LED Online Seminar 2018 - Working Group 11: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:30, 10 July 2018

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!

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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

Sam's manifesto
Sabine's manifesto
Seyyed's manifesto
Giulia Martina's manifesto
Markus Herrmann's Manifesto

Step 2: Define your readings

Please add your readings selection for the terminology exercise before April 18:

A: Landscape and Democracy

Markus Herrmann: Cosgrove, Denis. (1985): Prospect, Perspective and the Evolution of the Landscape Idea. In: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 10, No. 1 (1985),pp. 45-62. Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers).

Sabine Schneider: The European Landscape Convention

Sam Nassar: The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

Seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia: Kucan, Ana (2007). Constructing Landscape Conceptions. In: ECLAS (ed.). JoLA spring 2007, 30-41. Munich: Callwey.

B: Concepts of Participation

Sam Nassar: Gaventa, John: The Powerful, the Powerless, and the Experts

Markus Herrmann: Hester, Randolph (2012): Evaluating Community Design, Landscape Journal

Giulia Martina Bosi: Sanoff, Henry (2014): Multiple Views of Participatory Design, Focus

Seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia: Sanoff, Henry (2014): Multiple Views of Participatory Design, Focus

Seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia :Arnstein, Sherry R.(1969): A Ladder of Citizen Participation, JAIP, Vol. 35, No. 4

C: Community and Identity

Markus Herrmann: Hester, Randolph (2006): Design for Ecological Democracy, The MIT Press

Sabine Schneider: Welk Von Mossner, Alexa (2014): Cinematic Landscapes

Giulia Martina Bosi: Gafford, Farrah D. (2013): It Was a Real Village: Community Identity Formation Among Black Middle-Class Residents in Pontchartrain Park

Seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia: Woodcraft, Saffron, et al.: Design for Social Sustainability: A Framework for Creating Thriving New Communities

D: Designing

Markus Herrmann: Hester, Randolph: Democratic Drawing - Techniques for Participatory Design; Hussain, Sofia, et al. (2012): Participatory Design with Marginalized People in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunties Experienced in a Field Study in Cambodia, International Journal of Design, Vol. 6, No. 2

Sabine Schneider: Hester, Randolph: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sustainable Happiness

Sam Nassar: Smith, Nicola Dawn(2012): Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration

Seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia: Smith, Nicola Dawn(2012): Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration

E: Communicating a Vision

Markus Herrmann: BUG project: http://www.decisionproblem.com/bug/bug2.html

Giulia Martina Bosi: Huber, Josef, Pascale Mompoint-Gaillard, and Ildikó Lázár. 2015. TASKs for democracy: 60 activities to learn and assess transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge

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 May 9, 2018
Group members reflect within their groups and define their chosen concepts into a shared definition to be posted on the wiki by June 6, 2018.
Other group members will be able to comment on the definitions until June 12, 2018
Each group will also report on their process to come to a set of shared definitions of key landscape democracy concepts on the wiki documentation until June 20, 2018

Concepts and definitions

Author 1: Sam Nassar

CONCEPT 1: “The Aarhus Convention” it’s a Convention and Protocol empower people with the rights to access easily information, participate effectively in decision-making in environmental matters and to seek justice if their rights were violated. They protect every person’s right to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being. (The Aarhus Convention)
CONCEPT 2: “Power and Powerlessness” Explains to outsiders the conflicts between the financial interests of the coal and land companies, and the moral rights of the vulnerable mountaineers. The questions that open investigation of social peace and rebellion in a desperately poor Appalachian valley.(Gaventa, John 1982)
CONCEPT 3:” Design Charrette: A Vehicle for Consultation or Collaboration”: A model of participation and creativity, it’s good for reshaping the engagement of design professionals and the dynamic processes available to businesses and organizations seeking ongoing innovation, it is used as a consultant tool for engaging the community in participatory workshops on potentially controversial developments.(Smith, Nicola Dawn 2012)

Author 2: Sabine Schneider

Concept 1: Landscapes in movies - The role of landscape as movie settings decreases as digital effects are getting more popular. Even though some movies like Beasts oft he Southern Wild show a clear relationship to the existing landscapes to make people aware of the problems our environment it facing these days. (Welk Von Mossner, Alexa (2014): Cinematic Landscapes)
Concept 2: Selective Integration - Integrated communities are more likely to be resilient. Even though concepts like niches and territorry point out the values of segregation. So it’s not all clear in which dimensions integrtion should occur. (Hester, Randolph: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sustainable Happiness)
Concept 3: Inclusive Landscape - Every landscape should be included in the planning. It doesn't matter what kind of landscape (e.g. nature protection areas, settlements,...) as long as it's part of an European country. (The European Landscape Convention)

