Today I want to share an article that was previously published in Studio Magazine. On this occasion, I would like to thank their coordination team for inviting me to join their first release.

Summary /Overview

 
Traditional media don’t broadcast what the citizens are debating or organizing on a daily basis. Nevertheless, thanks to Social Networks, people can receive information and interact in real time with others, taking part in debates and social movements; and the 15th of May in Spain is an example of this.

This new information ecosystem reduces the influence of the mass media and slowly forces local authorities to relate to citizens in a more direct and horizontal way.

This is a great opportunity to generate a new “social control” model, pushing local authorities to take public opinion into account.

The digital media offers a broad environment for communication so that the organisation of any given action is greatly improved; everything becomes decentralized while simultaneously connected and synchronized.

On the urban scale, we speak of the “Sentient City”, a model based on a technological/social ecosystem, where knowledge, collective actions, and interactions between individuals and groups are encouraged, taking advantage of the new possibilities offered by hybridizing physical and digital layers.

In reversing the supremacy of centralisation over individual actions, citizens can become aware of their power and organize themselves on the web.
We have the necessary technology, knowledge and dynamics to put in place more open processes of urban administration and management. Citizens have already started to move; and although public administration could take advantage of such independent and autonomous processes to deal with complex situations, it appears that a clear political will is still lacking.

The fragmented city

 
Today, the dimensions of time and space, which were historically strongly linked in a space-time continuum, are increasingly growing apart and becoming independent, in a fragmented spatial perception. Nowadays a large number of people are moving from one point to another of the city to reach their workplace, and go back home. The distance between these two points (spatial dimension) and what happens between them does not affect or interest these people in any way. Indeed, the only thing people are concerned with is the duration of the trip (time dimension).
The city is no longer a continuous place, but a structure of nodes connected in a network (network city). These nodes become increasingly more defined, organised and efficient and, the journeys between them shorter and faster thanks to technical progress. The spaces of a city that have no particular characteristics and a unique function, that is to say everything that is not a node, loose significance, including public spaces.

In such city – the “fragmented city” – we use low cost technologies (internet, telephone and transport) to move, to manage our social relationships, and to communicate with people with whom we don’t necesarilly share a common physical space like a neighbourhood.

Very often the complexity of one point exclusively consists in giving access to other points, hence the importance that movement has acquired today. Instead of living in a continuous space, we continuously move between discontinuous spaces (points or nodes).

This networked structure, unlike a continuous structure, reduces diversity and complexity. The less diversity and complexity, the greater the need to move. Every point has its function and identity. Everything seems more organised and easier to find. However, to find what we are looking for, we are compelled to move constantly to other nodes.

The majority of these journeys are done by means of transport, at a speed that does not allow any relationship with the surroundings. There is a starting point and a finishing point, with little opportunity for a surprise or a change. All this implies an impoverishment of the intermediate spaces, spaces that link different points: places are consequently public spaces.

In order to transform these kinds of cities, it is essential to intervene in everyday aspects of life which might appear to have no relationship with the design of public spaces in urban areas.

Our lifestyles are two dimensional: in situ and virtual. Now we are able to intervene in the new dimension, what we commonly call “virtual” or “digital”, . As the sociologist Manuel Castells says “Everything we do, from when the day begins until it is over, we do it with internet […] the connexion between in-situ (not real because reality is virtual and in situ at the same time) and virtual is established by us. There are not two different societies, there are two kinds of social activities and relations within ourselves. We are the ones that have to search the best way to arrange and adapt them.

Image by Francesco Cingolani | francescocingolani.info

Public Space, Sentient Space

 
According to Daniel Innerarty, in the city the homogeneous and non changing area is nothing more than an extreme case within a global area of connected local multiplicities. Instead of neighbourhoods, local networks are developed, and public debate takes place in a virtual area. In this scenario, streets and squares have ceased to be the main meeting areas.

Internet seems to offer an alternative “space” for social relationships as compared to “traditional” spaces. This can be seen as a problem leading to empty public spaces; or on the contrary, it can be considered an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen social relationships by creating the necessary budgets to improve the vitality of public spaces. Today the Internet is the “place” where community models of management are being experimented.

I believe it is important to reconsider the city as something built by everyone, and to see public areas as the ground where this process can take place. Today we have tools available that are able to act as a catalyst for participatory dynamics that were previously impossible to coordinate. There are increasing examples of processes of creation by citizens, linked to the use of new technologies. It is undeniable that Internet is a key factor contributing to changing the society. That being said I believe it is obvious that we cannot think of public space without taking into consideration the potentialities of these technologies, how they are used and how they can be an added value.

