One of the things that they illustrate (as shown above) is the percentage of ethnic minority and women speaking in a selected sample of ‘recent’ (2008) conferences and festivals on the topic of cities.
In their short and graphical analysis they highlight that ‘theories and policies that shape our cities are created, delivered and measured by a limited and self referential group of people’ (1).
It is interesting to notice that in all the selected events (with the exception of the ‘TINAG festival’) the participation of women or minorities group speakers is not more than a quarter of the whole of the speakers (and more than once stays below 5%), particularly if we realize that 51% of London’s population are women (2005 data) and almost 30% are from non-white ethnic groups (2004 data) (2).
Together with what has been happening in the physical planning of cities, it seems that also when discussing cities problems ‘public participation’ has become a common term. A term that in the majority of cases is no more than a vague figure of speech…
Although some graphics and captions are more into aesthetics than into real quantitative understanding, I found this an interesting way of illustrating the degree of democracy existing in current discussions of our cities (and particularly in such a diverse place as London). Maybe it is possible to make a direct comparison with the degree of democracy in physical urban planning…that I find mostly ‘insufficient’ and ‘dominated’ by a few.
Consequently, not only events ‘like these’ are needed (1), and ‘there is no doubt the “urban conference circuit” needs to be turned upside down’ (1), but more importantly (in my opinion) ‘statistical’ representations like these should be promoted, so that we know from where we are speaking when looking for more democratic and diverse alternatives for the whole planning system.

References:
(1) http://thisisnotagateway.squarespace.com/storage/2008%20Statistics%20TINAG.pdf
(2) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fol2007/Focus_on_London_2007.pdf

In a yearning for urban modernization some European cities have been promoting processes of urban intervention and forgetting the existing ways of life and of use of those spaces. Processes of participatory democracy have been reduced to simple information/auscultation not allowing any kind of response to the needs of those who live (and sometime always lived) in the spaces intervened. The case of Barcelona’s ‘Bon Pastor’ is an example of calling for a way of doing things differently…

Here is a challenge for those who like me feel that an alternative is needed:

“In the last years, Bon Pastor’s neighbourhood in Barcelona, has been living a transformation process due to the “Renovation Plan” adopted in 2003. This plan implies the complete demolition of 784 social houses (known as “Casas Baratas”) built in 1929, and the relocation of all the tenants in new apartments. The urban project has generated contrasted opinions, dividing the neighbourhood between those who support the plan, those who strongly reject it, and those who accept it due to the lack of other alternatives.

In this context, the International Alliance of Inhabitants (AIH) calls for a competition of ideas for the neighbourhood. The purpose is to offer /provide new alternatives for Bon Pastor’s transformation, and thus open up the debate on other ways to build the city and the urbanism that prevails nowadays.” (Source)

If you are interest in knowing more about this process and the above cited competition, visit http://repensarbonpastor.wordpress.com/.

[REMEMBERANCE OF SMELLS PAST. A BBC World Service programme]

“How do smells impact on memories and emotions? Science is unraveling how a whiff of perfume or a newly mown lawn can offer us a free ticket back to our childhood.”

[SOUND ARCHITECTURE, A BBC World Service programme]

“Professor Trevor Cox, science broadcaster and acoustic engineer explores the idea of aural architecture – architecture for your ears.

Now, through new technology and a new way of thinking, acousticians and architects are working together to create spaces that both function better but also look good too.”