Built Environment Symposium

Is there such a thing as a fair city? Or is the urban system in itself a socially and ecologically precarious place? How is the concept of fair urban development understood in Europe, Ghana, India, Thailand, or China? To which extent are fair developments in European countries founded on unfair conditions elsewhere? Based on international examples, the Alpbach Built Environment Symposium will outline the particularities and challenges of fair urban development in the age of globalisation.

In Ghana, the dominance of international investors poses a threat to independent and sustainable urban development. The stark contrast between rich and poor shapes Indian cities. Thailand is increasingly focussing on ecological justice and is encouraging infrastructural concepts to that effect. China, finally, is struggling with the issue of justice in connection with the development of its megacities. For many years, social justice has been at the centre of political debates in European cities. What does the demand for a fair urban development imply for cities like Zurich or Vienna? Experts from the areas of planning, research, architecture, and politics will highlight various present and future perspectives for the concept of fair cities.