The Global Urbanist Debates: Setting the Global Urban Agenda
Date:
Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Organiser: The Global Urbanist
Location: London
Topical area: Integrated planning, Property, rights and evictions, City politics, Poverty and inequality, Informal settlements, Climate change, The global urban agenda, Development
Description:
This is the first in a series of salon events hosted by The Global Urbanist in which professional members of the global urban development community discuss issues of international relevance in a relaxed and sociable setting, with participants invited from the government, business, academic and charitable sectors.
As a salon event, all audience members will be able to participate in the discussion, but we will have the following four people speaking to introduce the themes for the evening:
Professor Alan Gilbert, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University College London
Dr. Yusaf Samiullah OBE, Y&D International Consulting, former Deputy Director and Head of Profession (Infrastructure) at the UK Department for International Development
Geoffrey Payne (to be confirmed), Geoffrey Payne & Associates - housing and urban development consultants
EVENT SERIES: THE GLOBAL URBANIST DEBATES
Topic 1: Setting the Global Urban Agenda
Question for Debate:
Who sets the global urban agenda, and what is it? What about this process do you think should change?
Why we're highlighting this topic:
While the global agenda for international cooperation is well-defined, discussed in every mainstream media outlet around the world, the agenda for global cooperation on urban issues is much less coherent and much less visible. Issues such as terrorism, food security and energy are debated publicly worldwide, while policy deliberations on issues like urban infrastructure, informal settlements, and social development take place either behind closed doors, or only within each city in isolation.
With this in mind, who sets the agenda for the world's cities? Is it donor governments driven by the internal politics of the global North? Or are urban politics driven by local factions inside developing cities, without regard for international standards of best practice? Is the influence of international agencies on the urban agenda too much, or not enough?
Furthermore it is unclear that we're focusing on the right problems. Should agencies like UN-HABITAT be moving towards climate change above other concerns? Is the World Bank quest for "cities without slums" misrepresenting the diversity of urban settlements and the problems they face? Is the embrace of cities as engines of prosperity leading to undue optimism that the wealth generated in cities will trickle down to their poorest communities?
How to attend:
If you would like to attend please contact The Global Urbanist via enquiries@globurb.com or our contact page.
