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February newsletter from GCSC - if you are quick you will be able to attend the 3rd citizen cyberscience conference or attend the first film in Urban Lab's Demolition series.
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Welcome to the GCSC Newsletter for February 2014
Welcome to the February newsletter for the Grand Challenge of Sustainable Cities. As well as covering current activities in the world of sustainable cities, we will also shine the spotlight on some of the interesting things that are happening in the other Grand Challenges.
The Grand Challenge of Intercultural Interaction is holding a series of seminars which bring widely differing disciplines together. The Wonderments of Cosmos Seminar Series will feature contributors from Astrophysics, Art, Anthropology and beyond, all of whom will be exploring how different approaches to cosmology can form the basis of genuine cross-disciplinary conversations.

It is sometimes the case that cross-disciplinary activities engage with more than one of the Grand Challenges. An example of an activity that falls neatly between two challenges is Urban Paradox, an event that considers the consequences of a modern way of life that we are not genetically, metabolically, physiologically or psychologically designed for.

Another example of something that has interest across the different Grand Challenges was the recent inaugural lecture from Noreena Hertz, Honorary Professor at UCL. Prof. Hertz considered the problem of making decisions under uncertainty. Her lecture drew some very interesting responses from a panel of respondents including Professor Susan Michie and Professor Wendy Carlin (the programme has a full list). The event is covered in more detail in this blog.

Stepping across to Grand Challenge of Global Health reveals a new focus on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). As part of UCL's forthcoming NCD Season, GCGH are seeking proposals to set up new Research Groups aimed at developing research proposals on the rise of global Non Communicable Diseases. Up to £5000 available to support the NCD Research Groups. Find out more from Kate Hoyland.
Returning to sustainable cities brings us to Learning from Kilburn, which introduced me to the idea of "a tiny experimental university". This tiny university is concerned with the study of Kilburn, in particular the experience local people.  This activity is a development of the ideas in Urban Pamphleteer #2, 'Regeneration Realities', part of the Urban Pamphleteer series from the UCL Urban Laboratory (in association with Central St Martins)Look out for the forthcoming third edition: "Design & Trust". This collection will address the role of design in ensuring safety, or perceptions of safety, and facilitating trust in urban environments.

UrbanLab Films are running a series on Demolition, starting with "People and Politics" on Thursday 20th February.

If you act quickly, there might also still be time to register and attend the The 3rd Citizen Cyberscience Summit. GCSC is one of the supporters of this three day (20th-22nd February) conference covering new technologies and citizen science.

The retrofit series from GCSC is taking shape, with plans to hold panel discussions addressing retrofit for the environment, retrofit for health and retrofit for heritage in May. Followed by a prize workshop in June

I would also like to remind you that the DPU's 60th Anniversary Celebrations are in full swing. Find out more on here www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/dpu/dpu60, you can also download the anniversary series programme as a pdf.

The DPU are also involved in some exciting new inter-disciplinary projects including the 'Urban Zoonoses' project, ReMap Lima: A Participatory Approach to Mapping and a GCSC small grant on the Assessment of alternative transport models for Havana.

Finally, there are at least two opportunities to exercise your creative muscles. The Institute for Sustainable Resources is running its Resources:Framed competition again. As 2014 is the UN International Year of Family Farming the subject of this year's competition is "Cultures of Farming". The ISR competition closes on the 28th of March, all the rules can be found here.

The 
Grand Challenge of Global Health is running the 'Living with Chronic Disease' Photo competition  to find images that capture personal stories of living with non-communicable or chronic diseases. Entries must be received before 16th March and the overall winner will get an iPad mini.

Upcoming events

20th February 2014

People and Politics
Part of the DEMOLITION 2014 Series

Urban Lab Films invites you to join them for 'People and Politics' the first in their DEMOLITION season, which will the effect of demolition on communities. All three events are free and open to the public. The DEMOLITION season examines the often overlooked yet powerful place of demolition within society, both as threat and as a source of creativity and fascination. For more information please contact urbanlaboratory@ucl.ac.uk.