We should begin to talk about a new type of public space, a hybrid space, where technology could become a catalyst for hybridising dynamics between activities that are not traditionally connected or that are located in other (private) spaces.

Juan Freire explains this clearly: “The differentiation between spaces and physical and virtual communities is outdated. We are witnessing a hybridising process which modifies our individual identities, communitarian and territorial. Internet has contributed to the development of global networks, but paradoxically it has had a less noticeable influence in local spheres. However, digital technologies modify radically the way in which we are organised and we relate to our environment so we are already living in territories where the digital realm is as important as the physical. The hyper-local networks and hybrid public spaces are the new realities which we confront with the advent of Internet and digital culture in our local environment”.

According to Juan Freire the crisis of public (physical) spaces in urban areas is also due to the lack of (open) design, giving the citizens, once more, the opportunity to take a real interest in its use. It has also brought into debate concepts such as “hybrid spaces”, to refer to the opportunities that the hybridising of the physical with the digital sphere offers in public spaces.
We can grant the assumption of the existence of a digital skin that characterizes public spaces and devote ourselves to defining its qualities and characteristics. Instead of “hybrid” I like to use the concept of “sensitive”. “Sensitive space” refers to the “living” character of these spaces; to their capacity to promote a two-way relationship with its users, to catalyse hyper-local social networks and to visualise information related to the environment in a transparent manner.

Image by Francesco Cingolani | francescocingolani.info

Social networks and Self-organization

 
If we analyze the increase in the use of social networks on the Internet we realize that we are witnessing a process of change that will lead to the disappearance of the current dissociation between digital and in-situ identity.
Most people can continue living in complete normality without having to take care of their digital (identity) presence in social networks. Nevertheless, it is highly probable that in a few years time the concept of identity will inevitably integrate both the digital and the physical dimension. Consequently, each person will be forced to take as much care of their digital identity as of their physical identity, something that many people have been doing for some time already.

We must take several specific factors of this new kind of identity into consideration such as its peculiar time dimension. The building process of the digital identity over time leaves a footprint on the web, a visible footprint that is accessible to any user. The end result is an identity that is perceived as a sum of the past (footprint) and present identity.

Generally we control our public image by showing at each time only what we wish. However, when our identity leaves a footprint on the internet, we no longer have exclusive control over it but it is shared amongst friends and acquaintances (namely the peer group).

Each person that knows me can publish information (photographs, texts, etc…) that are directly or indirectly related to my identity without the need of my approval. This is what happens in most of the social networks.

Certainly, my digital identity will be entirely integrated in the learning process and will be increasingly associated to a physical space; that is, the idea we had about a parallel digital identity that is detached from reality does not, I think, interest anyone: in fact we do not even have time to create parallel identities.

Our identity is not only formed by way of the information that my friends and I have published, but also through the information that my devices publish. An example could be the use of services like Foursquare that allows me to upload posts in my social networks about my location at any time, taking advantage of the internet connection of our mobile phones.

To explain this phenomenon Tim Berners-Lee mentions Giant Global Graph, this means, the future Semantic Web with which we shall go from gathering the relationship between people to focus on the relationship between people and their interests (documents). Thus, if the “Internet” has allowed us to connect computers and the “Web” has allowed us to connect documents, then the “Graph” will allow us to link the documents (places, objects, etc.) and the people. So we could define the Graph as the third level of abstraction, taking into account that in each layer (Internet, Web, or Graph) we have handed over some control only in order to reach bigger benefits. A direct consequence of these dynamics is the definite statement of a (unique) identity on the web that can be recognized by any agent, person or application.

This unmistakable digital identity facilitates the development of innovative social hardware projects based on participation of a non-collective nature, where the dynamics of collaboration are the result of individual action and interaction. We are progressively discovering the self-organisation of informed societies that are capable of revolutionizing their own structures taking advantage of the virtual mirror phenomenon that enables the association of information on a given situation with individual decisions.

Image by Francesco Cingolani | francescocingolani.info based on flickr images by garpa.net & See-ming Lee

Control and decentralization

 
Social networks reinforce a new type of control: a decentralized control operated by a diversity of independent individuals that collaborate, using shared and mobile capacities of calculation and communication. Information and Communication Technologies do not present a solution, but an opportunity to improve our ability to manage territories. ICT’s can be used for many different purposes. On the one hand their enormous capacity for processing data can be used to centralize all the information and try to “solve” urban complexity; but they can also be used to open and decentralize decision-making.

