Conference Realising Just Cities – Learning Through Comparison

Mistra Urban Futures’ Annual conference is approaching: from November 12-15, 2017 over 100 delegates from six countries will meet in Kisumu, Kenya around the theme learning through comparison with the aim to realise just cities. The rapidly growing numbers of people moving into cities all over the world present an unprecedented challenge. It is crucial to find ways to make urbanisation a source for wealth, health and sustainability – which is shared. 

H. E. Governor Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, The Governor of Kisumu County, Dominic Makawiti, Board Chairman, Mistra Urban Futures Local Interaction Platform, Kisumu and Stefan Bengtsson, President and CEO of Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg will open the conference. 

Keynotes

Day 1: Translocal urban lives: Rescaling justice in African cities is the topic of keynote speaker Dr. Caroline Kihato, Visiting Associate Professor, Graduate School of Architecture, University of Johannesburg, Global Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Washington DC, Board Member, Mistra Urban Futures. 

Day 2: Professor Edgar Pieterse, Director, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town. He will speak about how to ground Agenda 2063 in local practice and the implications for interdisciplinary practice. Agenda 2063 is a vision and aspirational statement from the African Union.

Food, transport, culture and more

Themes including food security, migration, transportation, cultural heritage, waste management, neighbourhood transformation, public finance and participation will be presented. The conference is also an opportunity for research teams from our platforms in Cape Town, Kisumu, Sheffield-Manchester, Gothenburg and Skåne to work together on these themes within different comparative research projects. 

“Mistra Urban Futures is a real pioneer in undertaking international comparative research across cities on different continents using co-production methods to explore how far we can generalize about appropriate ways to promote urban sustainability using local priority projects. We are delighted that many local Kenyan researchers and public officials will participate in the conference and be able to engage with our teams from other countries.” says, David Simon, Director, Mistra Urban Futures. 

Last year’s conference held in Gothenburg, Sweden had the theme, Co-production in Action, focusing on the Centre’s research methodologies. See films and other documentation here. The 2018 annual conference will be held in Cape Town, South Africa in November. 

Read more

Read more about the conference

Contact 

Ulrica Gustafsson, Event manager, ulrica.gustafsson@chalmers.se 
Jenny Sjödin, Communications manager, jenny.sjodin@chalmers.se