LED Online Seminar 2017 - Working Group 2

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Dear working group members. This is your group page and you will be completing the template gradually as we move through the seminar. Good luck and enjoy your collaboration!

Assignment 1 - Reading and Synthesizing Core Terminology

  • You can read more details about this assignment here
  • Readings are accessible via the resources page

Step 1: Your Landscape Democracy Manifestoes

Step 2: Define your readings

  • Please add your readings selection for the terminology exercise before April 12:

A: Landscape and Democracy - Mapping the Terrain

  • Antrop, Marc; Kühne, Olaf (2015) Concepts of Landscape, in: Landscape Culture - Culturing Landscapes. The Differentiated Construction of Landscapes (Bruns, Kühne, Schönwald, Theile ed.) (Julia)

Landscape Concepts:

  • Constructing Landscape Conceptions - Kucan, Ana (Sander)

B: Concepts of Participation

  • Multiple views participatory design - Henry Sanoff (Maurizio)
  • The powerful, the powerless, and the experts - John Gaventa (Julia)

C: Community and Identity

  • Design for ecological democracy - Hester, Randolph (Maythe)
  • Culture and changing landscape structure - Nassauer, Joan Iverson (Phan)
  • Cinematic Landscapes - Welk Von Mossner, Alexa (Phan)

D: Designing

  • Westport Case study - Kot, Douglas and Ruggeri, Deni (Sander)
  • Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration? - Nicola Dawn Smith (Maurizio)

E: Communicating a Vision

  • Reading the Landscape - Simon Bell, EMU Tartu (Maythe)
  • Storytelling example from the Scottish Islands (Maurizio)

Steps 3 and 4: Concepts Selection and definition

  • Each group member selects three relevant concepts derived from his/her readings and synthesize them/publish them on the wiki by April 30, 2017
  • Group members reflect within their groups and define their chosen concepts into a shared definition to be posted on the wiki by May 10, 2017.
  • Other group members will be able to comment on the definitions until May 20, 2017

Concepts and definitions

Author 1: Julia

  • Concept 1: Community Power Structure Research: People can participate in the formation of opinion through gaining access to about important topics like tax rates, property actions,... (Gaventa, John (1980): The Powerful, the Powerless, and the Experts: Knowledge Struggles in an Information Age)


  • Concept 2: Right-to-Know Movements: Citizens launche campaigns and protest groups underlining the right to know the content of important topics and decisions. (Gaventa, John (1980): The Powerful, the Powerless, and the Experts: Knowledge Struggles in an Information Age)



Author 2: Phan

  • Concept 1: Human perception and culture changes landscapes and vice versa. The landscape can reflect the character and culture of a community living there. "People do not stand apart from the landscape, but rather are participants in the landscape in a situation of mutual influence". (Nassauer, Joan Iverson (1995): Culture and Changing Landscape Structure).
  • Concept 2: Cultural concepts of nature are different from scientific concept of ecological function. Improving the natural landscape while respecting the indigenous ecosystem is necessery. "What looks like beautiful nature may be a polluted former landfill, and what looks like a neglected abandoned lot may be a rich ecosystem". (Nassauer, Joan Iverson (1995): Culture and Changing Landscape Structure).
  • Concept 3: In a movie, the director tell a story through beautiful secne. Similarly, the landscape may contain meanings and stories about the communities around it. (Welk Von Mossner, Alexa (2014): Cinematic Landscapes)

Author 3: Sander

  • Concept 1
    • When planning on making a design for a community, listen to the residents. Find out what they want and what would improve their community life. Recourse used: Kot, Douglas and Ruggeri, Deni: Westport Case Study.
  • Concept 2
    • Designs should be made in order to strengthen the character of the town or community where you are designing for. It should fit in the landscape, architectural character and lifestyle of the residents in the town. Recourse used: Kot, Douglas and Ruggeri, Deni: Westport Case Study.
  • Concept 3
    • Keep an eye on the environment of the designing area. In order to deliver the best design, you have to find the symbolic behind the place and the residents relationship with it. On this way you can create an uniformity between the existing landscape and your design idea. Recourse used: Kucan, Ana (2007). Constructing Landscape Conceptions. In: ECLAS (ed.). JoLA spring 2007, 30-41. Munich: Callwey.