The aim is to research on how ICT’s allow us to define an urban administration structure where discontinued points of control exist in an environment of self-determination (appropriation) and liberty. This is an idea that is close to the definition of tensegrity that Buckminster Fuller mentions: “islands in compression inside a tense ocean“.

The introduction of digital technologies within the physical space enables the development of new communication dynamics and relations between neighbours that improves the cohesion of local communities and their quality of life, offering a feeling of greater security.

Thanks to new technologies and to some cultural “mutations”, systems and worlds that were previously closed and not very transparent, are now open to the participation of agents (and people) who are external to their organisational structures. Citizens become more available to participate and collaborate because they are better informed and they are finally considered as useful partners for the urban administration. Architects and urban planners can reasonably begin to work keeping in touch constantly with citizens, “sharing” their decision-making “powers”.

To explain this phenomenon we can refer to the concept of “long tail” coined by Cris Anderson. The Internet and the digital environment have changed the (power) distribution laws and the market rules. The present political and economic system is based on a pyramid structure where the power (or the economic or creative potential) of many is considered inferior to the power of those that stand on the highest part of the pyramid. There is a new system based on the addition or accumulation of all the small potentials (or powers) of the mass of citizens that, thanks to the systems of communication on the internet, can equal or exceed the power (or potential) of those who are in a privileged position today. These are the old markets of masses and the new niche of markets that are pictured at the top and the bottom of the well known graph of statistical distribution.

The presence of a centralized identity is not needed when the control and feedback devices allow the actors to visualize or to become aware of the consequence of their actions. The unconscious self-organisation phenomenon becomes conscious and intended control when the individuals are allowed to understand the effects of their actions. The concept of tensegrity comes in here when it refers to an administration model where decentralized and centralized decisions are joined, avoiding the appearance of any closed and omnipresent control dynamics.

Reversing the supremacy of centralization over individual decisions, citizens can become aware of their actions and intentionally coordinate them. This process may help to restore the necessary legitimacy and credibility to the interventions that take place in degraded urban areas.

Image by Francesco Cingolani | francescocingolani.info

Towards participation: Accountability and open data

 
“Participation demands an information system, an observatory and indicators that will regularly reflect the situation of what we consider as key variables to establish our evolution, that should be accessible and comprehensible for citizens” (Agustín Hernández Aja, 2002)

In 2002, Hernández Aja, Urban planning professor at the Universidad Politécnica in Madrid, describes the essential assumptions for citizen participation. A decade later, communication models and administration dynamics that bring us close to these assumptions start to become popular.

I would like to highlight (point out) accountability and the Open Data movement.

Approaching the term accountability we can create an ecosystem of communication and transparency that can enable citizens to demand responsibilities from governing bodies. This would help us to reach the objective of decentralizing control, which is necessary for a true democracy.

Open Parlamento (openparlamento.it) is a great example of how to work to achieve accountability. It is a web-based tool that enables distributed monitoring of the work of the members of parliament in the Italian parliament.

The web page offers lots of information on draft legislation, and in general, about all the activities in the Parliament. Most interesting of all is the distributed monitoring system that allows for control of every Member of Parliament’s political activities. Every citizen can “adopt” a member and publish all their declarations and confront them with their parliamentary activity.

We can imagine this same system applied on a local scale, where citizens have greater organization capacities and power to exert pressure. The control to which all the local administrators would be subject to, would be so intense that they would nearly be obliged to start up a transformation of the administrative structures towards a more open and participatory model.

The Open Data movement is an important drive towards achieving transparency over public administration. Open Data consists of making Public Administration data available for the public, such as data related to projects that are financed with public money or managed by public institutions.

The aim is to take advantage of the data that the public administrations do not want or do not have the capacity to analyze. Releasing this data enables any person or organization to build new consultation and visualization formulas, to simplify, diversify and even to enrich the initial information.

In Spain, within this new tendency, the Open Data Euskadi project should be highlighted. It is part of the Open Government initiative of the Bask Government: a website dedicated to the exhibition of public data in a re-usable format, under open licenses. On an urban scale, two projects stand out that have been activated by two Spanish cities; Zaragoza and Córdoba. They are beginning to take their first steps in the world of Open Data.

I am convinced that citizen pressure will force all the big cities to join this process of openness and transparency.

Image by Francesco Cingolani | francescocingolani.info REAL-TIME CITY | a proposal for Smart Turin by HDA | Hugh Dutton Associés.

