stella-zoë schmidtler
30 minutes in Etterbeek
Rethinking the urban street: The readjustment of the built city by unsealing and revealing hidden potentials to face climate change.
RESEARCH PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2020Summary:
With the strategy of unsealing the urban ground this research project aims to explore considerate, yet effective measures to strengthen urban resilience. Among the discussion about the limit of density and livability of cities, it searches solutions by implementing grounded blue and green infrastructures in the system of streets. Boarding the issue of recoding urban space, the objective is to bring together foresight, democracy and economy with an idealistic approach.
Project description:
Advancing changes of the climate on earth are shifting the demands of human actions. The most evident climate effects on human existence are drought and heavy rains as they are directly connected with their nutrition and settlement. Only Italy, with an European average of 37% of its population living in cities and 46% living in towns and suburbs1 counts around 50 million inhabitants2 affected by the corresponding results of the effects on urban areas: heat and flood.
The research proposal is focusing on the potential of unsealed ground in dense urban areas. It aims to investigate the ecological benefit of open blue and green structures in cities and to study the possibilities of transforming the classic urban pattern of grey.
The question is how to extend the idea of green urban spaces as dots among the city by rethinking the true veins of the city: the streets.
The objective is to modify the idea of “smartification” of cities. This strategy is based on technological progress for the city’s performance but when it comes to physical crisis its digital character can easily fail.
The question is how to extend the idea of green urban spaces as dots among the city by rethinking the true veins of the city: the streets.
The objective is to modify the idea of “smartification” of cities. This strategy is based on technological progress for the city’s performance but when it comes to physical crisis its digital character can easily fail.
Inspiring initiatives such as the research project of the association “Riaprire i Navigli” to reopen the Milanese underground canals3 remind that streets are not only made for cars but can also be waterways. During the current lockdown, many metropolitans took the chance to transform the structures of theirs streets in favour of pedestrians and cyclists. An act of policy that seemed impossible for so long.
The faculty of DAStU - raising the topic of climate change and urban resilience - shows its belief in the need of the transformation of cities through spacial planning and ecological perspective.4 That encourages the idea to develop applicable strategies of new city making.
The first approach of the research project should be the analysis of built cities and their relationship to water and green structures, e.g. Milan, to define constructive potential, at most in comparison with another European metropolis. Topics such as local policy, street typologies and their interplay and exploitation of neighbourhoods would play a key role to specify the eligibility of potential areas.
Secondly, a study about ecological impacts of different kinds of unsealing - e.g. trees on pathways, retention areas, open water, basic green areas etc. - would strengthen a valuation of the cost-benefit ratio of possible interventions. Also, the discussion of predictable climatic trends5 should be involved within this part.
Lastly, the viability of implementation should be researched. Starting from technical feasibility, over political tendency but especially on citizen level it would be interesting to empirically research about claims and perception to develop strategies of education on environmental awareness and urban community.
The significance of this research topic lies in the current raise of public appreciation of urban open space due to confinement. Also the political awareness of the need of change and the thereof arising possibilities. It should reveal clear applicable strategies to readjust the existing urban environment and to prepare for the expected and the unexpected.
Positioning the research, one can find several approaches facing the rethinking of the street. As an example, the studio bauchplan proposed the project “streets as parks” at “The Future Park Design Ideas Competition” by the University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Landscape architecture.6 The submission aims to conquer the roads of the metropolitan with promising concepts of incomparable livability, sports, only electric public transport and even urban farming on large scale. It is questionable if the rethinking of the system of streets to this extend could be commonly feasible and truly fulfilling the needs of urban citizen. Do existing cities really need to hunt for completely new uses of urban areas which belong to the fundamental opposite of the city: the countryside?
On the contrary, visions of the new smart cities, such as BIG’s design of the “Toyota Woven City” do rough up the scene of urban design. Without the boundaries of the existing urban structures, ideological visions of traffic equality and even complete separation of three main mobility types shape new typologies evoking the grid of Barcelona’s Eixample.
This promising system is a hardly discussed topic within Barcelona ́s city policy. The successful implementation of the first Superblocks, the welding of nine residential blocks, brought mixed feelings within the local residents. On one hand, the traffic situation gets calmer and new uses can be implemented, on the other hand, residents suddenly got restricted access. After some time of accustom, the Superblocks turned out to be a solid option towards the traffic load and anonymisation of the quarter.
Remarkable designs such as “Superilla Sant Antoni” by the local Leku Studio meet urgent needs at short notice. But the timidity towards the sealed street and the uncertainty of long-term establishment is conspicuous. Even if the street is conquered, its condition is little evolved. The asphalt got renewed and painted in vibrant colors and the furniture and plant container seem parked on the former intersection.
The quest of a future street character is a highly discussed topic and cities all around the world dare the attempt. It is clear that each urban structure needs to find its proper strategy. But the clear objective of interventions, on ecological, social and economical aspects, must be further explored.