Author 4: Maythé

  • Concept 1:This desgined cities should be formed by applied ecology, hand-on participation, act as communities by sharing information, experiences. building an environment that reflects our values. "Design for ecological democracy"-Hester, Randolph.
  • Concept 2: Act as communities, Be ecologically resilient, cities that touch our heart by impelling form. "Design for ecological democracy"-Hester, Randolph.
  • Concept 3:By reading the landscape we need to analyse the character, characteristics, elements, features and characterisations and from them making a 6 step process that carried out at a range of scales: Defining the scope, desk study, field survey, classification and description, deciding the approach to judgements, making judgements.

Author 5: Maurizio

  • Concept 1 - Development of the citizens’ culture, social capital and collective intelligence - [Sanoff, Henry (2014): Multiple Views of Participatory Design]
    • It is through the various forms of participatory democracy that: 1) people can play an active role in designing landscapes that live on a daily basis (people not as ordinary end users); 2) citizens express their opinions about the issues directly affecting them; 3) people can actually influence with their ideas the decision-making process on problem solving. There is a real risk that the same forms of participatory democracy lead to perpetual conflicts, lack of confidence in the political model and unnecessary / expensive delays. In order to ward off the abovementioned chaos, it is essential that people are able to share their experiences in an orderly manner, with the purpose of solving problems. It is imperative that within the population is generated what Atlee calls "Collective Intelligence". The greater the number of people will be involved, the greater the number of individual experiences will be available and the consequence will be a more powerful and shared result. For a concrete and effective participation, it is important that people: 1) be sufficiently informed about the problems to be resolved; 2) be adequately informed about the context and constraints to which they operate; 3) acquire participatory skills; 4) gain more sensitivity to the problems of others; 5) become more tolerant of different points of view and change; 6) develop forms of community pride; 7) increase, through participation, their knowledge, mutual awareness and respect; 8) acquire the ability to make more reflective judgments; 9) develop a higher sensitivity / civic education.
  • Concept 2 - Role of local administrations and professionals - Design and management of participation - [Sanoff, Henry (2014): Multiple Views of Participatory Design]
    • Citizens' participation does not exclude the role of municipal authorities and professionals. Dialogue between citizens, professionals and municipal authorities on needs and resources is indispensable; through the comparison, each one brings its own specific competencies (local knowledge, professional knowledge and administrative knowledge). Before defining the specific objectives to pursue through the different models of collective participation, it is essential to set up a strategic plan based on the people’s ideas. Local administrations need to design together with citizens a good strategic planning based on information gathering, exploration of alternatives, and the study of implications in the future. A valid strategic planning, as well as accommodating divergent interests and values, must be flexible and sufficiently specific to ensure proper monitoring of the results. Based on the aforementioned strategic plan it is possible to define the specific objectives to pursue through the participatory events. It is task of designers to decide how to promote deliberative processes, especially in a conflictual / contradictory context (e.g., Citizen Deliberative Councils "appropriately selected heterogeneously" Vs Participatory meetings open to all). Participation is a particularly complicated concept that requires proper planning of participatory events and participation programs (Whom to involve? What to do? Where to go through participation? How to involve? When to engage?) in order not only to optimize the process but also above all to satisfy the people involved without disillusioning them. Designers have to identify among the different methods of participation (Community surveys, advisory boards, task forces, neighbourhood meetings, public hearings) what best suits goals (choosing the best strategy to ensure that people are able to make concrete decisions and ensure the highest level of participation). Depending on the objectives, it is task of the designers to identify the best participatory event model through which: 1) Promote participation, social integration and sense of belonging; 2) Develop the sense of community and attachment to the context; 3) Facilitate the involvement of people without design expertise; 4) Enhance the interpersonal relationships essential to achieving common goals.
  • Concept 3 - "Voting" is a partial form of democracy - [Sanoff, Henry (2014): Multiple Views of Participatory Design]
    • "Voting" is a partial form of democracy. There are various ways in which to interpret the concept of consensus, from the old one of "consensus gentium" to the political one in which a majority supports a particular proposal. In any case, consensus should be reach in a concerted, stress-free manner, with dialogue and exploring different opinions. The deliberative democracy is based on the conscience of differences, the need for compromise and the growing sense of belonging. The legitimacy of a decision does not depend on its content but on the confidence in the process by which it was taken (fair, open, democratic) and the ability of citizens to play a role in defining it. In participatory processes, the satisfaction of citizens/users does not depend much on the degree to which their needs are met but rather in the feeling that they have contributed to the decision-making process.
  • Concept 1 - Something about Charrette - [Smith, Nicola Dawn(2012): Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration]
    • Depending on the needs, the "Charrette" technique can be expressed in infinite ways. There are no two equal Charrettes but in all of them it is possible to recognize a common structure consisting of the following three phases: 1. Gathering information; 2. Design event; 3. Implementation. The time to use for a successful "Charrette" is at least 4 days. It is a consultation and involvement tool mainly used in the private sector of urban planning and architecture but could be used in many other areas. Among the design tools that employ drawings, mental maps, and site related graphics, the "Charrette Design" is the only one that improves the knowledge of stakeholders before converging information. The "Charrette" have the prerogative of expanding education and research. Charrette promotes internal creativity and decision-making convergence in order to generate shared outcomes and to smooth out discord.
  • Concept 2 - The importance of drawing - [Smith, Nicola Dawn(2012): Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration]
    • To actively participate in a "Charrette" human qualities are fundamental rather than acquired skills, anyway in a "Charrette" is privileged the experience of those who know how to draw quickly at the last minute and manage to communicate through sketches. Drawing does not only help design, but is primarily a method of communication between the participants. Drawings generate more direct and more accessible knowledge. “Conversing with drawings is a rare skill”. The highest moment in a Charrette is when a designer reaches consensual approval through a sketch. The drawings made during a Charrette are real contracts drawn through pictures.
  • Concept 3 - The importance of time - [Smith, Nicola Dawn(2012): Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration]
    • The time compression that characterizes Charrette makes the process more efficient and facilitates problem solving in a creative way because: 1)Restricts consultation between stakeholders and excludes the possibility of sterile negotiations; 2)Encourages people to "think outside the box"; 3)Maintains the survey material and the key points of the decision-making process.
  • Concept 1 - A system for integrating the different parts of the city - [Storytelling example from the Scottish Islands]
    • Changes in an ancient city like Stromness have increased the contrast between the historical social core and the peripheral economic and residential area. The purpose is should be to create a single integrated functional unit that respects the character of the different parts of Stromness.
  • Concept 2 - Necessity of flexibility - [Storytelling example from the Scottish Islands]
    • There is a need to re-learn how to build places in relation to the external environment, developing flexibility and ability to cope with changes.
  • Concept 3 - Sense of belonging - [Storytelling example from the Scottish Islands]
    • The force for change should come from the local community rather than being imposed by the public sector. Initiatives born out of the citizens may be more effective for the city and to create in the local community a sense of ownership.

