Kategorie: 2020

  • The future of our urban parks and greenspaces

    The future of our urban parks and greenspaces

    The value of parks needs to be rethought in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. “People are now beginning to see the value of parks.” This was a central message from New York City Parks Convenor Mitchell Silver, during our public conversation on Zoom on 25 June 2020, as part of the Cockburn Association campaign…

  • Parks, Heritage and the Future of Cities: my talks next week

    A busy week ahead. I have a number of online events coming up, which may be of interest to followers of this website. On Friday morning, 19 June, I am speaking in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation Virtual School.  The theme of this event is Old Towns: New Futures – Heritage Reflections and Speculations from a Global…

  • Covid 19 in rapidly urbanising countries

    UN Habitat has published its response to the serious problems posed by the pandemic in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Arabic countries. Over 95% of Covid 19 cases are in urban areas. There are 1 billion people living in informal settlements, and 2.4 billion people lack adequate access to safe water and sanitation.…

  • Elites treat the poor as disposable citizens – CV19 in India

    Dispatch from Delhi on the CV19 crisis in India’s cities. „The COVID-19 pandemic is deepening the existing ruthless and exclusionary practices in India’s big cities, where elites  treat the poor as ‘disposable citizens’ clearly evident when we see thousands of poor migrants being stranded in the middle of nowhere, whereas the upper-class people continue to…

  • WUF10 – Global Planning Aid

    I am going to participate in the tenth World Urban Forum, in Abu Dhabi 8-13 February 2020. At the WUF I will be speaking in a Networking Event hosted by PAS and ISOCARP. We will be launching the idea of Global Planning Aid in Hall 2, Room 5 on Wednesday 12 February from 2-4pm local time. All are welcome to attend. The aim is to…

  • Growth and the commercialisation of public space in Edinburgh

    Growth and the commercialisation of public space in Edinburgh

    A major controversy has developed in Edinburgh over a huge development that was allowed to go ahead in the World Heritage Site without planning permission. The London-based event organisers Underbelly have a contract with Edinburgh’s city council who are paying them a reported £800,000 to stage a Christmas Market and a series of events around…