21st February 2014

Urban Paradox:
Human Evolution and the 21st Century Town

The town is not our natural habitat. For most of the last three million years, we evolved as hunter-gatherers, living off the land in small kin-groups and tribal societies, developing a complex working relationship with nature. Culturally, we are still adapting to urbanized living: our technologies, towns, economies and societies have developed at a remarkable speed. Anatomically, however, we have not evolved at the same electric pace: genetically, we remain much as we were before towns developed, or even before large-scale farming was adopted 5,000-10,000 years ago.
Further details    
Registration
This event has been supported by a Grand Challenges Small Grant

25th February 2014

The Wonderment of Dark Energy

Part of the Wonderments of Cosmos Seminar Series

Professor Ofer Lahav from the Astrophysics Department will be giving a talk entitled: The Wonderment of Dark Energy.
His talk will be followed by two short responses, from Dr Dilwyn Knox (School of European Languages, Culture and Society) and Prof.  David Napier (Anthropology).
There will then be general discussion, followed by an informal reception.

Reports

Learning from Kilburn

On 20 January, the UCL Urban Laboratory led an evening class as part of 'Learning from Kilburn', a tiny experimental university concerned with the study of Kilburn.  Aimed at local people, the session was held at South Kilburn Studios and explored the concept and processes of 'regeneration', drawing on ideas in Urban Pamphleteer #2, 'Regeneration Realities'  which problematises the way in which regeneration covers for gentrification, proposing new ways of researching it, reclaiming the concept and rethinking the practices it involves. Following brief presentations by the Pamphleteer editors and some of the contributors, discussion was opened up amongst the class, focusing on the question of what it feels like to live or work in an area in the midst of large scale change. A break out session then encouraged participants to relate Kilburn's situation to the London Plan consultation and GLA regeneration questionnaire on priorities, opportunities and barriers. Participation from local residents and businesses, students and practitioners from a range of sectors generated a rich and emotive debate around experiences of stress, conflict and uncertainty, providing a space for some of the often unheard voices in regeneration processes to be articulated, and for an exchange of perspectives. Photos and audio from the event are available at: learningfromkilburn.com

Learning from Kilburn is a Spacemakers project, directed by Tom Keeley in collaboration with OK-RM and Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio, and funded by the London Boroughs of Brent and Camden

Urban Pamphleteer

The Urban Pamphleteer series is a very successful collaboration between Ben Campkin director of the UCL Urban Lab and Rebecca Ross of Central St Martins.

So far the series has seen two compelling editions, with a third on its way:
Urban Pamphleteer #1: Future & Smart Cities
Launch of the Urban Pamphleteer #1     Download a copy

Urban Pamphleteer #2: Regeneration Realities
Launch of Urban Pamphleteer #2     Download a copy

Urban Pamphleteer #3: Design and Trust
More details

Development Planning Unit

The DPU is 60 and celebrating it, you can find details of all the events on their website and download the pdf guide.

The DPU is also involved in a number of very interesting pieces of sustainable cities work including:
  • Assessment of alternative transport models for Havana - a GCSC small grant that considers the most efficient modes of transport for people and goods, and the role of transport in promoting public health, reducing CO2 emissions, reducing import dependency and creating a safer and more liveable city.
  • The 'Urban Zoonoses' project - a collaborative research project that seeks to understand the spread of pathogens amongst rapidly growing urban and peri-urban populations in Africa. The project focuses on urban livestock (within its socio-economic context) as the source of such pathogens and thus brings together concepts and experts from the fields of epidemiology, public health, microbiology, veterinary science, economics, urban planning, social sciences, and international development.
  • ReMap Lima: A Participatory Approach to Mapping - DPU, CASA and Drone Adventures, a Swiss NGO are joining local partners in Lima to map Barrios Altos and José Carlos Mariátegui. The research explores the possibilities of using cutting edge technology to map and visualise what would otherwise be 'invisible' change.
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