URBENVIRON is a global initiative which started in 2003 in Brasilia, gathering research groups, scholars, enterprises, governmental institutions and NGOs, all committed to knowledge building and networking on the subject of environmental planning and management. As a central house for this movement, the Urbenviron International Association for Planning and Environmental Management became formalized in August 2007, searching mainly for the organization of international congresses and seminars, the maintenance of URBENVIRONET, and the publication of an international journal.
In November 2004, the Catholic University of Brasilia and the Technical University of Berlin organized in Brasilia an International Seminar as the first Urbenviron event, which served as a preparation for the 1st Urbenviron International Congress on Environmental Planning and Management, held in September 2005 also in Brasilia. About 700 participants of 28 countries joined this event, discussing the theme Environmental Challenges of Urbanization, which included topics about interactions among human beings and the urban environment, theory and praxis of urban environmental planning and management, and dynamic and social environmental impacts of urbanization. The high point of the Congress was the international spread of a declaration – the CHARTA OF BRASILIA - with the principles of sustainable urban planning and management, as well as the creation of the International Network for Environmental Planning and Management – URBENVIRONET, and the decision about the foundation of an International Association to be launched in Berlin, during the 2nd Congress.
Since then, the Presbiterian University Mackenzie, the Universities of São Paulo, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Chile, Seoul, Cairo, Umm al-Qura, La Plata, San Agustin de Arequipa and many other institutions joined the Catholic University of Brasilia and the Technical University of Berlin in the initiative, turning the URBENVIRON into a worldwide mark in urban environmental management.
The 2nd Urbenviron Congress Berlin 2007 had the Technical University of Berlin as venue, counting with 400 participants from 44 different countries. Discussions around the theme Planning the Urban Environment - Visions, Implementation, Results turned an interdisciplinary exchange of planners and builders into reality. As planned, the event was disclosed with the launching of the URBENVIRON International Association for Environmental Planning and Management (www.urbenviron.org), after a foundation assembly that chose Brasilia as the Association headquarters, and reaffirmed the commitment to the implementation of CHARTA OF BRASILIA. The preparatory Seminar Rio de Janeiro 2006 to this Congress was organized by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Regional Council of Architecture and Engineering (CREA/RJ)
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The University of Seoul is hosting the 3rd Urbenviron International Congress (July 26-30, 2009), which approaches Global Environmental Changes as its central theme. During the Congress the Association is launching the first issue of the international journal URBENVIRON and the International Council is giving publicity to the first integrated workplan of Urbenviron’s Research Network (URBENVIRONET).
In preparation to the Seoul Congress, the Presbyterian University Mackenzie and the University of São Paulo organized the 3rd Urbenviron International Seminar São Paulo 2008 (October 6-8, 2008) that was attended by more than 200 participants. This event offered the opportunity for the first meeting of Urbenviron International Council.
Cairo is going to host the 4th Congress in 2011 that will be preceded by a preparation Seminar in Santiago de Chile in 2010.
URBENVIRON Chapters are foreseeing all around the world, as well as Sections gathering Chapters by Region or Theme.