Open source and Network Awareness

 
As we mentioned previously, reversing the supremacy of centralization over individual actions, citizens can become aware of their “power” and begin to organize in networks.
We have the technology the knowledge and the dynamics available to introduce more open urban administration processes. Citizens have begun to move; the administrations could take advantage of these autonomous and independent processes, to manage very complex situations. However, a clear political will is still lacking.

Probably the administrators have managed to delay the transition towards a new participatory administration model, thanks to the indirect or even direct support of what is known as the “fourth power”: the media. The current information system still offers the administrators and the “powerful” a wide opportunity to manipulate and control certain processes.
The emergence of a more distributed information model is beginning to offer to any citizen the possibility to produce relevant local information. A communication ecosystem based on social media is born.
This new information ecosystem can reduce the influence of the mass media and therefore force the local administrators to enforce accountability regarding the decisions that are taken. The administrators will be compelled to relate to this new, more horizontal and distributed form of communication: an opportunity to generate “social control” that can improve transparency and force the local administrators to take the public opinion into account.

A clear example of what is being presented here, are the latest citizen mobilizations that are happening in Spain. After the 15M demonstration, an organized and authorized event, many occupations took place in numerous squares in the whole of Spain. These camps were organized in a matter of hours using Twitter and Facebook. It is impossible to exert control over these information flows and action catalysts like the occupations. Steps have been taken towards a model in which governors and administrators are going to have to understand that they cannot continue to ignore the citizens while they defend the interests of others.

We are witnessing an innovative construction process of a new communal and public sphere; the development of a new model of public space that we have called “sensitive space”. Traditional media don’t communicate what we the people are debating on a daily basis, nonetheless, thanks to Social Networks, people can receive information and interact in real time with others taking part in debates and social movements, the example of the occupation of public squares is an example of this.

It is interesting to note that the in-situ (on-site) realm is absolutely essential and how the digital media is simply offering a wider environment for communication so that the organisation of any given action is greatly improved; everything becomes decentralized while at the same time connected and synchronized.

These processes seem to be nearly inevitable. Once they are established as natural local administration processes then we will be speaking about a more favorable environment, for an Open Source City, that is, a city open to everyone’s participation.

Flickr image by Julio Albarrán

This article was originally published in urbanohumano.org and Studio Magazine.

El proceso de trabajo se concretaría en las posibilidades de actuación de estas iniciativas sobre el río de Madrid. El proyecto comienza con el Taller: Transferencias de innovación social al espacio público que tendrá lugar los días 26, 27 y 28 de abril. Su objetivo es promover los procesos de consulta y participación que escuchan y atienden a las formas de organización y auto-organización ciudadana, poniendo en valor la producción de conocimiento y la experiencia de la comunidad en los procesos de toma de decisiones que configuran la esfera pública.

¿Qué herramientas crees que tienes para ofrecer a la comunidad y cuáles otras necesitas? ¿Qué aspectos crees que sería necesario cambiar en el espacio público en el que vivimos? ¿Tendría sentido hacer un mapa de “prioridades ciudadanas”? ¿Qué podemos y queremos dejar de hacer? ¿Y… cómo gestionaríamos después esos espacios vacíos? ¿Cómo podemos actuar desde lo pequeño en el escenario urbano? ¿Qué aspectos de nosotros mismos hemos de cambiar? ¿Cómo desaprender los patrones interiorizados individual y colectivamente? ¿Qué referencias conocemos procedentes de otros lugares y/o de otras épocas? ¿Existen modelos para todo esto?, ¿Se podrían aplicar a nuestro contexto actual? ¿Cómo hacer que las contradicciones no nos paralicen sino que sean la semilla de cambio? ¿Cómo mantenemos y alimentamos la esperanza y la ilusión de cambio? ¿Cómo podemos construir amplificadores de energía en Madrid? En definitiva: ¿Cuál es la forma de facilitar la transferencia de la innovación social al espacio público?

CONVOCATORIA #greenvia from INTERMEDIÆ on Vimeo.

Intermediae acoge este taller, guiado por Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas con el apoyo del programa de Ayudas a la Creación Matadero Madrid. Está dirigido a iniciativas ciudadanas y otros colectivos que trabajan o investigan sobre procesos de innovación social y espacio público.

El taller contará con las conferencias y el acompañamiento de Txelu Balboa, Jara Rocha, Doménico Di Siena, Iván Sánchez, y el colectivo Comunes. Podéis ver sus perfiles en la web de Intermediae, a continuación.

