Guest: Prof. Dr. Michael Neuman, Professor of Sustainable Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Westminster.
The very possibility of governance that is critical — in terms of providing robust human rights, meaningful participative democracy, equitable distribution of wealth, goods and services, and strong environmental protection — is being severely tested in this neoliberal age. Evidence abounds on both sides of the question. Many small scale initiatives are bubbling up to fill the voids created as the result of the multiple failures of mainstream institutions in all sectors of society to maintain a long-standing social contract to protect individuals from harm and to advance the public good. This lecture addresses some key issues to consider when designing and redesigning governance institutions to promote the common welfare, focusing on infrastructures.
You missed this NSL Colloquium on 14 November 2019? The lecture is now online!
Kurzbeschrieb in Deutsch
Sind integrierte Infrastruktur-Netze in modernen Stadtregionen umsetzbar?
Die Möglichkeit einer entscheidenden Governance – zur Gewährleistung robuster Menschenrechte, einer sinnvollen partizipativen Demokratie, einer gerechten Verteilung von Reichtum, Gütern und Dienstleistungen und einem starken Umweltschutz – wird in diesem neoliberalen Zeitalter auf eine harte Probe gestellt. Für beide Seiten der Problematik gibt es reichlich Beweise. Viele kleine Initiativen suchen die Lücken zu schliessen, die durch das mehrfache Scheitern etablierter Institutionen in allen Bereichen der Gesellschaft entstanden sind, um den seit langem bestehenden Sozialvertrag zum Schutz von Einzelpersonen aufrechtzuerhalten und das Gemeinwohl zu fördern. Dieser Vortrag befasst sich mit einigen Schlüsselfragen, die beim Entwurf und der Neugestaltung von Governance-Institutionen zur Förderung des Gemeinwohls mit Schwerpunkt auf Infrastrukturen zu berücksichtigen sind.
Michael Neuman
Michael Neuman is Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at the University of Westminster and principal of the Michael Neuman Consultancy. Professor Neuman is the author of numerous articles, reports, and plans that have been translated into ten languages and recipients of numerous awards. His books include three being published by Routledge over the next year: Engendering Cities, Sustainable Infrastructure, and the Handbook for Regional Design, as well as The Futures of the City Region, The Imaginative Institution, and Building California´s Future. His research and practice span urbanism, planning, design, engineering, sustainability, infrastructure and governance. He has advised the mayors of Barcelona, San Francisco, Oakland, and Wroclaw; the Regional Plan Association of New York, the Barcelona Metropolitan Plan, and governments and private clients around the world. His leadership roles have spanned organisations, governing boards and editorial boards across the globe. He earned his doctorate from UC Berkeley and masters from the University of Pennsylvania, both in City and Regional Planning.