Climate Change and Urban Poverty - Infrastructures of Development
28 January 2009, BRAC Centre Auditorium, Dhaka, Bangladesh
An international conference convened by:
At BRAC University:
BRAC Development Institute
Department of Architecture
At the University of Manchester:
Brooks World Poverty InstituteBruntwood Initiative for Sustainable Cities, Manchester Architecture Research
Centre Global Urban Research Centre
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 15 November 2008
Call for Papers is now closed
1. Background
There is now widespread agreement that global warming is taking place, and that the lives of the poor will be, and already are, negatively affected. Knowledge about the processes that will drive change, and the policies that would help poor people adapt to these changes, remains limited. This is particularly the case for the urban poor who, over the course of the next 25 years, will become the majority of the world's poor people. In this context, the identification of best practice in how cities are designed, built, managed and occupied will be a key factor in shaping the well-being of the poor.
2. Conference Goals
The conference has 3 main goals:
- To raise the awareness of policymakers and public about the need to protect poor people from the harm wrought by global climate change, particularly in Bangladesh.
- To deepen understanding of the ways in which climate change will impact on the lives of the urban poor and contribute to urban planning policies and governance structures.
- To identify policies and practices to effectively adapt low-income urban Bangladesh to climate change.
3. Conference Participation
The conference has 2 main audiences:
- Reflective practitioners who have a fundamental interest in designing, implementing or funding policies and programmes related to the adaptation of low-income urban areas to the effects of climate change, and who are contributing to knowledge creation. This may includes policymakers, managers, NGO and CBO workers, the staff of donor agencies, consultants and volunteers.
- Scholar practitioners who are engaged in applied research and action including social scientists, anthropologists, architects, engineers, environmentalists, hydrologists and urban planners.
4. Conference Themes
Key note speakers and conference participants will present papers examining different means of adapting to the multiple consequences of climate change for the urban poor. Themes thus may include, but aren't limited to, the nexus between climate change, urban poverty and:
- Health, water and sanitation
- The built environment, including housing and transport infrastructure
- Urban governance
- Urban social movements
- Rural-to-urban migration and environmental refugees
- Urban livelihoods
- Finance for urban adaptation
5. Conference Organisation
To register for the conference you need to complete the application form (download here as Word document). Please email your form, and any questions, to Shahana Siddiqui at sshahana@bracuniversity.ac.bd.
In November, a background paper will be sent to all delegates, and accepted abstracts and final conference papers will be posted on the conference website in December. The conference itself will consist of plenary and parallel sessions involving both formal papers and round table discussions. The conference materials will be used to produce various types of communications materials for a wide range of audiences to achieve conference goals.
6. Conference Timetable
- 15 November 2008 - Deadline for submission of abstracts and ideas for panels
- 30 November 2008 - Confirmation of acceptances
- 21 December 2008 - Deadline for submission of papers
- 9 January 2009 - All papers on conference website
- 28 January 2009 - Conference