Más información: #greenvia
Convocatoria: taller
Fechas: 26, 27 y 28 de abril de 2012
Lugar: Matadero, Madrid

La posibilidad nace de aprovechar la velocidad de intercambio de la información digital y la capacidad de los smartphones y otros dispositivos, de analizarla, procesarla y sugerir a los usuarios acciones, lugares, proyectos y contactos cercanos que es probable que les gusten (serendipia).

SentientID ofrece un nuevo marco para relacionarnos con las personas y el entorno que nos rodea. Marca un paso adelante añadiendo un nuevo modelo de conexión entre personas basado en la proximidad física, además de los ya consolidados modelos basados en intereses comunes y grados de amistad.

Con este acercamiento se pretende favorecer y aprovechar la instantaneidad del intercambio de información digital, con el objetivo de  desarrollar un modelo de comunicación entre los usuarios de un mismo entorno físico. Es decir, poder gestionar, en cada momento, y en función del contexto físico – tanto el lugar, como las personas que nos rodean – que información digital recibir y transmitir a un ámbito determinado.

La idea es que nuestra Identidad Digital puede funcionar y reaccionar en tiempo real, interactuando con todo tipo de emisores de información – humanos o no – que configuran un entorno físico y digital; nuestro entorno híbrido.

De esta forma, SentientID propone un nuevo modelo de conexión social, complementario a las existentes redes sociales que se fundan en intereses comunes o lazos de amistad, simplemente basado en la proximidad física de dos usuarios.

Vista la delicadeza del ámbito de acción y la enormidad de temas sensibles relacionados, este proyecto apuesta por dinámicas open source y open data. Tanto su estructura base como las herramientas relacionadas buscarán garantizar la  autonomía tecnológica de los usuarios y el uso de estándares abiertos.

Hoy a las 18h (hora de Madrid) se estrena el blog del proyecto SentientID, donde vais a poder seguir todos los avances, las reflexiones y los experimentos relativos al proyecto.  Dicho blog se propone como catalizador de una red muy amplia de reflexión sobre la Identidad Digital y más especificamente sobre la Sentient Identity.

SentientID es un proyecto de Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano) con Alfonso Sánchez Uzábal (@skotperez), Jesús Rodríguez (@jesusrosan), y Santi López (@santilopez); con la colaboración de Francesco Cingolani (@immaginoteca), Pelayo Méndez (@onelittleweb), Román Torre (@RTorre)

Como ya os comentamos hace unos días, este año Ecosistema Urbano (@ecosistema) vuelve a coordinar un curso para la Universidad Internacional de Andalucía.

El curso coordinado por Belinda Tato (@belindatato) y Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano), tendrá por titulo URBAN SOCIAL DESIGN.

El objetivo es ofercer una mirada poliédrica sobre la ciudad explorando nuevas herramientas, dinámicas y metodologías sobre participación, creación colectiva, trabajo en red, nuevas tecnologías, cultura urbana e innovación social.

El curso tendrá lugar los días 19 y 20 de septiembre 2011. Para matricula y más información: http://www.unia.es

A continuación os presentamos los ponentes  y los temas que tratarán (en orden de participación):

Domenico Di Siena (Ecosistema Urbano)

Territorios Inteligentes para Ciudadanías Emergentes

Estamos viviendo un cambio importante en la forma de vivir los espacios públicos y las ciudades. Nuestra forma de relacionarnos pasa por el uso de herramientas de comunicación que se desvinculan del espacio físico. Internet y las nuevas tecnologías abren nuevos caminos; además de ayudarnos a mejorar espacios y relaciones sociales, promueven nuevos procesos de aprendizaje.

Estamos experimentando (empezando por el 15m) modelos de comunicación horizontal que definen una nueva manera de ser ciudadano. Pasamos de la conciencia colectiva a una conciencia de red. ¿Como ayudar a catalizar estos proyectos sin perder de vista el valor añadido de nuestra profesionalidad?

Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano) es arquitecto por la Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, 2005; socio de la agencia Ecosistema Urbano y consultor para el programa ConectaDEL del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.

Investiga y trabaja sobre posibles sinergias entre redes físicas (espacios públicos) y redes digitales (internet) en el marco del programa de Doctorado de Urbanismo de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, donde consigue en 2009 el titulo DEA. Experimenta y desarrolla sistemas híbridos que conectan el mundo de la arquitectura y el urbanismo con el mundo de la comunicación y de los social media, proponiendo nuevos modelos de diseño y gestión de los espacios públicos urbanos.

