THE GLOBAL URBAN LAB

An earlier version of this text was previously published in the “Manifesto for the Just City”, volume 1.

The Global Urban Lab is a communication and action platform, which is part of the TU Delft | Global Initiative. Our goal is to bring visibility and articulation to TU Delft staff and students doing work on urbanisation in the Global South (Low and Middle Income Settings). Next to hosting discussions, lectures and events, the Global Urban Lab predominantly wants to connect and build knowledge: serving as a platform throughout all faculties, schools, and departments for researchers and practitioners to meet, learn and collaborate in a transdisciplinary manner. In a context of social, political and environmental unrest, there is an urgent need for developing alternative solutions and relations on a global scale. Therefore, the Global Urban Lab wants to share alternative views and knowledge without the traditional Global North centrism, in order to create a positive collaboration between different areas of the planet. From a wider perspective, the idea of “urban” includes a broad multiplicity of sites, forms and scales, from the most remote settlements up to global metropolises. This approach sees urbanisation as a process, not as a goal or fixed category, that overcomes and increasingly diffuses the traditional divide between ‘the rural’ versus ‘the urban’. The platform aims to actively seek the connection outside of the academic realm, proposing itself as a space for experimentation and action, informing public, private and civic initiatives of innovative research happening at TU Delft. For more information, please visit:

globalurbanlab.org

ROTTERDAM

THE NETHERLANDS

THE SPATIAL JUSTICE NETWORK

PROFESSOR RUSSELL SMITH, WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY, NC, USA

An earlier version of this text was previously published in the “Manifesto for the Just City”, volume 1.

This is a network of teachers and researchers concerned with issues of spatial justice. The network was intiated by myself at Winston-Salem Universty in North Carolina, US. It seeks to develop an international and interdisciplinary Spatial Justice community to advance the theory of spatial justice through the development of concepts and methods by which spatial justice can be explored individually and comparatively. This network builds upon existing (but limited) research on spatial justice through the inclusion of scholars/researchers engaged in spatial justice research from across the globe. Through a united, directed and organised network the goal of advancing the field of study related to spatial justice can be reached.

For the past several decades, spatial justice has been presented as a conceptual framework to understand and address the grave inequalities facing cities, countries and continents. However, while the concept holds much promise, the theory of spatial justice is under explored and the methods by which spatial justice can be studied are in need of development. The SJ Network is envisioned to be an entity that will develop conceptual and methodological innovations in spatial justice research through a collaborative process which engages scholars and researchers from around the world (currently over 90 scholars/researchers at 30 institutions intend to participate). The SJ Network will contribute to the development of new research and educational practices that will expand the concept of spatial justice, bringing it into curriculums around the world in a coordinated way. Specifically, the SJ Network will seek to build knowledge in the following areas: best practices for support of spatial justice education and practice; respectful ways to do community-based research using both qualitative and quantitative scientific research methods; research projects that are community inspired and of significance for communities of color and disadvantaged communities; and innovative undergraduate and graduate development programs and strategies.

These activities will lead to a fuller understanding of the theory of spatial justice, develop new methodologies for applying/examining spatial justice and establish a mechanism by which spatial justice can be measured. The use of interdisciplinary and international collaboration envisioned in this RCN will result in the creation of a comparative model through which spatial justice can be more fully explored, and generate a repository of ideas and methodologies for teaching, learning and researching spatial justice.

AHMEDABAD