Author 3: Markus Herrmann

Concept 1: Fairness - Fairness is vital for a lasting democracy and especially in democratic landscape planning design. Important is a legal base and a free and fair information flow. Participation is boosted by a fair surrounding, fair information flow and clear laws. It can create a surrounding, where one is ready to raise its voice about injustices. To map Fairness / or unfair spatial situations the key points / topics to map are 1. Accessibility, 2. Inclusions, 3. Equal or unequal distribution of resources and amenities. Important for a designer is to find out about tensions and injustices existing. Mostly poor and / or marginalized (people of color, elderly, youth, women etc.) people are treated in an unfair way – often people are not even clear about that injustices. Many problems can be rectified by good design, but first have to been shown and mapped.(Hester, Randolph (2006): Design for Ecological Democracy, The MIT Press)
Concept 2: Representative representation: Nonverbal drawing techniques are often used in democratic planning in a cooperative way. It is far more complex than the normal drawings we learn in architectural practice, as it is not about persuading someone about an idea (a way of presenting you often learn at architecture education). Randolph Hester names the methods used in that field as “representative representations” and categorizes them in 5 areas: 1. Representing people, 2. Exchanging professional knowledge and local wisdom spatially, 3. Coauthoring design, 4. empowering people to ‘represent’ themselves, and 5. Visualizing deep values: community, stewardship, fairness and distinctive place. He states furthermore that most participatory design methods are more “process oriented and less product oriented than other design approaches” (193) but often lead to “unusually carefully crafted and reasonably low maintenance [designs]” mostly “figurative and not abstract” (193)(Hester, Randolph: Democratic Drawing - Techniques for Participatory Design).
Concept 3: Planning with immigrants - Designing with immigrants is a highly emotional task – which often requires a huge amount of empathy and can trigger traumata while working with immigrants. The designer / researcher has to be highly emotional in how he / she carries out the research question. The most important part is therefore not the underlying technique but more so the surrounding and the mindset of the researcher paired with a wisely chosen venue. Visual techniques paired with questions asked could deal as an ice breaker. Often we also encounter ethical issues that arise – so it is no easy field of research and a field where designers have to learn a lot in advance, to make sure it is save for both sides.

Salgado, Mariana, et al. (2015): Designing with Immigrants

Author 4: Giulia Martina Bosi

CONCEPT 1: "Social responsibility": The planning that involved a participation program should include a goal that the partecipation part needs to reach. Each time that a group of people are involved in a planning they should know that their idea/vision will influence the future of the entire community. (Multiple views of participatory design, Henry Sanoff)
CONCEPT 2: "Community building": The children who grew up in Pontchartrain Park in the 1950s and 1960s are no longer related to "black spaces" but they still feel part of this community (the community of "old black middle-class". They feel this community as a family. (It was a real village, Farrah D. Gafford)
CONCEPT 3: "Learing by doing". Even children and young people can be involved democracy chanllenge, through non-formal education they can learn easly and have fun at the same time; but they will apply what they have learn during the game in real life. As Confucio said "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand". (TASKs for democracy, Council of Europe)

Step 5: Reflection

While comparing our readings we found three main concepts regarding ‚landscape democracy‘, that we defined as important concepts, and that make inclusive participation / planning possible:

1.	The Fairness concept – relying on a in most parts democratic basis (political regulations, laws etc.)
2.	The concept oft he landscape idea 
3.	Idea / concept of different interest groups (economical, political etc.)

The basis of a possible ‚landscape democracy‘ in our opinion is a more or less stable democratic basis. In a (in general) anxiety-free environment, fairness, the freedom of speech and consensus driven decision making (and voting) are possible and are clearly secured through binding political laws and regulations.

The concept of Fairness that Hester Randolph (Hester, Randolph (2006): Design for Ecological Democracy, The MIT Press) described, is a crucial part of democracy. It makes it possible that people raise their voices against inequalities and name problems occurring in their environment, that should be solved. Without a secure and stable democracy, this first crucial step would not happen – the naming of problems (also from minorities). A democracy should also be tolerant to inconvenient opinions and the speech of minorities / marginalized groups. In the case of voting, in most democratic countries the majority of the opinions get imposed – it is consensus driven.

In the case of the landscape, it isn’t often that easy, as many different interest groups are involved. Often therefore, so called ‚experts‘ decide in the planning of landscapes. Often without being inclusive in the planning process. The ideal way is, to make the planning process as inclusive as possible.