Step 5: Reflection

  • Please write, as a group, a 250 words reflection on your discourse and document it here

Step 6: Revised manifestoes

  • please look again at your initial manifestoes and update them with any new aspects/prespectives you have taken up during this seminar

Assignment 2 - Your Landscape Symbols

  • You can read more details about this assignment here

Landscape Symbols: Julia

Landscape Symbols: Duy Phan

Sander's Landscape Symbols

Landscape Symbol: Maythé García Velarde

Maurizio.b's Landscape Symbols

Assignment 3 - Role Play on Landscape Democracy "movers and shakers"

  • You can read more details about this assignment here

Assignment 4 - Your Landscape Democracy Challenge

  • You can read more details about this assignment here
  • Each group member will specify a landscape democracy challenge in his/her environment

Landscape Democracy Challenge 1 (Julia)

Your references:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 2 (Phan)

Your references:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 3 (Sander)

Your references:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 4 (Maythe)

Your references:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 5 (Maurizio)

  • Brief introduction:

In 1998, the “District contracts” (in Italian “Contratti di Quartiere” – CdQ) belonged to a larger family named “Complex urban plans” (in Italian “Programmi Urbani Complessi”) the purpose of which was an urban multi levels and multidisciplinary regeneration (each of that plans aimed to a different goal).

In particular, the CdQ aimed to urban regeneration of city areas with:

1) widespread degradation of buildings;

2) widespread degradation of environment;

3) lack of services;

4) absence of social cohesion;

5) serious social hardship;

6) social and architectural decline.

The CdQ have been one of the last instance in which the State allocated, through a nation tender, funds for renovation in the field of the public housing.

