May 18, Alkemade lectures as part of the meeting critical challenges in migration at the UN
On May 18, Floris Alkemade, the Chief Of Government Architect, will give a lecture at the UN in New York. This lecture is a part of the meeting ‘Critical Challenges In Migration’.
This event (2 – 4 PM) is open to the public, you can register here.
Mass migrations, regardless of whether the cause is conflicts, lack of economic opportunity or violent extremism, result in major displacements and human suffering. Therefore, we are faced with the question of how to host large numbers of people on a temporary basis. These temporary arrangements often become permanent. Attention should be paid to how people are settled but settlements must be planned to function for a very long time and be able to expand and contract during their existence. It is hoped that individuals and families will be accommodated in more permanent settlement within the larger community.
Those living in temporary housing or makeshift settlements need access to public space, education and basic healthcare. These essential needs are the very things that make a city habitable and are even more critical in such situations.
Therefore, planning for temporary or emergency settlements needs to pay particular attention to the physical and social needs as a way of starting the process of healing from a life of suffering, frustration and denial. We must usher in an era for making environments that nourish the body and the soul.
The strategies of addressing the causes for migration are political and economic. It cannot be done in time and scale sufficient to prevent the mass exodus of large numbers of people that is taking place today and beyond. Instead, we must focus on how to create circumstances that permit living rather than surviving for displaced people. This program will look at the phenomena from the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goal 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
UN-Habitat and Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU), partnering with International Organization of Migration, AIANY, and Network 11 will provide a forum for discussion and a call for action. This program will document, collect,and relate efforts by many with an eye to creating a clear set of principles and checklists that will help in creating conditions conducive to living rather than intermittent housing. It will explore best practices and solutions to build sustainable communities and achieve a positive outcome to today’s critical migration challenge spanning many continents.
Please arrive at least 40 minutes prior to start of the conference, because of security procedure.
Floris Alkemade (1961) finished his studies in engineering in 1989 at the technical university in Delft. After his studies he worked at the O.M.A. (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), an international operating architects organization, which operates worldwide. Floris got titled as Chief of Goverment Architecture in September 2015. He combines his work as an architect, and urban planner with lectures, and education.