Towards a Social-Ecological Urbanism: Co-Producing Knowledge through Design in the Albano Resilient Campus Project in Stockholm
2018 (English)In: Sustainability, E-ISSN 2071-1050, Vol. 10, no 3, article id 717
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
If we are to promote urban sustainability and resilience, social-ecological knowledge must be better integrated in urban planning and design projects. Due to gaps in the two cultures of thinking that are associated with the disciplines of ecology and design, such integration has, however, proven to be challenging. In mainstream practice, ecologists often act as sub-consultants; they are seldom engaged in the creative and conceptual phases of the process. Conversely, research aiming to bridge the gap between design and ecology has tended to be dominated by a relatively static and linear outlook on what the design process is, and what it could be. Further, few concrete examples of the co-production of ecological and design knowledge exist. In this paper, we give an account of a transdisciplinary design proposal for Albano Resilient Campus in Stockholm, discussing how design-seen as a process and an assemblage of artifacts-can act as a framework for co-producing knowledge and operationalizing concepts of resilience and ecosystem services. Through a design-based and action-oriented approach, we discuss how such a collaborative design process may integrate ecological knowledge into urban design through three concrete practices: (a) iterative prototyping; (b) generative matrix models; and, (c) legible, open-ended, comprehensive narratives. In the conclusion, we sketch the contours of a social-ecological urbanism, speculating on possible broader and changed roles for ecologists, designers, and the associated actors within this framework.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI , 2018. Vol. 10, no 3, article id 717
Keywords [en]
social-ecological urbanism, design theory, resilience, ecosystem services, transdisciplinary, prototyping and co-design
National Category
Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-226800DOI: 10.3390/su10030717ISI: 000428567100144Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85043245195OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-226800DiVA, id: diva2:1202346
Funder
Stiftelsen Olle Engkvist Byggmästare
Note
QC 20180427
2018-04-272018-04-272022-06-26Bibliographically approved