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OPUS 2008 will bring leading designers and researchers together to explore the value and design of open public urban spaces.   This urban design symposium will be held in Stavanger Norway as an official event of Stavanger 2008.  The symposium will explore how public spaces transform the cultural life of cities and towns including European Capitals of Culture such as Liverpool, Graz, Stockholm, etc. Historic and contemporary projects will be featured and a design workshop will be held to explore their implications for planning and better connecting public open spaces in Stavanger and Sandnes. The symposium is organized by the Open Public Urban Spaces (OPUS) Project of the University of Stavanger and University of California, Davis.Programme 