Massimo Menichinelli

“Como organizar procesos de Diseño Abierto y Colaborativo”

Las dinámicas colaborativas desarrolladas en el ambito del software Open Source se están expandiendo hacia el mundo del diseño y de la producción de bienes y espacios. Productos, servicios, arquitecturas, espacios urbanos diseñados y gestionados de manera colaborativa y abierta: comunidades que se auto-organizan para solucionar problemas locales. Massimo nos ayudará a aprender cómo organizar, gestionar y hacer economicamente sostenibles los procesos de diseño abiertos y colaborativos, involucrando a las comunidades locales.

Massimo Menichinelli (@openp2pdesign) es diseñador; desde 2005 investiga sobre proyectos y sistemas abiertos y colaborativos (Open Design/Open P2P Design). Se interesa por las relaciones entre el diseño, lo local, las comunidades y su complejidad, aprendiendo desde los fenomenos del software Open Source, P2P y Web 2.0.

Ha impartido conferencias, eventos y talleres en Italia, España, Finlandia, Alemania, Holanda, Slovenia, Corea del Sur, Singapur.
Ha fundado el proyecto openp2pdesign.org, una comunidad open source para la investigación y el desarrollo de proyectos, sistemas y procesos colaborativos y abiertos para comunidades y localidades.

monoDestudio

“la sociología y los procesos participativos como formas de análisis e intervención territorial”

Durante el curso monoDestudio mostrarán la capacidad de la sociología y sus métodos y técnicas para afrontar el análisis urbano; la adecuación de los programas, las dinámicas sociales que se generan en el espacio, que otras podrían darse mediante otros diseños… para así hacer visible el potencial de esta disciplina a la hora de intervenir en el territorio. Del análisis social al proceso que incluye también la visión de los habitantes; y por último presentarán las técnicas que suelen usar, aplicadas a casos concretos.

monoDestudio (@monodestudio) es un equipo de sociólogos cuyo interés se centra principalmente en la ciudad y el territorio como escenario de la dinámica social: estrategia de implantación de proyectos, planes de usos, estudios de espacio público, investigación socio-urbana, planificación participativa y estudio de redes sociales.

Ethel Baraona + Paco González

“Urbanismo Táctico: Acción e Inteligencia Colectiva en la Ciudad”

4Gentleman / Tiananmen SquARed, Tank Man in situ. Source

La ciudad es el lugar donde vive más del 85% de la población en los países desarrollados. La ciudad ha dejado de ser la receptora de las crisis a ser su generadora, esto se percibe fácilmente observando cómo se ha producido el crecimiento urbano de los últimos 30 años. La dificultad reside en que construir ciudad, –ciudad más allá de los edificios, calles, plazas… espacios públicos– es relativamente sencillo comparado con hacer ciudadanía.

En este contexto, es interesante tomar como punto de partida el concepto de urbanismo táctico, que se diferencia de la planificación urbana en el hecho de que en gran medida, se basa en la participación ciudadana como punto importante en la “construcción” de la ciudad. Podríamos resumirlo diciendo que el urbanismo emergente realiza una cartografia del papel de los ciudadanos y habitantes como productores de ciudad bottom-up frente a la visión top-down de la planificación urbanística tradicional.

Para poder realmente entender las ciudades y hacer posible, la apropiación de espacios de aprendizaje e intercambio de conocimiento, contamos en la actualidad con una serie de herramientas, muchas de ellas digitales [recogida de datos, geolocalización], que nos permiten que estos espacios de aprendizaje social produzcan, con tiempo y trabajo, una serie de iniciativas de innovación y acción social en la ciudad.

Paco Gonzalez es arquitecto por la Universidad de Sevilla (2005) y Master en Gestión de la Ciudad (2008) Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). Trabaja e investiga en radarq.net (@radarqnet). Profesor tutor y consultor del Master en Gestión de la Ciudad y Urbanismo, UOC. Colaborador preferente de ZEMOS98 Gestión Creativo Cultural, dpr-barcelona, Juan Freire, José Luis de Vicente, ,Ecosistema Urbano y ZZZINC.

Ethel Baraona es arquitecto [aunque ella prefiere definirse Professional Amateur] que desarrolla su trabajo profesional vinculado a una serie de publicaciones técnicas en el campo de la arquitectura. Trabaja como editor para blogs y revistas, ha escrito artículos para Plataforma Arquitectura, Arch Daily, La Ciudad Viva, MAS Context y Domus, entre otros. Co-fundadora de la casa editorial independiente dpr-barcelona con César Reyes (@cerreyes), que han publicado algunos títulos interesantes e innovadoras como piel.skin, Watercube The Book, ¿Alguien DIJO Participar? y Situation Room.

