Comments: (0)

urbanaccion

Category: ⚐ EN

On the 19th of October we will open the workshops URBANACCION with a lecture by Jaime Lerner. The workshops, which will take place in Casa Encendida, Madrid, will be run by Carlos Teixeira, Lara Almarcegui and Raumlabor. We want to open a space for debate and learning about new ways of understanding public space, in contrast to the currently established rules and ways of thinking and developing such spaces. A city like Madrid should reflect its special character through the energies coming from its citizens, the general comfort and the quality of its urban proposals. Not only do we understand that the streets must be periodically cleaned and guarded, but also that they must be the scene for the interaction between its inhabitants. This fact is even bigger in large cities where public space is in general the scene of the conflict.
The aim of the workshops is to reflect upon the urban environment, its needs, opportunities, agents and actors involved, proposition and capacity for acting. The goal is to create proposals that can be implemented. We want to give opportunities for urban projects sprung from urban communities, proposals for the improvement of their environment and collaboration with government bodies. Providing communities with tools for analysis and positive proposing action in terms of quality urban public space. Implementing the solutions created at the workshops on public spaces around Madrid city centre. To take part in the workshops send your c.v. urban accion is an event run by malashierbas, In-Constant and [ecosistema urbano].

Comments: (0)

ecosistema urbano in Mexico

Category: events

We were invited to give the closing lecture at the event “Plataforma Universitaria de Arquitectura”, organised by Universidad Iberoamericana, Universidad La Salle and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. The lecture took place on Thursday 27th September, at 19.00. A closing ceremony followed at 21.00. We were delighted to invite all those interested to join us for a drink after the lecture – we know many Mexicans log on daily to our blog.

Comments: (0)

Birgit Ramsauer

Category: findings

We had the pleasure to meet this very interesting German artist at the lecture [ecosistema urbano] gave in Cooper Union, NY, having been invited by David Graham. Brigit carries out “performances” in public spaces, promoting an alternative use. We want to point out some of her work: Performance (ART : HOME – LESS Project New York, Marseille, Moscow, Berlin), Walk the Wall y Moving Standpoint I.

www.birgitramsauer.net

Comments: (0)

atelier d’architecture autogérée

Category: architecture+research

atelier d’architecture autogérée (aaa) is a collective platform for reseca and action around urban mutations and cultural, social and political practices emerging in the modern city. It works like inter-and-extra discipline network open to a wide range of points of view: architects, artists, students, researchers, pensioners, politicians, unemployed people, residents… They will take part in the URBANACCION conferences organised at FUCOAM from the 23rd of October to the 20th of November in Madrid.

Comments: (0)

Sustainable cities ranking

Category: ⚐ EN+eutv+sustainability+the environment

eutv” (Ecosistema Urbano TV) goes ahead. At the office we are working on the design of a logo that will shortly be ready. Meanwhile, the collective task involved in defining the project goes on on the internet. So far, at the project website eutv.pbwiki.com we have registered a proposal by juan freire, which we find particularly interesting. Juan proposes developing a Ranking of cities to help publicising the project: Over the last few months a number of initiatives for comparing cities have come up, based on rankings that use different indices to quantify the degree in which cities are creative, green, sustainable, innovative… Despite these exercises being very criticisable for the methodology used as well as often for their consequences (sometimes they lead to a “city race” in which all cities want to be like each other), they generate great interest amongst politicians and the public, and they can have positive applications (they can point out weaknesses and define routes for change). In this project, work could be done with sustainability indices for Spanish cities, for example. A number of variables could be defined and the results could be compiled in a cooperative manner. These results could be published broadly and could be an instrument for making the project better known within the media, amongst politicians or the public. In a few days I will publish in Ciudades enredadas, a blog in ADN.es, a post with the analysis of different international city indices that have lately appeared in the media. It can be useful as a guide.

What do you think these indices could be?

Comments: (0)

Biofuel – right or wrong?

Category: ⚐ EN+sustainability+technologies+the environment

The following headline in Spanish paper ELPAIS on 12th September has caught my attention:

“Biofuels don’t reduce CO2 emissions. This statement opens the interview of Chemistry Nobel Prize Winner Hartmut Michel. The interview questions the suitability of biofuel. I am not an expert, so I can simply recommend the article.

These are further extracts from the interview:

“to produce biofuel, such as ethanol, it is necessary to invest much energy in the shape of fertilizers, transport, as well as on distilling the alcohol. (…)Nearly as much energy is required as that later found in the ethanol. And if you obtain that energy from fossil fuel, you end up emitting more CO2 than you would if you simply used petrol in your car.”

“Biofuels are promoting the loss of tropical jungle in Indonesia, Malaysia, some regions in Africa and Brazil. In Brazil the issue is soya: more and more soya is being cultivated in the jungle. Burning up the jungle in order to produce soya liberats an enormous amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”

Comments: (0)

Jorge Gobbi: Viajes, Ciencia y Comunicación (eu:abierto)

Category: ⚐ ES+eu:abierto

Hoy damos paso a la presentación de un nuevo miembro del grupo “ecosistemaurbano:abierto”: Jorge Gobbi
El tema de la ciudad y el desarrollo urbano siempre ha estado dentro de mis preocupaciones. Suelo referirme a ese tipo de temáticas en mi blog (Blog de Viajes, www.blogdeviajes.com.ar) y buena parte de los libros que compro son acerca de la problemática urbana.

Soy licenciado en Ciencias de la Comunicación de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, donde además trabajo como docente. Estuve a cargo del seminario “Comunicación, Viajes y Representaciones Sociales”, y soy Jefe de Trabajos Prácticos de la materia Teorìa y Práctica de la Comunicación II. También suelo hacer trabajos como periodista especializado en tecnología.

En la actualidad, preparo mi tesis para la maestría de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad de la Universidad de Quilmes, y comencé a cursar el doctorado en Ciencias Sociales en la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Comments: (0)

eutv: primer vídeo de presentación

Category: ⚐ ES+ecosistema urbano+eutv+video

Primer vídeo de presentación de eutv: portal participativo sobre sostenibilidad (ecosistemaurbano.tv).
Como siempre nos gustaría recibir vuestras impresiones.

Comments: (0)

eu:abierto – Carlos Vial (Plataformaarquitectura.cl)

Category: ⚐ ES+arquitectura+eu:abierto

Hoy se presenta un nuevo miembro del grupo eu:abierto:
Mi nombre es Carlos Vial y vivo en Santiago de Chile. Estudio arquitectura y en estos momentos estoy terminando de desarrollar mi tesis de titulo, la cual propone la rehabilitación urbana de un sector perisferico de la ciudad , a partir de una estrategia de sistemas y operaciones que potencien la integración social en la zona.
Ademas soy editor de una web de arquitectura chilena [ www.plataformaarquitectura.cl], medio desde el cual queremos presentar el estado actual de la arquitectura chilena y mundial, generando un espacio de discusión y aprendizaje.
Últimamente mis intereses se ha centrado en la investigación de materiales y el estudio de las nuevas tendencias del urbanismo como fuerza de acción sustentable y pro activa.