For this keynote session, we are glad to feature a presentation by Ayona Datta, Professor in Human Geography at University College London – her research interests lie in the politics of urban transformations in the global south, with a particular focus on the intersectionality of gender and citizenship. Ayona’s presentation will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Nanna Verhoef, Professor of Screen Cultures & Society in the Department of Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University and Michiel de Lange, Assistant Professor in New Media Studies, Department of Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University. All sessions of the MAB20 Program will be held via Zoom, recorded, and made available on our online conference platform after each session. All recordings will stay available on-demand for MAB20 attendees until August 1st. More details about the keynote presentations, speakers and moderators are described below.
TITLE OF PRESENTATION
Learning from Small Cities in the Global South
DESCRIPTION
What can we learn from small cities in a digital urban age? Using the lens of speed, scale and size as defining practices of urban ‘futuring’, it will argue that while small cities constitute the primary sites of urbanisation in the global south, the increased focus on smart technologies to accelerate their influence and reach presents significant roadblocks to sustainable futures. The talk will conclude that while speed is an illusion, size still matters, and it is thus important to rethink ‘smart’ by rebuilding its scalar logics in small cities.
Ayona Datta
Keynote Speaker
Professor at UCL. Her work focuses on the intersections of postcolonial urbanism, smart cities, regional futures and gendered citizenship in the global south.
Nanna Verhoeff
Nanna Verhoeff is Professor of Screen Cultures & Society in the Department of Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University
Michiel de Lange
Assistant Professor in New Media Studies at Utrecht University and co-founder of The Mobile City