Webinar “Planning Disrupted”
UPDATE 8 JUNE: The “Planning Disrupted!” webinar tomorrow is fully booked and the registration is closed since this morning. The interest in the webinar’s topic has been tremendous, and we are planning new online activities in the near future. Check our website soon for a summary of this event and information on upcoming webinars and online activities!
Join us on Tuesday, 9th of June at 11.00 CET at the “Planning Disrupted” webinar for an interactive take on the next steps in urban resilience and (disrupted) global planning. Together with the collaborating partners from South Africa (eThekwini Municipality, SACN – South African Cities Network, SALGA – South African Local Governments Association, SAPI – South African Planning Institute and MILA) ISOCARP will defy critical thematic areas pertinent to urban planning during COVID-19 crisis across cities and regions. Practitioners, planning organisations, individuals and academia are welcome to join the “Planning Disrupted!” and formulate what kind of policy, planning and design actions should be undertaken in our cities, in South Africa and city of Durban in particular. What conclusions can we draw from the first wave of the pandemic, and how to move forward in a better way?
The webinar will start with a kick-off presentation of the ISOCARP UPAT workshop for the inner-city renewal of Durban. The results of this collaborative UPAT workshop between urban planning professionals of Ethekwini Municipality and ISOCARP experts are bundled in the PLAN Magazine publication. The kick-off presentation will showcase several possible approaches to inner-city renewal, from new mobility schemes towards greater walkability (the “road diets”) to some new design typologies and relevant financial instruments to spur more mixed-use, better social housing and quality upgrade of the inner-city public space.
The webinar will then move to the five Breakout Sessions, which will offer an interactive, broad and moderated discussion on the following topics:
1. Planning Practice in the Time Of Flux – moderated by SALGA and SACN.
The Session will deliberate on the changes and disruptions that are happening on the municipal level planning related to COVID, and take a concrete look what could be the new norms, the new leaderships and new formats for planning emerging from the crisis.
2. Dark Side of Planning Disruption – moderated by SAPI
Dark Side of Planning Disruption will reveal the “dangers” facing planning practice, such as increasing inequality and growing bureaucracy as results of primary Covid responses. How to deal with the “low resilience capacity” of the established planning schemes and processes? Mirror, mirror on the wall – what kind of planning we need for all?
3. Reset Opportunity for Density and Land-Use Planning – moderated by eThekwini Municipality
“Density Wars” seem to be at the heart of the post-COVID planning discussions. But if we can’t reset the existing frameworks of planning for more flexibility, simplicity and inclusivity NOW – when then? The Session will also reflect and re-prioritize what is of importance in land use planning for the inner city of Durban – through the lens of COVID.
4. Public Spaces as Life Line for Cities – moderated by ISOCARP
How can public spaces adapt in the times of uncertainty, and will we be able to reclaim them after the quarantine restrictions? Location and scale of public spaces matter, as well as their contribution to more resilient, inclusive and just city. What kind of role will public space have for the next inner-city making?
5. Relevant and Supportive National Planning – moderated by ISOCARP and SAPI
The crisis has revealed the bigger need for comprehensive planning on the highest, national level, covering primarily health facilities, housing, shelters, and all kind of supporting functions. The globalisation should not become the norm after the COVID crisis, and new economic pathways need to be found. Can urban data help establish relevant and supportive national (and local) planning and how? What kind of cross-sectoral collaborations we need?
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or proposals for upcoming sessions.