 Good evening There's a lovely buzz of conversation as each of you talks to his or her neighbors But let me call your attention to the program as a whole and the collective conversation for the evening Welcome to the third of the series of five Urban age global debates these debates celebrate ten years of the urban age The urban age is an extraordinary LSE based program, but really a global program that knits our work together with cities around the world and their future The urban age also doubles as the LSE Department of Graphic Design and tonight You are presented with one of its examples Suitable for framing or at least for sticking above the toilet in your home The urban age program has had an illustrious history in a series of extraordinary events But the events the convocations the Congresses the conferences that bring together the urban age are only part of the story because each of them is based on extensive research Networking bringing together urban planners people in public life Architects social scientists doing research on cities activists campaigning on a range of different urban issues in a series of the world's most important cities When I say most important cities It's a set of cities that include some very large cities but also very innovative cities cities that are taking on challenges of dealing with a variety of different problems and Over its ten years of existence the urban age has produced a cumulative growth in the network of people Because people from one city Chicago want to go to the next conference in Delhi or wherever but also of knowledge as it builds on of the research base of the social sciences and Couples it with knowledge of actual agendas of urban action in these different cities Throughout this program has been supported by the Alfred Herrhausen society Which is itself funded by Deutsche Bank. It's been supported generously and wisely I would like to stress and I say that in front of Thomas Matussek and Utavieland who were key leaders of the Alfred Herrhausen society Unfortunately, the new chair Paul Ackleitner can't be with us tonight But we are very grateful for the continued support of Deutsche Bank and the Alfred Herrhausen society They have been not only financial supporters, but actively involved in LSE cities The base unit at LSE that supports the urban age and in the urban age itself For LSE the urban age has represented an important academic innovation But also an important public innovation a kind of bridge between the LSE and Outside constituencies in the range of cities studied It has been an innovation and it's also been an exploration Which has extended the LSE's impact and reach to policy makers urbanists academics and many more across the world the urban age program is profoundly interdisciplinary and Through this it connects closely to LSE's core values of bringing social science knowledge together with The problems challenges of the world around us Tonight we tackle the fundamental question of who owns the city Previous global debates have tackled climate change and the limits of planning Tomorrow we will hear from Norman Foster on infrastructure And we will end on the 3rd of December with Richard Senate discussing questions of social equity in the city but tonight to discuss the issue of new patterns of ownership and Their impact on the city we have three speakers all closely connected with the urban age Sasuke assassin Sasuke is well-known at the LSE from her time as a centennial professor here Perhaps even better known to many of you through her many writings. She's a professor at Columbia University the author of a number of important books including most recently and in sadly typically Great timing her book expulsions Brutality and complexity in the global economy was published last year Second panelist with us is Tony Williams Tony Williams is the former mayor of Washington DC currently the CEO and chief executive officer the federal city council of Washington DC and also a leading Expert on public finance and cities and a leading figure in urban leadership beyond Washington as a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School and as a coordinator of programs at the Ash Center The third panelist is Jose Castillo a practicing architect in Mexico City But also a professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design And they has produced has helped to co-founded a leading practice In architecture that has done award-winning work in areas from social housing to cultural facilities infrastructure and large-scale master plans So we have three Extraordinary speakers each of them individually significant, but also Each of them able to bring a key different perspective to a collective conversation I think that accidentally started Sasuke's presentation for us The we'll go back the First however before we start I wish to read a message that we've just received We had invited a fourth speaker to be with us Jean-Louis Misaka the deputy mayor of Paris Not surprisingly in the sad current circumstances Deputy Mayor Misaka cannot be with us but has sent this message attacks in Paris on November 13th Left 130 people dead and scores wounded Terrorism is the enemy of humanity the neighborhoods Where all generations cohabit all languages are spoken and all cultures mingled were affected But hatred does not reach us We choose to live and vibrate to talk and to listen exchange and share We won't give up our art of passionately living in peace In this painful period the motto of Paris fluctuate net metrogator Makes sense and becomes a resistance slogan for all Parisians What terrorists wanted to kill is our freedom the air we breathe the language we speak The blood that beats in our veins Paris will never accept slavery We remain ourselves committed to freedom equality and fraternity and fiercely attached to our Singularity in the world as much as our openness to the world Thoughts and sympathy from London to Paris were met with kindness Especially as we know you have experienced the same kind of terrible events in the past On behalf of Parisians, I would like to thank all the people of London For their expression of solidarity It meant a lot and it warmed our hearts. I regret not being able to join you tonight And I wish you passionate and constructive discussions Jean-Louis Misica Now we begin with words from Sasuke Sasen