Sustainable Futures Conference: Architecture and Urbanism in the Global South

Date: 27.06.2012 - 30.06.2012

Background

As we enter the second decade of the current millennium, we find ourselves in a world where the majority of humanity reside in urban areas. As urbanisation continues, we should pose and seek answers to questions about the future of these urban areas and the decisions that need to be taken to ensure that they are sustainable in a rapidly changing world.

The nature of architecture and urbanism in the Global South presents us with an opportunity to evaluate global challenges related to urban sustainability from a new perspective. Are there lessons here for architects, landscape architects and urban designers? Can there be a productive transfer of best practice principles from south to north, south to south, as well as north to south? Certainly, the ever-increasing number of inter-country exchange programmes, studio projects, and design-build projects set in the Global South, from India, to South America and across Africa, suggest that there are lessons that can be taught and learnt. These projects, set to help urban and rural societies with infrastructure and technological transfer, also aid the transfer of knowledge back to the participants, related to sustainable futures at different scales - from individual buildings to the district and urban-scales.

Changes in the nature of architecture and urban infrastructure are having an impact on the way people live and work, with possible implications for the future viability and sustainability of urban centres. As we think of the nature of urban areas across the globe, how can we develop them to be sustainable into the future? How can the rapid growth of urban areas in the Global South, often erratic and based on unsustainable practices and principles, seek to avoid the inevitable negative consequences of such growth?

The Conference

The Conference aims to address these aspects of urban development with emphasis on the practice and principles of sustainability as they relate to architecture and urbanism, particularly in the Global South. The conference aims to provide a forum to examine and discuss architecture and urbanism and to stimulate debate and discourse on its future in the context of sustainability. The conference will seek to initiate dialogue, reflecting on the developments in architecture and urbanism, and how these can relate to a sustainable future.

Who Should Attend?

This Conference is relevant to Built Environment professionals interested in the future and sustainability of our built environments, with particular reference to the Global South. These include architects, landscape architects, urban planners, urban designers, engineers, educators, and researchers, as well as professionals in allied fields such as real estate, environmental design and construction. Active participation by Master and PhD students is encouraged.

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