The funds were assigned by a competition procedure. Each Italian region had the chance to show, to a specially designed State Commission, 5 proposals realized by municipal administrations.


Focus points through which the winning proposals would be selected were:

SUBJECTIVE INDEX

1) “Municipal features” such as demography, unemployment rate, etc.;

2) “Characteristics of the defined area” of intervention such as percentage of public housing, rate of schooling, housing density etc.;

3) Existence and entity of other “public or private funds” involved in the project;

4) Existence and entity of other “regional funds” involved in the project.

NB) Funds allocated through the tender could be employed only in public housing and, minimally, in primary public works connected to it. However, to win the tender, the proposal had to be addressed to a broader context so other funds were necessary.

EVALUTATIVE INDEX

5) “CdQ features” referred to targets in social, occupational and construction-planning settings;

6) “Preliminary project features” such as architecture, environmental sustainability, links to the background;

7) Trial project features with a special interest to contents in these areas:

a) morphological quality; b) ecosystem quality; c) fruition quality; d) system quality.

NB) CdQ should have met these needs:

1) to achieve information about building experimentation;

2) to study new strategies in the area of urban regeneration.

In the tender was strongly recommended to define:

1) innovative interventions over the urban building tradition so as to enhance the context;

2) methods to promote the social integration, the employment and the citizens participation to the project since the earlier stages.

However, these points were not particularly important in defining the winner municipalities.

In 1998, there were no particularly degraded neighbourhoods in Bologna, but there were a lot of situations in which few degraded elements compromised their context. Based on the reports presented to the law enforcement and the local news articles, the municipality had already identified the "Pescarola-Beverara" area, in the north of city, as a critical area that needed to be requalified. For this same area, the municipality had already carried out a master plan. CdQ was the occasion to regenerate the “Pescarola-Beverara” context. However, the very preliminary unfinished projects available were not adequate to the requirements of the tender. The local administration did not have the means, the knowledge and the time to draw up an appropriate project. For the aforementioned reasons the municipality hired a private design studio “Ricerca e Progetto, Galassi, Mingozzi e Associati”.

The Bolognese project to be presented to the specially designed State Commission was carried out by the operational units of the City of Bologna and by the design studio “Ricerca e Progetto, Galassi, Mingozzi e Associati”.

The project had three main objectives:

1) a general and profound regeneration of the "Pescarola-Beverara" context north of Bologna;

2) improve the ecosystem quality of the context through particularly innovative construction and technological interventions for a residential building area of those years;

3) improve the quality of life in the context through experimental assistance models for the elderly, disabled, and marginalized families in severe housing emergency.

In the tender was demanded to design appropriate monitoring methods on experimental interventions that would be implemented.

At the end of selection procedure, the Bolognese project achieve the seventh place in the national ranking list by obtaining the State funds. The same project was finished, in its executive condition, by the design studio “Ricerca e Progetto, Galassi, Mingozzi e Associati”. The aforementioned design studio carried out the works supervision. The realization of the works took place within the set times.


1) The general redevelopment project for the area has planned:

A) The recovery of a dilapidated building for the construction of four public housing for seniors and four for young couples;

B) The recovery of an old unstable farmhouse for the construction of four public housing for elderly couples with a seriously disabled child;

C) The recovery of an old laundry for the establishment of the operational centre of a welfare association;

D) The recovery of an old abandoned school for the construction of nine homes for marginalized families in housing emergency;

E) Placement of public green areas and car parks;

F) Creation of pedestrian and cycle links;

G) The recovery of a dilapidated building for the realization of three housing and two laboratories (private initiative);

H) The recovery of a dilapidated building for the realization of four housing (private initiative); I) Completion of urbanization works;

L) The recovery of an illegally occupied building for the realization of a permanent theatrical workshop for children;

M) Redevelopment of public green areas;

N) Realization of equipped green areas;

O) Completion of pedestrian access to villa Tambana;

P) Realization of a cycle path.

The requalification of the whole context has been successful. Residents state that the level of crime has dropped significantly and it has been aligned with that of the other neighbourhoods of Bologna.

2) Based on a site analysis conducted experimentally, the technology project has foreseen the installation in popular houses of:

- Rainwater recovery systems;

- Systems for the reduction of water consumption for sanitary use;

- Floor heating system;

- Centralized condensing boiler;

- Load-bearing walls useful to exploit thermal inertia;

- Insulating plasters and insulating paints;

- Ventilated roofs and ventilated crawl spaces;

- Air exchange systems integrated into the structure.

