Pt.Talks Events

© Raffael Beier

Resettlement linked to disaster prevention, urban renewal, or infrastructure construction has become a major global trend in (Southern) urban planning. To date, resettlement has been theorised through development studies and refugee studies, but urban resettlement is also a major dimension of urban development in the Global South and may help to rethink contemporary urban dynamics between spectacular new town developments and rising incidences of eviction and displacement. Conceptualising resettlement as a binding notion between production/regeneration and destruction/demolition of urban space helps to analyse displacement, relocation, and reinstallation together through a focus on lived experiences that reveal the inextricability of these processes. These three dimensions contained in the notion of resettlement invite us to adopt a mid- or long-term perspective to the study of urban resettlement, leading us to analyse the production and destruction of urban space as connected, often overlapping, and diverse lived experiences. Introducing such renewed conceptualisations of urban resettlement, this lecture make use of empirical insights from Ethiopia, Morocco and South Africa to zoom in on three sub-themes of resettlement: 1) a political re-ordering of space and the relationships between resettled residents and the state, 2) practices of un-homing and re-homing under constraint, and 3) the notion of time.

© unsplash

Leveraging the benefits provided by nature can help mitigate many of the environmental and social challenges resulting from rapid urbanization and contribute to positive health and sustainability outcomes. These benefits, referred to as ecosystem services, have garnered much attention in recent years. Yet there remain gaps in the understanding of urban cultural ecosystem services (CES), or the intangible benefits people gain from ecosystems, including opportunities for recreation, restoration, and aesthetic appreciation.

With my research, I aim to further the understanding of CES supply and demand interactions and inequalities in an urban context. Using a Public Participation GIS survey tool, I introduce new approaches and spatially explicit methodologies for assessing CES supply and demand “mismatches.”

This research is conducted in the Brussels Capital Region, which is a uniquely diverse and segregated context. Previous research has already shown that vegetation is unequally distributed in the region, to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable groups.

The findings of this research reveal otherwise hidden inequalities in access to valued urban green space experiences. This research can help to nuance how we understand and measure people’s use and experience of essential urban nature spaces and, moreover, how we assess inequalities in green space provision. Although they have their limitations, Public Participation GIS tools present great opportunities for better understanding green space quality and accessibility, from the perspective of users themselves.

© A. Witting; de.freepik.com; bearbeitet von: K. Blauert

In her talk, Julia Binder will address the concept of transformation, understood as fundamental socio-spatial change in relation to digitalization. Digital processes describe dynamics with multidimensional effects, both manifested in space and time. She will argue that digital transformation is characterized by spatial non-simultaneity, meaning different speeds in the implementation of ICT in various spatial settings, focusing on the role of public and private key actors in rural regions, the so-called "digital pioneers.“

Findings show how circular solutions cut CO₂ emissions and primary resource usage while simultaneously introducing new interdependences. When previously widely available by-products alter or disappear because of technological advancements and industrial decarbonization, new challenges appear. Cross-sectoral symbiotic ties however also provide basic framework for compensating or actively addressing these challenges. The findings feed into the debate on local and regional solutions of circularity as well as literature on path transformation and regional economic adaptability.