Landscape is a complex term, that is generally made up by physical, economical and social factors. In short: The concept oft he landscape is mainly a cultural construct, that is changing over time. Over the time a landscape identity is formed through symbols, mythologies / narratives and nature. A landscape persception develops. The landscape perception can be totally different in different countries or within different groups of inhabitants. But generally speaking: the landscape belongs to the people!

Design / Planning is often done by Elites and not always user orientated. Democratic Landscape Design has the goal to include most user groups in the decision making process – it is a paradigm shift that is slowly happening in the planning world.

There are different participation techniques available (Charrettes, planning games etc.) but the main goal is it to have a clear goal, a fair information flow and a as far as it goes, a neutral project manager / planner. He or she is he moderator oft he process and should make sure that as many key players / users linked to the planning goal should be included – which can be a difficult task.

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

Sam's updated manifesto
Sabine's updated manifesto
Author's updated manifesto
Giulia Martina's updated manifesto
Markus Herrmann's updated manifesto

Assignment 2 - Your Landscape Symbols

You can read more details about this assignment here

Landscape Symbols Author 1: Sam Nasser

The Hope for Peace (Espoir de Paix) Monument is a monument in Yarze, Lebanon, made to celebrate the end of the Lebanese Civil War in 1990. It was built in 1995. It is the official monument to commemorate the end of the civil war in Lebanon.
A view of the clock tower in Nejme Square in Beirut, Lebanon and some local architecture. A landmark of the beautiful city centre in downtown Beirut
Zaitunay Bay is a quayside commercial and tourist strip around the West Marina, composed of restaurants and cafes, retail stores, activity centers, a yachtclub and a boardwalk.

Landscape Symbols Author 2: Sabine Schneider

often found at outstanding locations as part of the catholic tradition to cause religious consciousness
subject of a cultural campaign and ambassador of the city; located at many places in Freising
reminder of the war victims; located in Obere Hauptstraße Freising

Landscape Symbols Author 3: Markus Herrmann

The so called "Sternhochhaus / stern-skyscraper" is one of the many symbols of the city of Kassel and named after the mercedes star, that the close by Mercedes factory uses as advertisment since the 70s. The skyscraper is one of the highest in Kassel (55 m). It also symbolizes the entrance to the city coming from the University at the Holländische Platz and is also a well known meeting point (tram station "Am Stern". Furthermore it shows the industrial history of the city.
It is a memorial on the campus of the university of Kassel showing the deportation trains that departed from the university campus (former factory area). The university was build on the former Henschel factory, which also deported many jews / forced laborers during the NS-regime.
It is an art piece of the artist Joseph Beuys, that he created during the Documenta in 1982. 7000 oak trees are spread over the whole city and are marked by the basalt stones at the base of the trees. It is a symbol for the close connection of Kassel and the Documenta art exhibition.

Landscape Symbols Author 4: Giulia Martina Bosi

Ginkgo Biloba is a symbol of my city (Formigine). Each citizen and every visitor of the city linked the park to this tree. This park and the tree are the heart of the city, so all the people that live here can connect easly themselves to this three.
This is the pubblic library where all the people of the city always go to read a book inside, to study, or to participate in lecture laboratory.
This is the castle: the old symbol of the city, symbol that connects us to our twin cities, and place where people can get inside and relax in its beautiful garden.

Landscape Symbols Author 5:seyyed mohammadmahdi hosseinikia

The mausoleum of Avicenna located at the center of a Square, Hamedan, IRAN (1952). It is designed by Hooshang seyhoun and includes library, museum and beautiful landscape. Besides, the most important feature is the spindle- shaped tower, easily can be seen from vicinity. This tower generously gives spectacular view to everyone.In the past maybe for 4 decades, this tower hadn’t has any special meaning for people and the fundamental essence of it was the monument for Avicenna.
Iran (Persia) is one of the most important countries in the Middle East. It has a very long tradition of garden-making, though no one can be sure quite how long. Because it bestrides the cross-roads between the Middle East and Asia, Iran has had a turbulent history. Zoroastrianism was a religion of settlers, as opposed to nomads, and the early Zoroastrians undoubtedly had vegetable gardens. It is probable that they also made aesthetic gardens but little is known about Zoroastrian art. The earliest surviving Persian layouts are the palace estates of Passargadae and Persepolis. After the conquest of Persia by Islam, the paradise garden became established and the Islamic gardens east of Persia, in Samarkand, Afganistan and India were largely the work of Persian garden designers and craftsmen
The Azadi Tower (Borje Āzādi; "Freedom Tower"), formerly known as the Shahyad Tower (برج شهیاد Borje Ŝahyād; "Shah's Memorial Tower"), is a monument located at Azadi Square, in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the landmarks of Tehran, marking the west entrance to the city, and is part of the Azadi Cultural Complex, which also includes a museum underground. The tower is about 45 metres (148 ft) tall and is completely clad in cut marble.[1][2] It was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, to mark the 2,500th year of the foundation of the Imperial State of Iran

