SMUS Kick-Off Event

On 26 October 2020, the Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability held an official hybrid Kick-off-Event at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin

Christian Sander

Live stream of the event via the “Living the City” exhibition website

Living the City

00:00-05:00
Welcome – Mr. Sherif Azab-Els, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
05:00-20:00
Introduction to the SMUS Center – Prof. Dr. Nina Baur and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Angela Million, SMUS
20:00-25:00
Photo slide show of the SMUS PhD Programme
25:00-40:00
The current SMUS PhD Programme. Experiences of the SMUS PhD Programme – Ms. Hajar Nourredine, Morocco; Ms. Mina Radić, Serbia; Mr. Boniface Nevanji Bwanyire, Zimbabwe; Mr. Caio Moraes Reis, Brazil;

40:00-1:40:00
SMUS Discussion and Outlook – Moderated by Prof. Dr. Angela Million, SMUS;

Input by the 3 lead and other SMUS partners – Prof. Dr. Gabriel Faimau, University of Botswana, Botswana; Prof. Dr. Fraya Frehse, University of Sāo Paulo, Brazil; Prof. Dr. Gaurav Raheja, IIT Roorkee, India; Asst. Prof. Dr. Marta Brkovć Dodig, Union University Nikola Tesla/NGO Arqubator, Serbia; Prof. Heba Safey Eldeen, MISR International University, Egypt; Dr. Langtone Maunganidze, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe; Prof. Dr. Martin Blas Orduna, Ministerio de Transporte, Argentina;

As part of the evening’s programme, the center’s three lead partners and action speakers were invited to send videos of themselves responding to three questions

Question 1
Why do we need a GLOBAL network of discourse on social science methodology and what difference can such a network make in the implementation of SDG#11? Can SMUS push for this transformative change with its global partners, by drawing attention away from metric indicators, and towards adding more qualitative methods for producing disaggregated data on inequality in all its forms and interplays?

Question 2
What are the main obstacles for bringing together research methods of the social sciences and research methods deployed in design disciplines, urban planning and policy making?

Question 3
What is the role of our Higher Education Institutions in better preparing the next generation of practitioners, politicians and researchers for the ongoing and upcoming socio-environmental polycrises?