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Challenges and innovation in the architecture and urbanism residency: working to overcome the gap between planning and implementation
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017The Residency Program in Architecture and Urbanism: Urban Planning and Management, is a proposition of a community outreach initiative outlined in the University of São Paulo’s Statute. Aimed at deepening the knowledge and social action of the architect-urbanist through a set of academically supervised practical and theoretical activities, inspired by the Healthcare Residency model. Consists on work-education program, during one year, after completion of the graduation in Architecture and Urbanism. It allows for the young professional to act on public policy development activities that intervenes in the social and spatial reality of Brazilian cities, with a core axis on planning and public management capacitation.Published versio
Role of the rumours during the urban transformation process in Istanbul gecekondu settlements
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017This paper is a product of the PhD thesis focusing on the urban transformation process into gecekondu1 neighbourhoods (the special name for informally, DIY-constructed building groups constructed only in Turkey) in Istanbul and focuses on the rumours flowing mouth to mouth before and after the urban transformation project. This paper is endorsed on Deleuze and Guattari’s arguments about flows, assemblages, and machines. Urban transformation is taken as a machine and the information is the key element of this machine. Rather than the rules, procedures or laws about the urban transformation process, words are moving faster. We always watch on TV or see in the newspapers advertisements about new transformation projects, or professionals’ comments about the necessity of the processes. In addition to this, urban transformation in gecekondu does not only happen by the law or by the projects called urban transformation projects. Any kind of luxury residence projects, big shopping malls or big transportation projects can initiate the urban transformation process. This is not an operation that is determined step by step. Communication and negotiation with the inhabitants one by one are very important and at this point, rumours come into the play. On the gecekondu neighbourhood scale – where the neighbourhood relations are very close - information about the prospective urban transformation projects are influencing the area spreads from mouth to mouth and transforms into rumours. Rumours canalize desire flows making some spaces more attractive, some others less, and affect the daily life of gecekondu inhabitants and their decision processPublished versio
What factors affect public participation in the urban redevelopment planning process in China
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017Since 1978, China has experienced almost the largest scale of urbanisation process in human history due to the demand of rapid economic development (Campanella, 2000). During the last three decades, urban planning in China led by the government had pursued high economic growth rather than higher living conditions of urban residents (Li, 2012). Now, China has entered the later stage of accelerated urbanisation which is identified as the “decelerating, transformative, and diversified” period. It is important to be human-oriented, adaptable to local conditions and environmental friendly in urban planning (Yang and Chen, 2015). In this “New Normal” era, more factors can be involved in the urban redevelopment planning process. Public participation, as one of these factors, plays an increasingly essential role in urban regeneration. Smith (1973, pp275-295) describes participatory planning as a democratic process supporting value creation, definition of communities and development of residents’ identity, leading to a harmonious society. In the United Kingdom, the “Town and Country Planning Act” passed in 1947 stipulated public participation as a legal step in urban planning, which protected the public rights in the urbanisation process. This participation lead to better policies and implementation decisions in urban planning (Irvin and Stansbury, 2004).Published versio
Evaluating the role of public spaces in promoting social interaction in divided cities. the case study of Nicosia, Cyprus
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017Social interaction is the contact between individuals, groups and environments. There are different levels of social interaction, starting with superficial ones, i.e. observing other individuals and greeting them, to a high level of interaction that can be found in neighbourhoods where individuals form communities and share emotional investment in the same things. Public spaces such as streets, plazas and parks have the ability to facilitate and promote social interaction, because they create opportunities for people to interact in the form of activities and special events. The UN-Habitat defines social interaction as an element of public space. Divided cities originate as the result of divisions within a nation. With little to no relation between the two sides of the divided city, they continue to develop independently. In cases where the citizens of the divided cities are allowed to move across the border, one place where they still come in contact with each other and have an opportunity to interact is the public space. Thus public spaces have the potential to build connections between different groups, and cultivate good will, friendship, compassion and tolerance. This paper analyses the ability of public spaces in a divided city to facilitate social interaction. It uses a mixed method design, building an index of social interaction to quantify the ability of public spaces to promote social interaction, and conducting expert interviews to design and validate the index and its results. The results show that the public spaces in Nicosia are not used to their full potential and there is a tendency for inhabitants to focus on spaces that offer activities such as shopping, cafes and restaurants, and festivals. The public spaces which had a larger number of such activities had a higher ability to promote social interaction. The social dimension of public spaces demonstrated a high level of significance. The presence of both communities in the public spaces, as well as the occupant density had a great impact on the outcome of the index, and therefore, on the ability of public spaces to promote social interaction.Published versio
Bridging the gap between critical theory and empirical studies: a relational approach to the study of the urban commons
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017Since the unfolding of industrial capitalism, the institution of the Market, based on the logic of Capital accumulation and commodification, has prevailed in the social space through the support of the institution of the State. In reality, the State, on behalf of the Society, should have represented the institution which, through the logic of the Public, based on universalization and social protection, could have balanced and challenged the Market. However, it is evident that the State has not only been an inadequate institution for the protection of the Society, but has also often withdrawn from this role due to a bizarre, complex and intertwined relationship with the Market. The last decades of our history constitute the evidence that the protective role of the State has waned, giving rise to the hegemonic, albeit variegated, neoliberal regime (Peck and al, 2012), whereby the logic of the Market has permeated into the institution of the State. In the face of this reality, that even the latest economic crisis does not seem to have changed, despite the many urban protests which emerged in various parts of the globe and in the wake of the failure of the communist utopia and if the post-politicization of the Left that has finally assumed the same Market logic, the Society seems to be out of alternatives. However, in this apparently catastrophic economic, social and political landscape a new logic has emerged in the contemporary counter-hegemonic discourse: the logic of the Common (Negri; Hardt, 2009; Laval; Dardot, 2014). This logic, based on two main principles, cooperation and self-government, aims to challenge not only the institution of the Market but also the intertwined relation between the latter and the State in order to put in motion a process of emancipation of the Society from both. The theory of the Common derives from and connects to the theory of the Commons as the principles on which both are based are the same. However, despite their close relationship, it is necessary to separate the two theories, especially in the light of empirical work.Published versio
Community gardens as temporary uses for vacant land revitalization : The case of Riga
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017As some European cities are undergoing economic and population decline, at the same time showing urban sprawl, the number of vacant land inside the city centers is rapidly growing. Under complicated cunstruction regulations, development of vacant land inside the city center is often related to high construction costs and time investment, forcing land owners to postpone site development. Vacant land in the city center, providing space for garbage collection and even affecting increase in crime, results neighbourhood degradation.
Concerning common uncertainty regarding future development of vacant land, temporary uses appear to be good solution to outdoor space revitalization, helping to improve quality of life of local residents. As show various case studies from different European countries, community gardens appear to be common solution for the temporary use of vacant land. According to previous research data, community gardens contribute to social cohesion, promoting integration and strengthening sense of neighbourhood belonging.Published versio
Green innovation areas as contested spaces? Investigating potentials and risks of revitalization schemes in shrinking cities
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017All over the world many cities are undergoing structural changes with symptoms of economic crises (Pallagst, et al 2013). In these postindustrial or ‘shrinking’ cities, the transformation of former brown field areas has left many large urban areas abandoned or vacant. When looking to revitalize these cities, substitute industries often play a major role (Pallagst, 2012; Harkavy and Zuckerman 1999). Previous research by the authors made clear that revitalization efforts often focus on green infrastructure, in particular utilizing vacant properties for commercial uses such as urban gardening, farming, or agriculture (Pallagst, 2013; Pallagst forthcoming). Vice versa vacant or abandoned urban areas offer both, the potential for a sustainable transformation of former polluted sites (Vargas-Hernández 2011), and for creating jobs in new emerging areas thus transforming the identities of places. The US city of Flint, one of the major cities caught in a long term spiral of economic decline and being governed under conditions of austerity, has brought about the urban planning category ‘green innovation areas’ in order to implement creative and innovative solutions in existing vacant spaces (Pallagst et al., forthcoming). Potential uses in these much debated areas are not fixed, but should explicitly be experimental and innovative. So far they might range from extensive greenhouse uses to less extensive clover fields, but their potential is not yet fully explored. The implementation of new and innovative modes of production in the urban realm is so far not represented in research for urban areas, in particular when development schemes like bioeconomy are considered. Here, issues and land use conflicts, often raised by civil society, might extend towards nuisance, over-exploitation of space, and rising land prices, leaving many open questions for urban research. This is exacerbated for instance in the Mexican realm, where, traditionally, in many areas public policies have been imported and imposed by external pressure without considering the local conditions, leading to high levels of influence of and power of economic and / or political interests and provoking serious conflicts. The joint German-Mexican research presented here aims at scrutinizing the use of vacant inner city spaces as green innovation areas – discussing their potentials and detecting possible risks for implementation in shrinking cities.Published versio
Reusing heritage: activist planning for place-based regeneration processes
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017The research aims at discussing the potential role of reusing abandoned built heritage as driver for place-based regeneration processes in inner areas. The study focuses on disused railway heritage in Italy because of its relevant size, the low percentage of effective initiatives, and its strategic position into the territory. In European context, successful initiatives show the considerable role of political agenda and economic programmes as well as shared interests among institutional subjects, associations, entrepreneurs and local communities to achieve common goals. In Italy, these necessary components are often lacking, especially in terms of strategic initiatives and dialogue between policy makers, activists and socio-economic stakeholders, although the National Railway Company (RFI) has promoted institutional initiatives in the last decades. In this field, could activist planning have a key role for regeneration processes by recycling unused heritage? Could activist planning contribute to new territorial metabolisms, especially in deprived and marginal areas? The Southern case of Campania Region has been selected taking into account that it is included among the regions that need support to promote development and reduce regional disparities in European countries, according to European Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund. In this region, on one hand, the potentiality of railway heritage has been recognised for its being an existent infrastructure network on the territory that could link cultural, historical and environmental resources; on the other hand, the crisis of 2008 has cut down investments addressing main of them to sustain market-led processes. This conflicting scenario has induced social reactions such as civic movements, new local associations and community-based initiatives that have a proactive role in carrying out bottom up planning initiatives. To discuss that, the researchers have selected a case study in the Campania Region – the historical Avellino-Rocchetta Sant’Antonio railway – to reflect on the process induced by activist planning in reusing railway heritage. Through the consultation of indirect sources, fieldwork sessions, interaction with local key actors of the selected case study, the research group aims at verifying if bottom-up reuse initiatives are able to trigger place-based regeneration processes, producing positive impacts in terms of social, economic and cultural dimension.Published versio
Progressive convergence between private and public initiatives in city planning and urban policy: the case study of Kerameikos
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017Urban rehabilitation is defined as a process of improving deprived urban environments through enhancing the physical structure and varying the density established within urban areas. Major initiatives have been introduced to attract residential, transport, economic and leisure uses and activities, resulting in mutations of the spatial, social and economic structure of urban spaces (Nobre, 2002). During the last decades a great amount of urban and social studies has started to acknowledge the significant role and useful experience of these processes in cities on specific case-studies across the world. The de-industrialization and the loss of manufacturing employment in many urban areas have led to the prevalence of consumption-based, arts-led forms of economic regeneration intended to tackle urban problems (Raco, 2002). Extending this discussion to the Athenian context, this paper examines the strategies of urban rehabilitation-regeneration and gentrification in relation to arts-led regeneration, as well as the effects of the progressive co-ordination between private and public urban development initiatives in Kerameikos. This case study serves towards an optimum understanding of the phenomenon, analyzing the practices followed by local authorities and private investors in the regeneration scheme alongside their spatial, social and economic implications. More specifically, the study approaches urban governance policies, focusing on urban enhancement practices and particular policing measures which aim at the extraction of "social pollutants" from certain city neighbourhoods (Urry, 1995). International competition among cities has led to the implementation of policies favoring investors and private capital to the detriment of the local population (Harvey, 2000). Further to a brief assessment of the evolution of urban policies in the Athenian context over the last thirty years, the paper interrogates the social and spatial landscape of Kerameikos, taking into account the obstacles posed by the financial crisis in implementing and evolving the gentrification agenda and, consequently, in developing the real estate market. Urban enhancement interventions regarding both the physical environment and the social composition had been made in the pre-crisis period, however the outburst of the economic crisis put an end to an era of soaring land prices and to the “intrusion” of higher income groups. It is worth noting that the population composition has been partially dominated by distinct cultural groups of middle-low social strata.Published versio
Shaping regional futures: performance of regional design in European regions
No full textBook of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017In metropolitan regions, municipal borders and other administrative boundaries have long since been transcended by spatial patterns of interaction and land use. In the emergence of spatial patterns, multiple spatial scales intertwine – from the neighbourhood up to the functional region and beyond. Governments and their administrations often experience statutory limitations when trying to address these developments. Their territories are fragments of regions; they have difficulties detecting problems that are caused by factors outside of their spheres of influence and feel that addressing them is beyond their competence and political mandate. Planning instruments available to them, along with specific rules and regulations, are often too generic, rigid and defensive to address the specific development potentialities that are the product of intertwined issues and scales. Simultaneously, analytical information about regional spatial development is increasing, thanks to new technologies that can handle (big) data. More information and knowledge on what is going on beyond the horizon of a single city is not unproblematic, though. There is little experience about how to transform the insights and activities of single individuals and organizations into collective knowledge and action on a regional scale. In response to these deficiencies of statutory planning, politicians, planning authorities and also civil and private organizations in numerous European regions are participating in informal, network typed governance arrangements, in order to coordinate sector issues and issues that play at different levels of scale (see for instance Allmendinger et alia, 2015). They seek, for instance, to integrate economic, transport and housing development, and water management stretching across multiple and multi scalar boundaries. Being voluntary associations with few formal planning instruments available to them, the resulting partnerships collaboratively engage in jointly creating inspiring and encouraging spatial agendas with the help of regional design.Published versio