How can we improve our cities to become more liveable, attractive, sustainable and competitive? Elija Kozak will tell you all about the (Y)our city centre project of MVRDV during a lecture on the ICON-La-International Landscape Architecture Conference in St. Petersburg on September 9.

Architect, and Business Developer, Elija Kozak combines her design role with a dedicated focus on enhancing MVRDV’s foothold in the Russian market, coordinating all of MVRDV’s Russian projects from the acquisition phase through to execution. Her role also involves work with MVRDV’s Urban Studio, helping its design teams develop master plans and strategic projects that aim to challenge city planning, creating development visions, as well as large-scale projects that propel future city development. This work appears in MVRDV’s exhibitions around the world, including St. Petersburg, where Kozak and the Why Factory collaborated with Russian students to produce a new take on the future of the city. Aside from her work at MVRDV, Kozak is an avid painter, lectures regularly, and organizes workshops, and exhibitions in collaboration with cultural institutions in Russia. She has published with the Glasgow Institute for Architects, and with the Strelka Institute.

Icon-LA-International Landscape Architecture Conference in St. Petersburg is dedicated to the problem of creating a comfortable urban environment. At the conference, a range of topics will be discussed. Topics such as the importance of applying the principles of ecological design, climate change and the associated risks to green spaces. The purpose of this conference is to answer the question ‘’What is the vision of the comfortable urban environment in the early 21st century and what urban, architectural, sociological and environmental principles are used in different countries?’’.

• Date: September 9 - 13:00 (CET) / 14:00 (UTC+3).
• Location: Marmor Palace. St. Petersburg, Russia. 
• You can find more information on the event here.