Archis in Zagreb
A bit last notice, but better late than never. Archis Intervention’s Kai Voeckler (who recently published Prishtina is Everywhere and Arjen Oosterman will be in Zagreb present at the conference: The Neoliberal Frontline: Urban Struggles in Post-Socialist Societies (from 4 till 7 dec). The conference is part of the Operation: City 2008 program.
The Neoliberal Frontline is an international conference aimed to reflect on transformations of cities, urban landscapes and urban governance in Croatian and other post-socialist societies in the Eastern Europe at a moment of urgency when the development of cities in those societies increasingly comes under pressure of neoliberal policies and economic overexploitation of space.
The conference will take stock of the following issues: effects of globalization and transition in the context of East-European cities, introduction of neoliberal governance instruments, city-planning policies damaging public interest for the benefit of business, dismantling of process of citizen participation, urban struggles against disfranchisement of citizens and cultural practices contesting privatization of public space.
Many of the developments that can be observed in East-European cities resemble urban developments in Western societies in the post-industrial and globalizing 80-ties and 90-ties, yet are characterized by particularities of post-socialist transition - a transition marked by democratic deficits, corruption of public governance, failed privatization of economy and now economic pressures on space.
And while developments in the Western societies are well researched, there is not much research and reflection available on the developments in post-socialist societies. This occasion will provide an opportunity for international scholars, researchers, urbanists, urban activist groups, cultural practitioners and local initiatives to look into those early research efforts and expand on them with first-hand accounts from the participating actors. (…more info and program)
