21-10-2010

23-10-2010

Turkey, Ankara

Posted by: citizensofculture

Category: Forum

Field: Design

Source http://www.socialarch.net/

Poverty and social inequality contained within cities are once again on the agenda as the number of people living in the cities surpasses that of those living in the countryside for the first time in human history. The slums of the Third World, which, despite their miserable conditions were once seen as the symbol of hope for the possibility of a better world, now appear as symbols of an approaching apocalypse in the new millennium of neo-liberalism. Cities today are seen merely as an opportunity for reproduction of wealth while more and more people are excluded from the fruits of development. Social exclusion and marginalization of the majority is experienced in cities across the world. In various parts of the globe, from New York and London to Delhi, Seoul and Mumbai; from Rio and Mexico City to Istanbul and Beijing, the metropolises of diverse cultures witness the subjection of urban space to processes of renewal, transformation and gentrification with unprecedented socio-political consequences - displacement of jobs and working-class people from their settlements. Destruction and reconstruction of the built environment has historically been a means of recovery from financial crises. Today, having served as a key instrument of financial investments for two decades, urban space rests at the heart of the current global crisis.

Under these circumstances, architects should refuse to produce urban transformation projects that serve the expansion of existing political and economic power relations. On the contrary, they should take the advantage of the current crisis of neo-liberalism and utilize it towards emancipating the urban space from the domination of capital. They should support the social movements for habitable living environments emerging in various parts of the globe. We must understand and practice architecture as an effective democratic tool of social change. The Ankara Branch of the Turkish Chamber of Architects calls for the organization of a Social Forum of Architecture which will bring together professional associations, social organizations and grassroots initiatives fighting spatial exclusion and social inequality. We invite individuals and organizations sharing such objectives to participate in the Social Forum of Architecture to take place in Ankara, October 21-23, 2010.

The topics and themes for the Forum are:
• Social architecture and planning
• Social segregation of space
• Housing for all as a human right
• Ecology and environmental justice
• Wars, disasters and architecture
• Conservation, heritage and change
• Spatial politics of displacement: the colonization of land and resources
• Design as an instrument of social change
• Education for social architecture
• Vernacular practices, technology and free market
• Humanity of cities: barriers and ethics
• Urban violence and literacy of urban space
• Democratic practices and legislation
• Expanding public spaces
• Gender and space
• Accessible public transportation and pedestrian rights
• Social space: alliances and conflicts

For more info: http://www.socialarch.net/

• Attending
• Not attending
• Maybe