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Caring Cities: Reshaping urban areas around care

date June 27, 2022 | 16:30 - 18:00
place
ICC: Voices from Cities Room A
organization
Bogota Mayor's Office
country
Colombia
language
Polish, Spanish, English, French + CART
theme
Equitable urban futures
Reference: 
VC-A 2

Summary

Reshaping cities around care means putting at the center of urban planning and policy the conditions to ensure the well-being of the people, the planet, and democracy. “Care” not only offers an opportunity to transform the way we approach people's well-being, as it has traditionally been framed but also to rethink our relationship with the planet and our democracy. The vision of a caring city allows approaching urban areas not only as territories of production and consumption but also as spaces for the exercise of citizen rights and as places of care, protection, and resilience of our planet. Future cities need to be caring cities. Under its traditional definition, a caring city recognizes the social value of care work. Care work encompasses activities that improve, both on a day-to-day basis and over generations, the physical and mental well-being of people. It includes the daily tasks of managing and sustaining life, such as health, education and training, and maintaining social relationships, among others. Under an overarching and innovative approach to care, cities can be designed and built to guarantee the right to the city and, consequently, access to a healthy and sustainable environment for all inhabitants. This implies recognizing and transforming the conventional logic of urban planning and design towards a holistic and multisectoral approach that uses care as a transversal and cohesive element connecting gender, housing, mobility, and environmental policies, among others. The event "Caring Cities: Reshaping Urban Areas Around Care" will offer a space for dialogue and reflection about the use of care as a comprehensive approach to planning and policies, by inviting speakers and experts to share experiences and views in regards to the relationship between care and topics like gender, habitat, planning, mobility, and environment. The discussion will revolve around two questions: how to plan and develop cities that foster care? how to build caring cities? The event will include a diverse panel including different institutional, geographic and thematic perspectives. Proposed agenda: 1. Introduction (15 mins): Claudia Lopez, Mayor of Bogota 2. Care and Habitat (10-12 mins): Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, UN-Habitat 3. Care and Urban Planning (10-12 mins): Ricky Burdett, LSE Cities 4. Care and the Natural Environment (10-12 mins): Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown 5. Care and Mobility (10-12 mins): TBC 6. Conclusions (10 mins)

Objectives

The overall objective of this event is to raise awareness and advance in the use of care as a guiding principle (taking as a starting point the New Urban Agenda) to develop holistic and more comprehensive planning and designing of our cities, and to promote access to the right to the city. Additionally, specific objectives include: 1. Gather international visions and experiences on the key aspects for designing cities around the overarching framework of care, through a diverse panel of experts and experiences. 2. Agree on a roadmap to move towards more inclusive, participatory, green, and economically prosperous cities where gender equality is recognized and valued. 3. Build synergies and strategic alliances to foster caring cities that support the fulfillment of the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. 4. Set forward a Caring Cities Declaration, supported by an international community of practice that contributes to mainstream care as an integral element for the New Urban Agenda.

Session speakers

Speaker
Role
Organization
Country
Ms. Claudia Lopez
Mayor
Bogota Mayor's Office
Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif
Executive Director
UN-Habitat
Mr. Ricky Burdett
Director
LSE Cities
Ms. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Mayor
Freetown Mayor's Office