Invitation to Symposium in Berlin June 19th and 20th, 2015:
Beware of Smart People!
Redefining the Smart City Paradigm towards Inclusive Urbanism
The current debate about Smart Cities is strongly influenced by technological and application-oriented hard perspectives that predominantly materialize through the insertion of smart infrastructures into existing urban systems. Citizens (as individuals) and urban societies (as bodies) remain passive beneficiaries, end users or consumers.
This smartification of urban management is contrasted by increasing demands made by civil society and urban social movements towards greater inclusion in decision-making: New urban actors acquire new agency through local knowledge, expertise, creativity, social networking skills and collaborative capabilities, or social entrepreneurship.
The symposium addresses the conflictual reality in which Smart City approaches are currently unfolding. International scholars and practitioners will
• Reflect on the “Smart City” as a contested paradigm;
• Shift the discourse towards the notion of the urban as co-produced by many voices;
• Attempt to redefine “Smart City” by putting ordinary citizens as “Smart People” at the core
of the debate.
Confirmed Speakers:
Gautam Bhan (IIHS Bangalore)
Mark Deakin (IIDI Edinburgh)
Adam Greenfield (Urbanscale, London)
Friederike Habermann (Writer)
Gudrun Haindlmaier (TU Wien)
Colin McFarlane (Durham University)
Adegboyega Ojo (NUI Galway)
Saskia Sassen (Columbia University)
Ola Söderström (UNINE)
Alberto Vanolo (UNITO)
Vanessa Watson (University of Cape Town)
The symposium is organized by
TU Dialogue Platform Smart People & Urban Commoning
Jörg Stollmann, Chair for Urban Design & Urbanization
Sybille Frank, Chair for Urban and Regional Sociology
Angela Million, Andreas Brück, Chair for Urban Design & Urban Development
Philipp Misselwitz, Habitat Unit – Chair for International Urbanism and Design
Johanna Schlaack, Center for Metropolitan Studies
Carolin Schröder, Center for Technology and Society
If you are planning to attend the symposium, please register by e-mail before June 10th:
TIMETABLE AND LOCATIONS:
Day 1
Another City is Possible: Practices of the Minimum Viable Utopia
Friday, June 19th, 7 pm
Czech Center / Tschechisches Kulturzentrum, Wilhelmstraße 44, 10117 Berlin
Welcoming address by Christine Ahrend (Vice President for Research, TU Berlin),
Keynote by Adam Greenfield (Urbanscale, London),
with Vanessa Watson (University of Cape Town) as respondent.
Day 2
Redefining the Smart City Paradigm towards Inclusive Urbanism
Saturday, June 20th, 9.30 – 7 pm
TU Berlin, Main building, Lichthof, Straße des 17. Juni 135,
10623 Berlin
9.30 am
Registration
10.00 am – 10.20 am
Introduction by TU Dialogue Platform Smart People & Urban Commoning
10.20 am – 12.20 pm
Session 1:
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION
Urbanizing the Smart City
Chair: Johanna Schlaack / Angela Million / Andreas Brück
Panelists:
Mark Deakin (IIDI Edinburgh),
Saskia Sassen (Columbia University),
Alberto Vanolo (UNITO)
13.30 – 15.30 pm
Session 2:
MANAGEMENT
Smart People and Urban Governance
Smart People and Urban Governance
Chair: Carolin Schröder / Philipp Misselwitz
Panelists:
Gudrun Haindlmaier (TU Wien),
Adegboyega Ojo (NUI Galway),
Ola Söderström (UNINE)
16.00 – 18.00 pm
Session
3:
PRACTICE
3:
PRACTICE
Space Production and Practices of Urban Commoning
Chair: Sybille Frank / Jörg Stollmann
Panelists:
Gautam Bhan (IIHS Bangalore),
Friederike Habermann (Writer),
Colin McFarlane (Durham University)
18.15 pm
Final Roundtable
Path to the Possible 