Lecture 1 | International Cycle THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
From: 2019-10-14 To:2019-10-14
Thematic Line
Modern & Contemporary Philosophy
Research Group
Philosophy & Public Space
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
14th October 2019 | 18h30
CASA COMUM, Reitoria da Universidade do Porto
LECTURE 1
CITIES WITHOUT INHABITANTS AND THE ERASURE OF THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
CIDADES SEM HABITANTES E A DISSOLUÇÃO DO DIREITO À CIDADE
Sharon Meagher
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Philosophy at Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY, USA.
Co-founder and co-chair of the Public Philosophy Network.
Abstract: In this talk, I will examine the contemporary phenomenon of cities being built speculatively in the hopes of attracting global capital in the race to achieve global city status. Not all cities achieve global city status, and the result are cities that remain largely empty of inhabitants. Unlike “ghost towns” that were once lively with inhabitants and then abandoned, these new “ghost cities,” were never inhabited, as the infrastructure (especially iconic skyscrapers) were built at a scale that far exceeded the number of inhabitants. I will discuss three cases: Doha, Qatar, Kigali, Rwanda, and New York’s new “city within a city” Hudson Yards. What happens to claims to the right to the city if there are few inhabitants to claim it? I argue that the dire effects of global cities—particularly these ghost cities—including rising inequalities, dislocations of peoples, growing environmental hazards --demand that philosophers pay attention to what is happening on the ground. And in doing so, we philosophers might both transform our thinking about philosophical methodology and key concepts while also finding better ways to locate and stop social injustices and enable urban dwellers to claim and realize their rights to the city.
FLYER
More information: https://ppscic2019-2020.wixsite.com/righttothecity
International Cycle of Lectures | The Right to the City 2019-2020: https://ifilosofia.up.pt/activities/international-cycle-of-lectures-right-to-the-city
Organização:
Research Group Philosophy and Public Space
Apoio técnico, divulgação e comunicação: Irandina Afonso | Isabel Marques
Instituto de Filosofia da Universidade do Porto - FIL/00502
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia