Urban Research: Living ‘together-in-difference’ in multicultural cities with Professor Gill Valentine
How should we create cities where people despite all their differences could live together in equity and justice? The question of living ‘together-in-difference’ has been among the main challenges to the current urban planning projects – both in academia and practice. Accordingly, there has been a dominant trend laying high expectations on daily encounters in the so called ‘meeting places’ as a mediator of group differences and to combat segregation. In this Urban Research, we critically reflect on the expectations of establishing meaningful interpersonal and intercultural ties between strangers in multicultural cities. We try to argue why the question of living together in difference cannot be reduced merely to spatial encounters and planning for ‘meeting places’.
A presentation on Geographies of Encounters, by professor Gill Valentine, will be followed by a moderated discussion. The topic lines of the seminar will be introduced and problematised by researcher Mohammad Sarraf, IBF Uppsala University.
Gill Valentine is professor of geography and deputy vice-chancellor of Sheffield University. Professor Valentine’s research is focused in three interconnected areas: social identities and belonging; childhood and family life; and urban cultures and consumption.
Mohammad Sarraf is a researcher at IBF Uppsala University, and an urban planning consultant at WSP, Stockholm. His research focuses on multiculturalism in urban planning.
The debate will be introduced and moderated by Henrietta Palmer, artistic professor of Urban design, Chalmers University of Technology and dept. scientific director Mistra Urban Futures.
We are welcoming researchers, planners and other practitioners working cross the fields of migration studies, urban planning and urban justice.
Date: 13th of December 2018
Place: Vasa C, Chalmers tekniska högskola, Vera Sandbergs allé 8, Göteborg
Tram stop: Kapellplatsen
Time: 14:30 –16:30 with a coffee break
Last date for registration: 10th of December
Programme
14.30 Welcome and introduction, artistic professor Henrietta Palmer
14:40 Introduction to the theme, discussant Mohamad Sarraf
15:00 Proximity and difference – Geographies of encounter, professor Gill Valentine
15:45 Moderated discussion with the two speakers and the audience