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
Each Landscape Democracy Challenge should be linked to two or three of UN's 17 sustainable development Goals

Landscape Democracy Challenge 1

World Heritage and Conflict challenges
caption: why did you select this case? Palmyra City: Roman Theatre at Palmyra as an example: Located in Palmyra, Syria, it’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was inaccessible in a war zone. The theatre was Built in the second-century in the center of a semicircular colonnaded piazza which opens up to the South Gate of Palmyra and destroyed partly by the weapons of 21st century. Back in time 2300 years ago Palmyra was open civic and Cultural center.
caption: what is the issue/conflict (1)Who protects a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from obliteration while conflict?
caption: what is the issue/conflict (2)Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL
caption: who are the actors? ISIL
caption: UN's Sustainable Development Goal? Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
caption: UN's Sustainable Development Goal? Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

References:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 2

Westtangente Freising
why I selected this case: The "Wetsttangente" is a new road in Freising that should connect the Thalhauserstraße with the B11. It was first mentioned in 1972 and took a long process until they finally started in 2015. The recent constructions should be finished in 2020.
the issue/conflict: In 2013 the opponents of the Westtangente colltected votes in a citizen's decision to stop the start of the construction. The reasons they pointed out were concerning nature and landscape protection and general doubting. Two years later they tried again to stop the project but their attempt was rejected by the municipal councillor of Freising because it wasn't profitable and therefore bad for the calculated costs.
the issue/conflict: When they first decided to build the Westtangente it was prognosed to cost not more than 73 Million Euros. Because of different conflicts during the building work, one of them caused by the opponents, it raised up to 98,4 Million Euro. 70% of the costs are provided by the Free State of Bavaria.
the actors: The actors in the project were/are three different majors, the citizens of Freising (especially the residents next to the construction sides), as well as the planners.
UN's Sustainable Development Goal: industry, innovation and infrastructure
UN's Sustainable Development Goal: sustainable cities and communities

Your references:

Landscape Democracy Challenge 3

Give a title to your challenge
Yourname challenge 1.jpg

caption: why did you select this case?
Yourname challenge 2.jpg

caption: what is the issue/conflict (1)
Yourname challenge 3.jpg

caption: what is the issue/conflict (2)
Yourname challenge 4.jpg

caption: who are the actors?
Yourname challenge 5.jpg

caption: UN's Sustainable Development Goal?
Yourname challenge 6.jpg

caption: UN's Sustainable Development Goal?

Your references:

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Landscape Democracy Challenge 4: Giulia Martina Bosi

Create new connection
why did you select this case: little square right next to the city centre
what is the issue/conflict: it is next to the main street of the city
what is the issue/conflict: no shops or house overlooks to this square except from the hotel that is hosting some refugees
who are the actors: citizen and refugees
UN's Sustainable Development Goal:Sustainable cities and communities
UN's Sustainable Development Goal: reduced inequalities

Your references:

The modifiable courtyard furniture of the Museumsquartier: https://grandferdinand.com/en/cultural-hub-midst-vienna/
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Landscape Democracy Challenge 5: Markus Herrmann

New university campus Kassel / Growing university campus
Why did I selected this case? I walk over the newly developed, and partly finished campus nearly every day. I (and many other) doubt that this a adequate architecture for a planning faculty and that it will be future proof (biodiversity, climate change etc.). I also wonder, if there did any involvement happen in advance?
What is the issue / the conflict? The formerly (more or less) greener, colourful area has become an cold, death sealed area with a vanishingly small amount of green infrastructure (also planned in the future). The planning was not democratic but there is the chance to alter the planning of the future extension of the area.
Issues also -> the widely used grey granite stone is not very ecological (biodiversity, micro climate etc.) and rumors say it is granite from china, probably gained through child labour.
Who are the actors: University leadership, some people protesting against it (professors, faculties, students, smaller organisations ...)
UN's Sustainable Development Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
UN's Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
UN's Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

Your references:

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

Destruction of the ancient city Palmyra
General Information
Spatial Conrtext
Power Map
Workshops
Main Findings of Assignment I

Reflection

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Conclusion:

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Your references

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LED Online Seminar 2018 - Working Group 11: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:30, 10 July 2018

Contents

Assignment 1 - Reading and Synthesizing Core Terminology