EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - The Urban Divide in Latin America: challenges and strategies for social inclusion

The Urban Divide in Latin America: challenges and strategies for social inclusion - Gainesville, Florida, 28-30 January 2009

28-01-2009, Source: Urbanicity.org

Introduction

Latin America has the largest percentage of urban population of any world region in addition to the most unequal distribution of income. This inequality is most apparent in cities, where the richest and the poorest live in close proximity, and social inequality becomes tangible and flagrantly evident in spatial terms. How can urbanists affect policies that foster social inclusion?

Description

This multidisciplinary conference aims to gather scholars and professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life in urban Latin America. This forum will provide participants an opportunity to share their research and experiences, and to engage in dialogue to generate ideas and identify solutions to advance social inclusion in Latin American cities.

The conference is co-hosted by the UF Center for Latin American Studies and the UF College of Design, Construction and Planning. Joseli Macedo, UF Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning will chair the conference; Martha Kohen, UF Professor of Architecture, will co-chair.

We seek contributions on a wide range of urban research reflecting the rich variety of work undertaken in the field. Topics include, but are not limited to:

social and spatial equity in historical perspective
informal economies
access to employment and services
strategies for equitable growth
human capital investment and capacity building
crime and violence
epidemics and the health system
emergency management and disaster planning
supportive urban systems (infrastructure, transportation)
political representation and community activism
environmental quality and conservation in urban areas
urban greening
sustainable development practices
professional practice

Some possible questions that could be addressed at the conference include:

How can planners, policy makers and scholars work towards mitigating the urban divide caused by exclusion and inequality? What is the role of planning in the face of social exclusion?
Are social inclusion issues best addressed at the neighborhood, local, provincial/state, and/or federal level?
Are social inclusion efforts more effectively made inside or outside formal planning processes?
What has been the role of social movements and NGOs in successful efforts?
What are the links between social exclusion of the poor and quality of life issues for the growing urban middle class?
How does one generate cross-class alliances for social change?

The conference will include keynote plenary sessions and paper presentations organized in panels. Invited keynote presenters include:

Alan Gilbert, University College London, Department of Geography
Jaime Lerner, former Mayor of Curitiba, Brazil
Saskia Sassen, Columbia University, Department of Sociology

Programme

Click here to view the conference agenda. For registration and logistics, please contact:

Tamara Johnson or click here to register online. There is also extra information on the registration proces.

Location

University of Florida, Center for Latin American Studies

J. Wayne Reitz Union
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, USA

Links

Click here to visit the conference website
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