Laconte, Pierre

Pierre Laconte (born 17 May 1934, Brussels), is a Belgian urbanist. He specialises in urban transport and architectural planning and environmental issues. He has a Doctorate in Law and a Doctorate in Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain and is Dr. honoris causa of the Napier University, Edinburgh. Laconte is one of the three planners in charge of the Groupe Urbanisme & Architecture. This Group was responsible for the master plan and the architectural co-ordination of Louvain-la-Neuve, a pedestrian new university town developed from 1968 on by the University on agricultural land, around a new railway station, 25 km South of Brussels. Louvain-la-Neuve has a day/night population of ca 40.000. It won the UIA Abercrombie Award. He received the UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in 1999, and was the Belgian Government Representative at UN Habitat I in 1976, at Habitat II in 1996, and at the UN Kyoto Conference of Parties on Climate (1997). Laconte was the president of ISOCARP – International Society of City and Regional Planners between 2006–2009, and the Foundation for the Urban Environment. He is Council member of Europa Nostra and chairman of Europa Nostra's Industrial and Engineering Heritage Committee. He has been a member (2004–2011) and Vice-Chairman (2008–2011) of the Scientific Committee of the European Environmental Agency, member of the Lee Kwan Yew World City Prize Council for 2010 and for 2012, member of the Advisory Group of Singapore World Cities Summit 2012, member of the Evaluation team for the European Green Capital Award 2012 and 2013. He is regularly organizing lunch-debates at the Fondation Universitaire, devoted to urban themes.