An initiative for sustainable living and community building based on sharing stuff with your neighbors
- 1 year ago
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Social, cultural and political production of public space
Recently I came across the the work of the Atelier d´Architecture Autogérée (AAA), an architecture and urban design studio that describes itself as “an interdisciplinary practice including architects, artists, urban planners, landscape designers, sociologists, activists, students and residents”.
The combination of so many and diverse actors within in their practice is what makes AAA projects very different from many other architecture or urban design firms. The diversity of its team members lies on the fact that their main goal is to create an architectural and urban practice that is inclusive and respectful of the desires of inhabitants and users, whatever is their social and cultural background.
For AAA public space is socially, culturally and politically produced and not just physically build. Their projects are highly embedded in their local contexts, including, adapting and shaping everyday practices and using them as platforms for cultural and social production. Their goal is not to create a product but a long term process that can host the diverse needs and demands of its users as well as serve as a learning space for new lifestyles and ways of being together in the future.
Such ideas are clearly reflected in their award winning project “Passage 56”. A public space that because of its format and use, it is continually “under construction”. The Passage 56 is a continuous social, cultural and political process rather than a design object.
Find more about what is going on in the Passage 56 in their blog. It is in french but the images talk for themselves.
- 1 year ago
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"Instead of focusing on neighborhood shortcomings and problems renewal of deprived neighborhoods should be guided by endless possibilities. The projects many actors should locate and activate the neighborhood resources. These can be the guys in the corner, who are are good at playing football and are willing to teach soccer to younger children. It can be the housewives, who want to make cooking school. Such possibilities are only detected if we talk to each other and get to know what dreams we have for our neighborhood."
— extract from the GL. Valby master plan
- 1 year ago
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MAPKIBERA - Nairobi's biggest slum is no longer a white spot in the map
Bottom-up maps that make a difference
As in many other cities of the world, Kibera Narobi’s biggest slum (1 million people) was a blank spot in the official maps and databases. MAPKIBERA is a bottom up approach that intends to map put everything which happens in the area (health, education, water, sanitation, security, etc). The driver force is the understanding that “without basic knowledge of the geography and resources of Kibera it is impossible to have an informed discussion on how to improve the lives of residents”.
According to William Underhill the map is intended for much more than just navigation. Its backers see the project as part of a wider drive to empower the slum’s residents, providing the data they need to deal with the authorities and take control of their own future. A second phase in the map’s development, now almost complete, envisions its wider use as a media tool that push awareness of its problems” .
- 1 year ago
