HOUSED by CHOICE, HOUSED by FORCE - Homes, Conflicts and Conflicting Interests
The need to be housed is basic and yet, the forces that produce it in any city of the world are complicated, multiple, contradictory and often conflictive. In a place such as the city that hosts this conference, Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, this complexity is obvious. Located in the easternmost part of Europe and the western part of the Middle East it is the only remaining divided capital in the world and still operates with two separate national currencies.
Taking as its starting point the complexity of its host city, this conference seeks to understand the range of interests and factors that shape the housing of our towns and how these affect issues of social inclusion, sustainable development and multi-cultural environments. In contexts of inevitable conflicting interests it seeks to understand how we engage and safeguard the rights, voices and needs of residents through design, research, technology, consultation etc.
To this end, it welcomes cases studies, theoretical papers, project documentation and research findings from architects, sociologists, planners, technologists, resident groups and others.
Keynotes:
- Howayda Harithy. Lebanon. Professor of Architecture at the American University of Beirut.
- David Waterhouse. UK . Head of Strategic Planning. CABE (Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment)
Publications: Books and journal special issues. Architecture_MPS ISSN 2050-9006
Theme:
Taking as its starting point the social, political, cultural and economic complexity of its host city, this conference seeks to understand the range of conflicting interests and factors that shape the housing of our towns and cities in both normal and extreme scenarios. It is interested in international cases from politically charged environments of military conflict zones to the socially conflictive contexts of developer led gentrification; from local resident initiatives to globally applicable deign ideas.
Although hosted in a particular geopolitical setting, the issues dealt with resonate further afield and the conference welcomes presentations from any part of the world. Responding to the need for social inclusion, sustainable development, multi-cultural environments and even the latest developments in sciences and technology, this conference will re-think the role of choice and accident in the production of housing and the built environment. It will consider the perspective of developers, architects and politicians
- It seeks to better understand how we safeguard the right to choose appropriate housing for all our citizens?
- How we ensure residents have a voice in design and development?
- How we guarantee adequate housing is is always an option?…
- and how we overcome conflicts and conflicting interests to do this?
Formats:
The conference welcomes case studies; design proposals, research projects, investigative papers and theoretical considerations presented in various formats:
- Conference Presentations (20 minutes)
- Written Papers (3,000 words)
- Alternative Proposals Pecha Kucha; short films; photo essays etc.
- In-person and virtual presentations (via Skype, etc.) are welcome.
Email: admin[at]architecturemps.com
The conference is organised by Architecture_MPS and the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Institute and forms part of a broader program of international events, Housing – Critical Futures1
- 1. http://architecturemps.com/housing-critical-futures/