International conference in in the context of the Berlin Senate’s program “Thinking ahead for equal opportunities”

Equal opportunities, planning, participation: For whom, by whom, how?

Like many other European cities, Berlin faces major urban development challenges, particularly in terms of the supply of housing and safeguarding affordable rents. It is essential that the Senate’s urban development policies take account of the variety of citizens’ needs in terms of gender diversity, lifestyles, age and origins. To do this in a participatory way requires skill in both professional planning and equal opportunities, and this combination constitutes a challenge for the municipalities.

In this context the Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment, in cooperation with the Senate Department for Labour, Integration and Women’s Office for Equal Opportunities, invites you to ‘Future City – Diverse City’, an international conference to be held on October 24th and 25th 2013 under the patronage of Permanent State Secretary Ephraim Gothe. This conference is an activity to implement the Berlin Model for Equal Opportunities.

The conference provides an opportunity to:

• explore how Berlin uses planning to promote diversity and equal opportunities in the city
• learn from international experience with gender-diversity sensitive and participatory processes in different fields of urban development,
• discuss Berlin’s urban development challenges with local and international experts, in particular from a gender diversity perspective
• share experiences in dealing with gender diversity in academic and planning contexts.

Designing the ‘future city’ is a cross-generational challenge, so we also invite you to discuss with us ‘laboratory results’ from two university seminars to be held in the run-up to the conference, which will explicitly include a gender diversity perspective.

The conference is suitable for members of staff of public administrations, urban and landscape planners, students, teachers and representatives of professional associations and housing providers.

More Information and Registration