The research methodology should be based on analysis, potential revealing and exemplification of concepts. All three parts should be woven together in all steps of the research.
Its parameters are on one hand the built city as a concept of sealed ground and on the other hand the elements of open moving waters and green ground. The overall approach is to discover strategies of connected, linear backup systems that cover the city in a smaller but denser grid than the classic urban parks to create more resistance towards heat and flood and to enhance a consistent working system.
A specific aim to reach the goal of this research is the empirical work with analytic tools such as for instance the Post Occupancy Evaluation to evaluate the user’s point of view7. Also the strategy of Trace Measures8 could provide useful insights of educative needs when it comes to environmental awareness. As the intention of the research topic is purporting, interviews with citizen would be led due to questionnaires. Inquiries with policy makers or associations should be designed as guided interviews to obtain clear statements.
Established urban principles such as The Twelve Criteria of the Quality of a Public Space9 by Jan Gehl could improve the integration of interventions in the functioning of the city.
As many municipalities addressed the imperative of short-term solutions on water management within the built environment or new development projects, technical classification and terminology for economical assessment can be applied.10
As many municipalities addressed the imperative of short-term solutions on water management within the built environment or new development projects, technical classification and terminology for economical assessment can be applied.10
Within a time frame of three years one will probably see a great change of perception towards the health of a city which makes not only the research topic but also its development very interesting. Also the less predictable changes such as further climate change, following global crisis and European politics will raise the importance of adaptive urban structures.
The PhD programme will help me to archive profound knowledge in political science, economic sociology and applied economics which would largely enrich the project.
I am convinced that the rethinking of our urban street’s typology and hierarchy will reveal great space of opportunities and that a scientific but bottom-up developed strategy on this field is of high demand for Europe’s city culture.
I am convinced that the rethinking of our urban street’s typology and hierarchy will reveal great space of opportunities and that a scientific but bottom-up developed strategy on this field is of high demand for Europe’s city culture.
“We need city changers on all levels and in all aspects of urban life who really dare to be inconvenient”
Gerald Babel-Sutter11
Gerald Babel-Sutter11
Annexes:
Page 6: 30 minutes in Etterbeek. Illustrative photography exercise about urban sealing in Brussels, Belgium on May 27, 2020.
Bibliography:
1 Lavalle, C., Pontarollo, N., Batista E Silva, F., Baranzelli, C., Jacobs, C., Kavalov, B., Kompil, M., Perpiña Castillo, C., Vizcaino, M., Ribeiro Barranco, R., Vandecasteele, I., Pinto Nunes Nogueira Diogo, V., Aurambout, J., Serpieri, C., Marín Herrera, M., Rosina, K., Ronchi, S. and Auteri, D., European Territorial Trends - Facts and Prospects for Cities and Regions Ed. 2017, EUR 28771 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017, ISBN 978-92-79-73428-1, doi:10.2760/148283, JRC107391. [Page 27]
2 European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, UN-Habitat. The State of European Cities Report, 2016 - Cities leading the way to a better future. Access over EC Urban Data Platform Plus - Territorial Trends [04.05.2020]
3 Masi, C., Goggi, G., Indelicato, V., Airoldi, A., Percoco, M., Cohen, R., Bono, F., Caligaris, F. M. A., Colombera, M., Ambrogi, S., Riaprire i Navigli a Milano. Le modalità di finanziamento del progetto e le ricadute socioeconomiche dell’investimento. I risultati della ricerca, Progetto Territoriale Cariplo. 2018.
4 Politecnico di Milano - Dipartimento architettura e studi urbani. PhD Programme in Urban Planning Design and Policy - 36th cycle. 2020. https://www.dastu.polimi.it/wp-content/uploads/ 2020/05/Brochure-UPDP-36°-Cycle.pdf [27.05.2020]
5 World Meteorological Organization. Global partnership urges stronger preparation for hot weather during COVID-19. 2020.https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/global-partnership-urges-stronger- preparation-hot-weather-during-covid-19 [15.05.2020]
6 bauchplan ).(. “streets as parks” for “The Future Park Design Ideas Competition”. 2019. http://bauchplan.de/projekt.php?name=19mel [28.05.2020]
7 Marcus, C.C., Francis, C., people places - Second Edition. Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space. 1998. [Page 346 pp.]
8 Project for Public Spaces, Inc. How to Turn a Place Around. A Handbook for Creating Successful Public Spaces. 2005. [Page 108]
9 Gehl, J., Städte für Menschen. 2015 [Page 275]
10 Benden, J.; Broesi, R; Illgen, M.; Leinweber, U.; Lennartz, G.; Scheid, C.; Schmitt, T. G., Multifunktionale Retentionsflächen. Teil 3: Arbeitshilfe für Planung, Umsetzung und Betrieb. 2017. MURIEL Publikation. [Page 15-40, 79-86]
11 Babel-Sutter, G., Opinion. TOPOS. no. 109 - Consuption. [Page 10]
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