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Speakers: Diane Davis, Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism, Harvard University; Joaquin Tomé, Master in Urban Planning Candidate, Harvard University; Lindsay Mayer, Master in Urban Planning Candidate, Harvard University; Shrinkhala Khatiwlada, Master in Urban Planning Candidate, Harvard University; Alejandro Chirinos, Master in Public Administration, Harvard University; Sonia Singla, Master in Public Administration, Harvard University
Respondent: Nora Libertun de Duren, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard University; Natalia García Dopazo, Loeb Fellow 2023, Harvard University.
In an increasingly globalized world where cities are the engines of the economy, the possibility of hosting international mega-events, such as the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, or various international summits, emerges as an attractive opportunity for local governments. Becoming a “host city" is perceived as a way to position themselves as international and cosmopolitan cities, while receiving significant capital investments that drive the development of urban infrastructure. But what happens the day after a mega-event? How do governments adapt the recently built infrastructures for a more equal, adaptable, and participatory city? This symposium analyzes the implications of mega-events infrastructures through the case of the Youth Olympic Games hosted by Buenos Aires City in 2018.
This event will be followed by a reception on the concourse at 7.30pm.
Diane E. Davis is the Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Trained as a sociologist, Davis’s research interests include the relations between urbanization and national development, comparative urban governance, socio-spatial practice in conflict cities, urban violence, and new territorial manifestations of sovereignty. Her books include Transforming Urban Transport (co-edited, 2018); Cities and Sovereignty: Identity Conflicts in the Urban Realm (2011); Discipline and Development: Middle Classes and Prosperity in East Asia and Latin America (2004); Irregular Armed Forces and their Role in Politics and State Formation (co-edited, 2003); and Urban Leviathan: Mexico City in the Twentieth Century (1994).
Joaquín Tomé is an Argentinian political scientist, urbanist and current Master in Urban Planning candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). He has worked as an advisor to the Budget and Urban Planning Commissions of the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires, as the coordinator of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities initiative of the National Office of the Chief of Staff, as the Head of Advisers of the Undersecretary of External Financing of the National Office of the Chief of Staff, and as an Undersecretary in the Ministry of Social Development of the Province of Buenos Aires. He has also been a Regional Project Manager at the Ibero-American Youth Organization, won the Social Innovation Award from the Inter-American Development Bank in 2013, and founded the NGO "Compromiso Hecho Ecología", which promotes waste recycling and social inclusion in Buenos Aires. Currently, he is a researcher and professor in Urban Economics at the National University of San Martín and the Director of the Center for Urban Economics Studies, which he founded in 2017.
Alejandro Chirinos is a Colombian economist and current Master in Public Administration in International Development student at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Alejandro has worked in the Colombian National Government in projects aiming to enhance infrastructure, public institutions and transportation. Furthermore, he has also been part of the creation of a business intelligence unit for media specialized in economics and collaborated on a project to promote inclusion policies for former guerrillas after the conflict in Colombia. He is the current editor-in-chief of the Latin American Policy Journal at HKS.
Sonia Singla is an Indian social worker, expert in commerce and Master in Public Administration in International Development graduate at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). She currently works as a Student Partner at the HKS Office of Career Advancement and as a Teaching Fellow in Harvard’s Department of Economics.
Lindsey Mayer is an American political scientist and Master in Urban Planning student at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). She has served at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she co-founded Design Corps, a multi-partner program which aims to help local businesses through design services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also worked at the New York City Hall, where she launched women.nyc, a set of services that contribute to close the gender pay gap and increase economic opportunities for women.
Shrinkhala Khatiwada is a Nepalese architect, model and Master in Urban Planning candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). She was Miss Nepal 2018 and participated in Miss World 2018, where she won the "Beauty with a Purpose" award. In 2019, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the 70 years of Nepal-France relationship. Currently, she is the Director of Gaatha Designs, an architecture design firm based in Lalitpur.
Nora Libertun de Duren is a leading expert on sustainability, social inclusion, and affordable housing in urban areas. She has experience working in multilateral development banks, local government, and academia. She has managed a portfolio of $2,000 million in sovereign loans for affordable housing and urban development projects in Latin America, $1,000 million in federal and municipal funds for urban parks in New York City, and $2.8 million in research grants for climate change, gender, and diversity. She has published 20 peer-reviewed papers and more than 30 chapters and monographs and is a member of various technical committees. Currently, Nora leads the Inter-American Development Bank research and knowledge agenda on cities; and mainstreams gender and diversity issues in urban projects.
Natalia García Dopaz is an Argentinian anthropologist, urbanist, feminist advocate and current Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). She has worked as coordinator of the Infrastructure of Care Program at the National Ministry of Infrastructure and as Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Buenos Aires. With a background in anthropology, she has also co-founded the feminist collective City of Desire and the Spatial Cooperative Project, and has written numerous articles that contributed to popularizing feminist urbanism in academia and professional settings.
Presented in collaboration with Graduate School of Design & CEEU (Center for Urban Economics Studies – National University of San Martin)