Theory and practice: The intellectual legacy of Prof. Yves Cabannes

16 Jun 2026 Across the afternoon, speakers revisit Yves’ major contributions to the fields of evictions and housing justice, participatory budgeting, and urban agriculture, exploring how his work continuously bridged theory and practice in support of more democratic and just cities. The event also marks the launch of a new book co-edited by Dr. Farnaz Arefian, Prof. Yves Cabannes and Judith Ryser. Speakers Julio D. Dávila — Professor of Urban Policy and International Development and former Director of the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL. Cecília Delgado – Urban planner and researcher at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, co‑founder of Feeding Sustainable Cities and European Climate Pact Ambassador focused on urban food systems. Cassidy Johnson — Professor of Urbanism and Disaster Risk Reduction at the DPU, working on housing recovery, evictions and displacement in disaster contexts. Cihan Uzuncarsili Baysal — Housing‑rights activist based in Istanbul and independent researcher on the right to the city, adequate housing and forced evictions. Alexandre Frediani — Principal Researcher in Human Settlements at IIED and Co‑convenor of the Housing Justice Hub. Barbara Lipietz — Professor of Urban Development Planning at the DPU and Chair of the IJURR Foundation. Ming Zhuang: Founder of Participation Center in China, specialising in citizen engagement, inequality and participatory budgeting Kátia Lima — Coordinator of Participatory Budgeting in Guarulhos Municipality and member of Brazil’s National PB Network, specialising in participatory governance and citizen engagement. John Taylor — Urban planner and co‑founder of the Kota Kita Foundation, specialising in participatory planning, inclusive governance and community‑led urban development across the global South. Adria Duarte — Coordinator of UCLG’s Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights, and of the International Observatory of Participatory Democracy (OIDP). Giovanni Allegretti — Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, and internationally recognised specialist in participatory budgeting across more than 50 countries. Alban Hasson — Researcher at the DPU specialising in urban agriculture, environmental justice and food‑system democratisation. Zeremariam Fre — Retired Lecturer at the DPU and founder of the Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA). Philip Ross — Chartered Engineer and former Mayor of Letchworth Garden City, and long‑standing Garden City expert. Robert Biel — Professor of Political Ecology and Urban Food Systems at the DPU, specialising in systems theory, agroecology and sustainable urban food systems. Francisco García González — PhD researcher at the DPU and FAO consultant specialising in food justice in Latin America. Cecília Marocchino — Urban food‑planning expert at FAO supporting cities on food systems, food security and informal food economies. Farnaz Arefian – Founder and Director of Silk Cities, and honorary research fellow at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL. Judith Ryser – Urbanist, senior adviser FundacionMetropoli, co-editor at Silk Cities and CORP, on editorial board of Urban Design Group, and life member of ISOCARP