Track 1 Cities and Spatial and Social Justice -Creating More Inclusive Cities
Track Chairs: Assoc. Professor Declan Redmond, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin
Assoc. Professor Maureen Donaghy, Department of Political Science Rutgers University
Dr. Susanne Søholt, NIBR, Oslo Metropolitan University
In the aftermath of the global economic crisis both income inequality and social polarization are increasing in cities. The gap between rich and poor is growing and in some global cities, increasingly only the very wealthy can afford to live within the city. The financialization of housing has created a divide between housing as home and housing as investment with significant negative consequences. The decline in social housing provision in certain economies has exacerbated the housing crisis many cities now face.
Cities are the location of opportunity for many as a source of job opportunities, and vibrant vital places of cultural and social life. But they are also places of social and territorial differentiation, with certain cohorts finding no place in cities. This can be the elderly, young people, women and immigrants, and these and other groups often find that subtle and not so subtle barriers are in place constraining them from fully enjoying all that cities can offer. Recent research on place equality regimes, new peripheries and suburbanization of poverty demonstrates the regional dimension of this issue. This conference track asks:
- How can our cities and regions become more egalitarian, and offer places for diversity to continue to thrive as they have for millennia?
- How do we plan for wellbeing not just growth?
- How do cities play a role in fostering spatial and social justice?
- How do we ensure more equal access to urban housing and amenity in cities?
- How do we go about tackling the housing crises being experienced in many cities?
- What are the challenges for creating more inclusive cities and regions?