Moderator: Dr. Nita Luci, anthropologist and chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Prishtina
Home; a word that for many instills a sense of fundamental safety and comfort. However, when planning is not inclusive and does not take account of the complex realities interplaying in our societies, the universal right to shelter becomes inaccessible — especially for the most vulnerable among us. When housing becomes a privilege, accessible only to a few, human rights are at stake.
The same goes when cities are changed and its citizens are left out of the process; homes are altered and distorted in ways that do not consider the needs of their inhabitants; old buildings are forgotten, new ones are built. When people don’t have a say, activism becomes a necessity.
Architect Iva Marčetić challenges exclusionary practices in planning cities and housing by building up networks between activists, planners and grassroots initiatives. Her endeavors are all part of an effort to democratize the planning process. And to shift the common narratives produced in schools, institutions, and architectural and planning practices that lead to the commercialization of public space and infrastructure, and the gentrification of cities.
Iva has also spent years researching and working on the right to housing and collective action, and she has authored a book titled “Housing Policies in Service of Social and Spatial (In)Equalities.” She is part of the Right to the City initiative in Zagreb, where she lives and works.
In the public discussion section of this Volume UP, we’ll talk with Iva about making our cities and buildings work for us.
How are our cities shaped? Who has access to housing? What are our rights? And what changes are needed for citizens to really have a say?
In the masterclass section, Iva will share some tips and tools for mobilizing — so that citizens are heard.
About the speaker:
Iva Marčetić, born 1982 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds a master’s degree in architecture and urban planning from the School of Architecture, University of Zagreb. As an architect she is interested in building networks between activists, planners and grassroots initiatives in an effort to democratize the process of planning. She wants to shift the narrative produced in schools, institutions and in architectural practice that leads to the commercialization of public space and the gentrification of cities. For years she has also been researching and working on the right to housing issues in terms of research and collective action. Marčetić authored the book “Housing Policies in Service of Social and Spatial (In)equalities.” She is also part of the organization “Right to the City” and a member of the Zagreb je naš! (Zagreb Is Ours!) municipal platform. She lives and works in Zagreb.
