Conference: “Ethics of the Urban: the City and the Spaces of the Political”

Is democracy spatial? How are the physical aspects of our cities, houses, streets, and public spaces the bearers of our values? This conference explores the reciprocal relations between the specific manners of urbanization and politics. It takes as its topoi borders, neighborhoods, monuments…. Bringing designers and scholars together, our hope is to promote new thoughts and opportunities for conceiving and constructing alternative forms of urban environment.
March 2, Friday Evening  |  5:00 —7:00 p.m.  |  Piper Auditorium
Mohsen Mostafavi (GSD)
Introductory Remarks: Agonistic Urbanism
Cities and Citizenship

Saskia Sassen (Columbia)
Keynote Lecture: Immigrants and Citizens in the Global City
Respondent: Homi Bhabha (FAS)
March 3, Saturday  | *10:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m.  |  Stubbins Room
Neil Brenner (GSD)
Introduction: Cities and the Politics of Space
Monuments and Memorials (10:15—11:45)
Antoine Picon, moderator; Erika Naginski (GSD), Michael Arad (Architect, New York), Krzysztof Wodiczko (GSD)
Neighborhoods and Neighborliness (11:45—1:15)
Diane Davis (GSD), moderator; Robert Sampson (FAS, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study), Loïc Wacquant (UC Berkeley), Rahul Mehrotra (GSD)
Public Space and Public Sphere (2:30—4:30)
Charles Waldheim, moderator; George Baird (Dean Emeritus, UToronto), Jerold Kayden (GSD), Alex Krieger (GSD), Gary Hilderbrand (GSD), Lizabeth Cohen (FAS)
Borders and Boundaries (4:30—5:30)
Neil Brenner (GSD), moderator; Richard Sennett (NYU/LSE), Gerald Frug (HLS)
Discussion: The New Spaces of the Political

Photo: Brixton riots, London, April 1981. © Manchester Daily Express/Science and Society.
This is the third in a series of conferences organized by Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the GSD, including Ecological Urbanism (2009) and In the Life of Cities (2011).

Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Public Programs Office at (617) 496-2414 or [email protected] in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for American Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance. Please note that the University will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.

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