Xiao Varela (Hábitat social, cooperativa galega)

“Procesos de auto-construcción, espacios de auto-organización ciudadana“

Xiao Varela (@xiaovarela) mostrará el amplio abanico de aplicaciones del ámbito profesional relacionado con la gestión y transformación urbana: nos mostrará como a partir de nuestras competencias podemos incidir de manera positiva y directa en la sociedad. Xiao nos explicará como en su estudio (Desescribir), partiendo de una practica profesional “más tradicional”, han sentido la necesidad de dar un giro al sistema organizativo para dirigirse de una manera más clara hacia los ámbitos que más les interesan: la construcción social del hábitat. También nos enseñará algunos de sus ultimos trabajos entre los cuales destaca la coordinación del proceso de auotconstrucción desarrollado en el barrio O Campanario.

“Hábitat social” es una cooperativa gallega integrada por un grupo heterogéneo de profesionales, esencialmente de los ámbitos de la arquitectura y el urbanismo, con la intención de investigar e intervenir en la compleja realidad que habitamos.

La cooperativa se centra en la construcción social del hábitat, con el objeto de mejorar las relaciones entre las personas y de estas con el medio, natural o construido. Lo hace trabajando con la materia física y con las dinámicas humanas, participando activamente en los procesos, coordinando a los agentes implicados y potenciando el protagonismo de las personas.

Last May Ecosistema Urbano was leading a workshop at the international architectural event, curated by Stefano Boeri, FESTARCH 2011 (festarch.it). It was held at Terni in the Italian region of Umbria.
Jose Luis Vallejo (@jlvmateo) and Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano) from Ecosistema Urbano (@ecosistema) were working with a group of young european architects, students and local citizens experiencing the complexity of the city.

These are the different strategies followed during the workshop to activate aspects of the city of Terni: (Our special thanks to Pier Francesco Duranti, the most creative Terni citizen, who helped all of us during our days in Terni)

THE GARDEN OF THE CITY GARDEN
(Reopening a hidden social building and community garden in the center of the city-garden neighborhood)
elvira lópez vallés (@elvirilay) - sonia Pettinari – claudia roselli

RESPECT ME
(is Terni a bike friendly city?)
Fabio Facchini – Giulia Schippa – Albert Domingo

PUBLIC POST-IT
(A new temporal urban furniture to promote citizen’s expression?)
Martina Minnucci (@martyminn) - Lina Monaco (@Li_m0) – Valeria Leoni

TERNI INSIDE CAOS
(Caos cultural Center in Terni is linked to Terni local artists?)
Sara Armento (@tamaraorens) - Roberta Barbieri – Anthony Hackmayer

FEEDBACK FROM LOCAL MEDIA
When we left Terni the local media were talking about it

Mañana jueves 16 de junio Ecosistema Urbano tiene una cita muy esperada en la ciudad de Tarragona. Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano) protagonizará la seconda charla del ciclo de conferencias “per Tarragona“.

El objetivo de este ciclo es reflexionar sobre el futuro de las ciudades. En esta ocasión Domenico presentará una charla que tiene por  titulo “Territorios inteligentes para ciudadanías emergentes”.

Hablaremos sobre nuevas tecnologías y los modelos de auto-organización que estas están propiciando. Hablaremos de ciudades Open Source y de nuevos modelos  de gobernanza basadas en formas de ciudadanías mucho más activas y responsables. Seguramente hablaremos de #spanishrevolution y de condición glocal, entre otros muchos temas!!!

Ecosistema Urbano has been invited to lead a workshop (FESTARCH-LAB) at the international architectural event, curated by Stefano Boeri, FESTARCH 2011 (festarch.it) to be held at various locations in the Italian region of Umbria (Terni, Perugia and Assisi) between May 26th and June 5th 2011.

Jose Luis Vallejo (@jlvmateo) and Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano) from ecosistema urbano will be guiding a group of 30 young european architects, students, artist and local citizens to experience the complexity of the city.

Weeks ago through this post (COME WITH US TO FESTARCH-LAB 2011 !!!!!!! ), we launched a call for participants and thanks to our blog followers the response has been very succesful. The selected people will be granted with free registration and accomodation.

