URBAN TALK
Friday, 24.05.2024, 4 - 6 p.m. | online

Zoom Link https://tu-berlin.zoom.us/j/9962760630?pwd=YWFZZHVLM3hFT0krQk1DZnlvUUFBZz09 

Input 1: Space, Gender & Refugee Migration. How Do Refugee Women Produce Urban Space?

In the lecture I will explore the intersection of refugee migration, gender, and urban spaces, focusing specifically on the experiences and practices of female refugees. Drawing from my empirical material, I show how female refugees navigate urban environments characterized by complexity and socio-spatial inequalities. It highlights the challenges faced by female refugees in urban spaces, including racism and sexism, which can lead to feelings of displacement and alienation. Moreover, it explores strategies employed by female refugees to counter these challenges, such as seeking
out their own spaces for empowerment and autonomy. Overall, I will contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of displacement, gender, and urbanization, shedding light on the practices and agency of female refugees in navigating and reshaping urban spaces.

Input 2: Co-Living and Co-Working: Reimagining the Intersection of Migration and Urban Development through Alternative Housing Initiatives for and with Refugees

What role does architecture and urban planning play in accommodating refugees? To what extent should we perceive refugee accommodation as an integral facet of urban development? This lecture critically explores these inquiries, focusing on alternative housing projects involving migrants and refugees in Germany.
It contends that the often-discussed 'Flüchtlingskrise' (refugee crisis), frequently re-appearing as an accommodation crisis, is symptomatic of a broader crisis encompassing urban development and national identity within a post-migration society. The main part presents empirical projects offering alternatives to mass accommodations and camps. These initiatives blend social integration (refugees + 'x') with functional diversity (housing + 'x'), introducing innovative solutions to accommodation challenges. We will explore how these projects cater to refugees agency and the idea of local infrastructures to produce social connections, learning and solidarity.
The presentation concludes by synthesizing key insights and advocating for a critical re-imagination of the intersection between urban development and migration.

© Photo Franziska Werner, Philipp Piechura, Carla Bormann, Ingrid Breckner (Hrsg.): Flucht, Raum, Forschung. Einführung in die raumsensible FluchtMigrationsforschung. (im Erscheinen).

Franziska Werner is an urban sociologist. Since 2022 she is an associate member of the Collaborative Research Center »Re-Figuration of Spaces« at the Technical University of Berlin. She is currently a doctoral fellow of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung. At the HafenCity University Hamburg, she does her PhD on the spatial production of/by female refugees in Leipzig. Her research focuses on urban and spatial sociology, refugee migration research and qualitative social research.

Philipp Piechura is a doctoral candidate at Hafencity University Hamburg. His research focuses on Hybrid Housing Projects as alternative forms of refugee accommodation from a space sensitive perspective. He holds lectures, policy workshops and seminars on the overall connection of Migration and Housing in the context of urban development and social work. Philipp holds a M.A. in Sociology (Bielefeld University and a B.A in Philosophy, Science of Arts and Performance Studies (University of Bremen). He worked as a researcher for the Erasmus+ Project “Precarious Housing in Europe. Pushing for innovation in higher education (PusH)” and the project „INTERPART - Intercultural Spaces of Participation“, subsidized by the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology. In June 2024, the publication “Flucht. Raum. Forschung. Einführung in die raumsensible FluchtMigrationsforschung,' co-edited by him, is scheduled for release by Springer VS.

Click here to download the poster.