The monitoring of the technology project has proven its success.

3) Among the social interventions planned to achieve a higher quality of the public housing area can be mentioned:

- The design of a building without architectural barriers consisting of 4 one-room apartments each connected to a duplex. The four studio apartments have been allocated to 4 elderly people with economic difficulties, the 4 duplexes have been assigned to 4 families of young couples;

- The design of a building without architectural barriers consisting of four apartments to be assigned to 4 families of elderly parents with a seriously disabled child;

- The design of a building consisting of 9 apartments to be used for marginalized families in a serious housing emergency.

By listening to citizens of that area and social workers involved in the initiative, I realized that the social objective was not fully achieved. Many issues have not been considered. This depends on the absence of a democratic design.

IN THE BOLOGNA PROJECT, THE CITIZENS WERE NOT INVOLVED.

Your references:

  • Monti C., Elementi di urbanistica.Problemi e strumenti, Bologna, CLUEB, 2000
  • Di Angelo Antonio C., Di Michele A., Giandelli V., Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti, Contratti di quartiere. Programmi per la riqualificazione di insediamenti urbani degradati, Roma, Edizioni Edilizia Popolare, 2001
  • Rabaiotti G., Opinioni e confronti. I Contratti di Quartiere, in “Urbanistica informazioni: supplemento bimestrale di Urbanistica: rivista dell’Istituto nazionale di urbanistica”, a. XXVII, n. 158, 1998
  • Avarello P., Aperture. Programmi complessi, innovazione e riforma, in “Urbanistica informazioni : supplemento bimestrale di Urbanistica : rivista dell’Istituto nazionale di urbanistica”, a. XXVII, n. 163, 1998
  • Storto G., Contratti di Quartiere. Un primo bilancio, in “Urbanistica informazioni : supplemento bimestrale di Urbanistica : rivista dell’Istituto nazionale di urbanistica”, a. XXVII, n. 163, 1998
  • Rosa P., Contratti di Quartiere. I lavori della commissione esaminatrice, in “Urbanistica informazioni : supplemento bimestrale di Urbanistica : rivista dell’Istituto nazionale di urbanistica”, a. XXVII, n. 163, 1998
  • Bonomini A., Contratti di Quartiere. Bologna metropolitana: la Regione boccia un Contratto “troppo sociale”, in “Urbanistica informazioni : supplemento bimestrale di Urbanistica : rivista dell’Istituto nazionale di urbanistica”, a. XXVII, n. 163, 1998
  • Fianchini M., I Contratti di Quartiere, in “Ambiente Costruito”, n. 4, 1999
  • Ricerca e progetto, Galassi, Mingozzi e Associati, Unità Operative del Comune di Bologna, Progetto esecutivo delle opere di edilizia residenziale ed annesse urbanizzazioni. Contratti di Quartiere L. 662/96, L. 449/97 “Q.re Navile zona Pescarola-Beverara”, 30 settembre 2000
  • Ferro S., Integrazione, interazione e coesione fra politiche urbanistiche e politiche sociali: l’esperienza del contratto di Quartiere nell’analisi dei processi formulativi, decisionali e attuativi di una politica pubblica, Cesari M. (relatore) Corso di Laurea in Responsabile nella progettazione e coordinamento dei servizi sociali. Elaborato in Gruppi seminariali e di ricerca mirati I, 2007-2008
  • Minelli M., Condomini per la vita indipendente: ghetto o opportunità? Un’indagine su alcune esperienze bolognesi, Faranda I. (relatore) Corso di laurea in Servizio Sociale. Organizzazione dei servizi sociali sul territorio, 2012-2013
  • http://www.mit.gov.it/mit/site.php?p=cm&o=vd&id=60
  • http://www.ricercaeprogetto.it/contratto_quartiere_eng.html

Assignment 5 - Your Democratic Change Process

  • You can read more details about this assignment here
  • After documenting and reflecting on your challenges you will continue jointly with one of these challenges and design a democratic change process

Your Democratic Change Process

Reflection

  • Evaluate in the group how far your ideas either built on the theoretical frame that has been introduced to you during this seminar or react to this by filling a potential gap (approx 150 words)

Your references

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