The workshop will take place in Terni (100km north of Rome), from May 27th to June 1st  2011.
Next Saturday 28th of May 19.30 there will be an open lecture around ecosistema urbano work at CAOS center Terni.
We’ll be glad to meet some of ecosistema urbano blog readers.

See you in Terni!!!!

El próximo día 12 de Abril, Ecosistema Urbano participa al Encuentro de Innovación Social que se desarrollará en Mérida invitados por el Gabinete en Zapatillas. Compartiremos experiencias junto con Miguel Jaenicke de VIC-Vivero de Iniciativas Ciudadanas, Ricardo Antón de Amasté, Alfonso Carlos Morales y José Antonio Pérez director de la Asociación de universidades populares de extremadura AUPEX.

También acompañan los programas de innovación social los diálogos de ciudadanía a través de la Fundación ciudadanía.

Para más información y para apuntarte al evento consulta la pagina del Gabinete en Zapatillas.

Next friday Ecosistema Urbano will take part in the Symposia Series at the münster school of architecture (Muester, Germany).
The symposia will be held in the lecture building in room Leo5.

The title of our presentation is: Urban Social Design.

more info here: https://www.fh-muenster.de/

msa | münster school of architecture | Leonardo Campus 5 | 48149 Münster

Tras el éxito del taller What If…? Alicante de 2010 nos hemos propuesto repetir la experiencia, esta vez en forma de dos talleres complementarios que permitan abarcar desde las herramientas de participación hasta la acción urbana más directa.

El primero de ellos, “Ciudadanía organizada en red: herramientas digitales”, tendrá lugar los próximos días 21 y 22 de febrero, de 17.30 a 20.30h, en Camon Alicante, y finalizará con otra sesión el 14 de marzo.

Durante las tres tardes que dura el taller los asistentes, en colaboración con cinco expertos en desarrollo de comunidades activas, intentarán responder a un desafío: diseñar una herramienta de participación específica para Alicante a partir de la conversación con otros ciudadanos, asociaciones de vecinos, colectivos sociales y culturales, profesionales de lo social y lo urbano, y representantes del ayuntamiento. A partir de la experiencia del proyecto What If, intentarán aportar una nueva perspectiva al diseño de herramientas digitales en el campo de la gobernalidad y la participación ciudadana activa. Para extender el alcance del taller, se retransmitirán las sesiones de trabajo en livestream, propiciando la participación de asistentes remotos.

Jorge Toledo (@eldelacajita) coordinará  los trabajos junto a cinco expertos:

Paco Gonzalez (@pacogonzalez), arquitecto, trabaja e investiga en radarq.net, estudio de arquitectura seleccionado por el programa de innovación Proyecto Lunar de la Junta de Andalucía. Profesor consultor y tutor en el Máster de Gestión de la Ciudad de la UOC.

Manu Fernandez (@manufernandez), Analista de proyectos de desarrollo urbano en Naider y autor del blog Ciudades a Escala Humana.

Hector Grad Fuchsel, Profesor de Psicología Social en el Departamento de Antropología Social de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Adolfo Chautón (@adolfochauton), Geógrafo Urbano y Facilitador de Innovación Social. Consultor USDE del  curso “Facilitar la ciudad colaborativa” .

Domenico Di Siena (@urbanohumano), Urban Social Designer, desde el año 2006 forma parte del equipo Ecosistema Urbano. Investiga sobre posibles sinergias entre redes físicas (espacios públicos) y redes virtuales (internet), Doctorado de Urbanismo Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

El taller busca perfiles diversos de participantes, capaces de aportar visiones complementarias. Nos vale todo lo que puedas traer: tus aspiraciones como ciudadano activo, o tus conocimientos en el campo de lo social, quizás tu experiencia en el trabajo participativo con comunidades, o tus conocimientos informáticos, tus propuestas de planeamiento urbano, tu práctica con las redes sociales, o simplemente tu interés por poner en marcha nuevas formas de participar de forma directa en la construcción de una sociedad mejor y un entorno urbano a su altura.

Con tu participación podrás pasar a formar parte de una comunidad multidisciplinar de activadores urbanos, gente de aquí y de allá con motivaciones tan potentes como las tuyas pero con capacidades y conocimientos muy diferentes, a través de las cuales podrás ampliar tu campo de acción, de visión y de trabajo.

Tras este primer taller seguirá su segunda parte complementaria, “Ciudadanía organizada en red: acciones urbanas” que nos permitirá poner a prueba la eficacia de las herramientas manejadas en el primer taller y poner en marcha una acción real que ponga en valor el entorno urbano.

¡Os esperamos!