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fisheye sessions #1

Category: ⚐ EN+city+findings+research+urbanism

Hi! I’m going to start up a new thematic post series called “fisheye sessions” to show homemade views that can show other ways to interpret or analyze urban or suburban space.

In this case,  in relation to the work about Fuencarral axis that we are developing in the office, I shall show a fisheye view of the Gran Vía & Montera crossroads in Madrid.

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zoomarchitecture: Wikibivouac

Category: ⚐ EN+internet+technologies+urbanism

Official website HERE, full description of the project THERE

The Wikibivouac is a collaborative map which reappropriates space to create new uses of the city. The wiki element of contibutions from anyone aggregates information for improved transient occupancy of place. We understand the value of a local resident’s recommendations and guidance – when this infomation is pooled and accessed a visitor attains a greater understanding of the true availability of resources and locations shown on a static map. continue reading

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burb.tv

Category: ⚐ EN+city+findings+urbanism

burb.tv
BURB.TV is a collaborative research wiki focusing on the urbanization of China. Each article is a topical blog or BURB into which texts, images, and discussion are submitted. Each BURB grows to expand into the larger knowledge of The Chinese Dream, a project that investigates the goal to build 400 new cities by 2020. The research is produced with visionaries, architects, planners and social scientists invited by the Dynamic City Foundation.

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urban age – banco de pruebas para el futuro de las ciudades

Category: ⚐ ES+city+investigaciones+sostenibilidad+Uncategorized+urbanism


URBAN AGE es una serie de conferencias que investigan el futuro de las ciudades a través del estudio de la vida, la evolución y el crecimiento de una serie de ciudades por todo el mundo:

NUEVA YORK – SHANGAI – LONDRES – CIUDAD DE MEJICO – JOHANNESBURGO – BERLIN – BOMBAI – SAO PAULO – ESTAMBUL

es un proyecto de seis años de duración organizado por la london school of economics y dirigido por el profesor ricky burdett. explora los procesos económicos, medioambientales, sociales, políticos y culturales que dan forma a la vida en la ciudad. continue reading

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urban age – testing ground for urban future

Category: ⚐ EN+city+research+urbanism

URBAN AGE is a worldwide series of conferences investigating the future of cities by thoroughly studying the life, evolution and growth of certain cities throughout the world:

NEW YORK – SHANGHAI – LONDON – MEXICO CITY – JOHANNESBURG – BERLIN – MUMBAI – SAO PAULO – ISTANBUL

a six-year project organised by the london school of economics, directed by ricky burdett, that explores the economic, environmental, social, political and cultural processes that shape city life. continue reading

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KRAX MEETING 2008

Category: ⚐ EN+urbanism

KRAX* is a project that investigates, promotes and connects urban creativity in Barcelona with that of other cities. KRAX believes that Urban Creativity generates alternative proposals and reactions that are necessary to the city’s transformation. Autonomous initiatives emerge in response to the lack of value that public institutions place on the need for collectivism, participation and self-management in the process of building the city’s future. These initiatives exist at the cultural, social and economic levels, and we recognise the need to acknowledge and involve them.

continue reading

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Destruction by Design: Military Strategy as Urban Planning

Category: ⚐ EN+urbanism

asentamientos_judios

continue reading

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Summary of round table: new spaces for diversity?

Category: ⚐ EN+design+technologies+urbanism

Last Wednesday, I (Domenico) had the chance to attend the event held at Medialab (Madrid) about Wikis and Knowledge Standards. I could only watch the round table chaired by Adolfo Estalella, who was joined by Antonio Lafuente, Platoniq and Juan Freire.

Antonio Lafuente talked about the capacity of new virtual communities to generate knowledge that would never be possible without the use of new technologies, such as wikis. He talked about the production process of lay knowledge, which obtains a percentage of “error” of 6%, that is, lower than what is obtained in normal scientific processes.

Platonig talked about some of their most interesting projects, such as the BCC Banco Común de Conocimientos (Shared Knowledge Bank), concerned about favouring free broadcasting networks and free contents (education p2p).

What I most liked about Juan Freire (who I finally met) was his thoughts about the wiki technology: it allows us to generate knowledge while we design it, something that previously couldn’t be done. I’d like to add that it also allows us to associate a static element (design) to a dynamic element (knowledge). He also talked about the concept of standard, describing it as something arbitrary, something that doesn’t depend on nature and that isn’t inevitable.

Talking about Wikipedia, he pointed out how the whole debate about its functioning is taking place with full transparency, thanks to the very essence of the wiki system. All this is new, very new. We were used to standing aside this kind of debates between a few “chosen” ones.

Wikis are introducing transparency standards never seen before. I think we could take example and start thinking about the possibility of similar standards applied to public spaces. Is there a public space where one can enjoy the same transparency standard as in wikis? What would this space be like? I will carry on thinking about this topic, see if something interesting comes up… what do you think?

Ps. I met Marilo from La Fundacio, who told me about a very interesting project: http://projecte3.pbwiki.com/ I will write more about this in future posts.

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Alternative ideas competition for the Legazpi Market (Madrid)

Category: ⚐ EN+competitions+urbanism

The neighbours’ association Nudo Sur (southern Madrid) has complained about the “creative urbanism” project for the old fruit and vegetable market in Legazpi, Madrid. They claim the project seeks economic profit instead of caring for the real needs of the neighbourhoods around Nudo Sur. They are calling an alternative ideas competition open to neighbours, urbanists and social organisations, to try to find the best uses for the market.

The debate, currently ignored by the city council, will be published in the web (http://mercado.afectadosnudosur.com) and the outcome of the competition will be published in early 2008, simultaneously with the results of the city council competition.

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www.agenda21-local.net

Category: ⚐ EN+sustainability+urbanism

We have opened up our own media channel at www.agenda21-local.net. We are given the chance to communicate our innovative products for implementing the objectives of the local “agendas21”. We offer a range of high-quality services that can be used to improve the relationship between neighbours and the public space. We have started a new site inside our blog, next to the projects site, called products. In this space you will shortly find a list of specific services aimed for sustainable towns and cities. Some of the services, including rehabilitation of neighbourhoods, workshops for the future involving the participation of the neighbours or the eco-pack, will be carried out together with fundación CIREM foundation, an expert on this matter. We hope these services are what Spanish towns are looking for. We will watch out for your comments to improve our proposals throughout the process.