13th N-AERUS Conference 2012 : The unequal city, contested spaces, governance in tension
Paris, France, from 22 November 2012 to 24 November 2012
In a context of globalizing exchanges leading to networking and competition between cities, the limits of state action both at local and country levels, and the predominance of liberal visions of urban development and urban management, researchers and practitioners have observed increasing tension related to the access to wealth and resources (land, service delivery, etc.) of urban areas in developing countries for over a decade.
In fact, urban areas are increasingly heterogeneous, socially and economically differentiated and often disconnected due to stand-alone management systems. Moreover, the rise of socio-territorial inequalities in fragmented cities feeds on claims of "spatial justice" of the urban poor and the marginalized.
Competition and tensions around land use practices and housing, such as resistance situations or social conflicts on land that is occupied and appealing to investors, occur at all stages of urban development – from the elaboration of city development strategies or urban plans, urban management tools and their implementation, to the built city. These tensions arise especially from conflicts of interest and use among urban actors and the evolution of urban projects or development operations, and from the discrepancy between the projected city and the actual city.
