Dear Madam, dear Sir,

We want to invite you to join the first Multinational Knowledge Brokerage Event on Sustainable Housing that will take place on 28-30 March 2012 in Barcelona (Spain) on the premises of the ETSAV (Superior Technical School of Architecture of the Vallès) of the Polytechnic University of Cataluña.

The focus of the workshop will be Housing, intended in the threefold specification of sustainable architecture, sustainable urban planning and sustainable investment in the housing sector. Housing responds to fundamental human needs. Housing is often considered as a key sector for economic growth. How can we solve the contradictions between economic growth in the housing sector and the goal of sustainable housing?

Exemplary topics to be explored at the event are:

1- What is the impact of the growth of financial investment in housing ?

2- How have economic growth and lifestyles changes offset the housing energy efficiency and material efficiency improvements achieved during the last 20 years?

3- What are the effects of social exclusion and mono-functional urbanisation to urban growth?

The workshop offers:

• easy access to cutting-edge research findings on sustainable housing and economic growth,
• a networking opportunity with policy makers, an internationally rewarded research group and top scholars from all over Europe,
• the opportunity to learn innovative forms and methods of effective knowledge brokerage,
• an exploration and visualisation of contradictions and synergies of sustainable housing  and economic growth in an easily understandable way.

This workshop will be carried out within the DG Research funded project RESPONDER which began a few months ago (for details please consult our website: www.scp-responder.eu).

In a few words, RESPONDER links the sustainable consumption and growth debates: its overall aim is to promote sustainable consumption by exploring novel ways of knowledge brokerage that help to improve management of potential political, social and economic contradictions with economic growth.

RESPONDER links four communities: research, policy, pro-growth, and beyond growth.

RESPONDER aims to improve mutual understanding and knowledge transfer between these groups by using participatory systems mapping, in a series of Multinational Knowledge Brokerage Events on five sectoral policy areas (food, housing, household electronics, mobility, private savings/debts).

For registration or for any questions you may have, please send an email to housing@SCP-RESPONDER.eu. As regards your expenses, we are happy to cover the cost of all meals during the workshop. Unfortunately, other costs, such as travel, accommodation or subsistence expenses, cannot be reimbursed.

If you cannot attend yourself, we would be more than happy if you could forward this invitation to any of your colleagues who might be interested.

With kind regards,

On behalf of the RESPONDER consortium

Joan Martinez-Alier
François Schneider
Viviana Asara

ICTA (Institute for Environmental Science and Technology), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain

Tel. +34.935 868 102   -  cell phone +34.622 86 53 83