Dr Mona Serageldin has participated as moderator and discussant in an Inter-American Development Bank-sponsored event at the 7th World Urban Forum in Medellin, from 4:30PM – 6:30PM on Wednesday, April 9, in Room 23 of the Red Pavilion.
The discussion is described below:
“Is Densification a Key Factor in Promoting Equity? The Role of Urban Densification in Facilitating Social Inclusion and Counteracting Socio-spatial Divisions.”
“The World Urban Forum 7 will focus on equity as the core topic at stake in cities around the world. In Latin America, Asia, and Africa, inequity takes the form of informal and illegal settlements accommodating up to 80 per cent of the urban population, who is deprived of the most basic urban services, such as water supply, drainage, personal and tenure security. In Europe and North America, changes since the early 1990s have caused mounting social fragmentation in many cities, which is reflected in problematic urban settlements patterns: poor households are often segregated in impoverished city neighborhoods and deprived of access services. Can urban densification (understood as an increasing number of people inhabiting a given urbanized area, with impacts on economics, health, culture, sustainability, and innovation) facilitate social inclusion and counteract socio-spatial divisions? An argument in favor of compact cities is that they are more socially sustainable, as they encourage an urban layout in favor of improved economic opportunities, efficient public transport system, opportunities for social interaction, and improved safety. This networking event will examine strategies to counterbalance the widening socio-spatial gap in cities. Experiences will include the promotion of partnerships, financial mechanism, improved access to services, and better local governance. The discussion will also cover experiences from fully planned to spontaneous initiatives towards densification and how they impact social inclusion. Case studies will come from different continents with a special focus on developing countries. The main outcome of the event will be to count with a series of lines of action and tools to help advise cities on how to address the issue of segregation and socio-spatial division.”
(Photo Courtesy: UN-Habitat)