Nature in Balance
The Outdoor Classroom
Children & Parks
Inclusion of Special Needs in Parks
Why Not Sell the Parks?
Urban Open Space, How Much do we need?
Climate Changes in Europe

The organising committee is anxious to contact people with experiences or expertise in one or more of the sub-themes with a view to considering them in the programme. Therefore, submissions are hereby invited from professional engaged in education, research, design, development, management or conservation of public open spaces. The requirements are as follows:

Submission by email only
Proposed Title of Paper
Short curriculum vitae of the speaker
An abstract of the paper, approximately 300 words in English (illustrations not necessary)

Where: Mikkeli, Finland
When: 15 - 17 June, 2009