AUC Hosted the Conference Mega-Cities: Intersections and Diversions, an Asian- African Dialogue

Earlier this month, AUC hosted the conference, Mega-Cities: Intersections and Diversions, an Asian- African Dialogue, organized by AUC's Department of Architecture, AUC's Neighborhood Initiative and international partners ARCASIA, ACE and the UIA Education Commission. This conference was also part of the academic program centennial activities sponsored by the Office of the Associate Provost for Research, Innovation and Creativity. The conference featured panels focused on rapid urbanization in global mega-cities and its implications.

Talks included "Resilience and the City," "Agency in the City" and "Heritage in the City." These themes were discussed by pairs of African and Asian experts who drew on examples and experiences from their home cities. The event was closed with a keynote address by award-winning Jordanian architect Rasem Badran on the potentials of our rapidly expanding cities in the Global South. 

"I see AUC as an academic and scholarly gateway to the region of Africa and an important strategic partner to Asia. As part of AUC's commitment to reaching out and serving our community on scales ranging from the immediate to the regional, our Neighborhood Initiative has informed this event through its mission of catalyzing the development of cities in a manner that drives urban justice, diversity and livability.

We were joined in this mission by our regional partners including award-winning Palestinian architect Rasem Badran, ARCASIA, the CAA, V4 and the UNESCO-UIA Education Commission ... The conversations sparked through our panels and round tables shed light on the important role AUC currently plays and has the potential to play in informing policy, leading education and shaping our cities as they continue to grow and absorb the current rapid urbanization in our regions."  

— Magda Mostafa, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Architecture