Call for Symposium Submissions, Design Objective Haiti

One Year Later: Design Objective Haiti
February 25 and 26, 2011
Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
The City College of the City University of New York

Students at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture invite all interested and concerned in the reconstruction of Haiti to submit presentation proposals for One Year Later: Design Objective Haiti. It’s time to stake stock of the situation in this country one year after a devastating earthquake destroyed much of its infrastructure, so many homes, and caused great loss of life. The symposium will be held on February 25th and 26th at the Spitzer School of Architecture, at the City College of the City University of New York. The keynote speaker will be Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert, Professor of Hispanic Studies and the Randolph Distinguished Professor Chair and Director of Africana Studies Program at Vassar College. Papers and design proposals are welcome.

This symposium will focus on the physical reconstruction of Haiti (architecture, urban planning, urban design, and landscape architecture). We are most interested in papers and presentations that pay careful attention to the needs of women and children and conceptualize how design and planning can address the unique issues presented by the Haitian situation. Papers may also address how aid and implementation in Haitian reconstruction could be applied to other areas affected by catastrophes and could further the development of ecologically and socially sustainable design practices.

These five themes are of especial interest:

1. What can we learn from past disasters and relief efforts in urban areas? How can this knowledge be applied?
2. Considering the disastrous disruption of daily life and shelter in Haiti, and the vulnerable position of woman and children in Haiti even prior to the quake, how can design and rebuilding specifically consider the shelter and live/work needs of Haitian women, and their families, from all class distinctions and locations?
3. As Haiti shifts from disaster relief to the planning and rebuilding effort, how can architectural and urban plans be implemented that sustain the people of Port-au-Prince in an extremely dense urban environment?
4. How can creative design thinking leverage and enhance traditional practices to address problems of housing, unemployment, nutrition and community in Haiti? When and how might tradition be an impediment?
5. In order to understand the full scope of the impact of the disaster, we need to learn the reality of the current environmental situation in Haiti. With this knowledge, how can we implement systems that will encourage long-term sustainable development?

Submission information:

We welcome submissions by students, design professionals, community organizers, artists, and especially Haitians and members of the Haitian Diaspora. Proposals must be one-page, no more than 300 words, and include the title, author's name and affiliation, and email address. Please clearly state the argument of the presentation and explain the methodology and content. Keep in mind, you will have twenty minutes for the final presentation. Visual aids in digital format are encouraged.

Proposals are due October 31st. Send by email only to: [email protected]
Responses will be sent out by November 20th
Final papers will be due January 10