World Congress Puerto Rico, 12-15 October 2008
On 12-15 October 2008, San Juan, capital of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, will host the IFHP World Congress, organised by the Puerto Rican Planning Society. The theme is: “Housing, beyond its walls: Planning for an affordable and sustainable habitat". The 16th IFHP Film & Video Competition will be held during the congress. ThemeFor the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population - or 3.3 billion people - will be living in urban areas. 60% of its population is projected to live in cities in the year 2030. Today almost 1 billion, or one third of its urban population, lives in a “non adequate” housing environment. | Call for papers: - English _______ Please note the changes in the time table |
Most of the present supply of housing, by most governments from developing and even from developed economies, cannot match the increasing demand of urban settlers. In many cities, housing is presently not affordable even to most middle class families while aggregate statistics hide deep inequalities or underestimate the scale and depth of urban poverty.
If present trends continue and effective measures are not implemented, the world ‘s population living in “non adequate” housing will double its size to 2 billion by the year 2030 and even to 3 billion by the year 2050. The International Federation for Housing and Planning feels it has the professional and even moral responsibility to focus on this major theme.
Sub-themes
The main theme will be approached from a broad perspective, focusing not only on the all-important economic dimension, but also on the spatial, environmental and social dimensions. That is why the title is “Housing beyond its walls”. These three dimensions form the sub themes of the congress. Each of these three sub-themes can be looked at from different angles for example:
what is being done at the national, regional and local levels; what are the important historic, cultural or socio-economic factors involved;
how does the environmental setting influence the chance of providing affordable housing;
what is the role of the different actors involved: the public sector, research institutions, the private sector and community organizations.
Congress format
The main theme of the Congress will be presented during the Opening Session.
In the morning of the following three days, each of the three principal sub-themes will be introduced, in a plenary session, by two keynote speakers and will be further detailed and discussed during four parallel sessions with the presentation of the papers previously selected by the Congress’ Review Committee.
Each session will conclude with a discussion of the major issues raised during each presentation in order to stimulate the debate between the speakers and the public.
Each afternoon will have several optional “Study Visits” to selected sites in order to see first hand housing projects and urban planning proposals relevant to the main theme of the Congress.
The Congress will conclude with a plenary session at which a report will be presented of the major issues and positions that have emerged during the Congress.
For those interested in getting information on affordable housing in Puerto Rico, we suggest reading Andrés Mignucci’s article.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
| Puerto Rico is a semi-autonomous territory of the United States located in the north eastern Caribbean. Today the capital San Juan, celebrating its 500th anniversary, boasts numerous deluxe hotels, fine restaurants, museums, historical buildings, beaches and shopping centres. To find out more about Puerto Rico, go to the fascinating website EyeTour Puerto Rico or look up the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. |  |
Its main tourist attractions are Old San Juan, Condado, Ocean Park, and Isla Verde. Old San Juan, promotes the historic nature of its colonial buildings and narrow streets covered by adoquine, a blue stone cast from furnace slag; they were brought over as ballast on Spanish ships. Other historical attractions include the city's ancient defensive wall and forts, most notably El Morro and the Castle of San Cristóbal. The numerous restaurants and art galleries in the zone are frequently visited by visitors.
Facilities
The World Congress will take place at the new Puerto Rico Convention Centre: the largest in the Caribbean and the most technologically advanced throughout both the Caribbean and Latin America. Boasting 580,000 square feet of total space, the Center can accommodate groups of up to 10,000, in an ideal setting at the gateway to all the Island has to offer.
Recommended hotels near the Convention Centre are:
The Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino is the Host Hotel of the Congress.
Film & Video Competition
Part of the World Congress is the 16th IFHP Young Film & Video Creators’ Competition. The two specific topics for the competition are:
- Invisible walls within the city.
- The city of hidden faces.
Young, creative filming talent is invited to send in entries to this competition. Click on the section Film and Video for more information.
Last Updated @ Tuesday, 06 May 2008