materia urbana

Hard data for urban scenarios: UN Human Development Report '09

2009-10-06T10:37:00.003+11:00

As professionals of the built environment we are often confronted with questions and sometimes decisions regarding the future of our cities. Migration and uncontrolled flux of peoples across the globe—due to climate change, pollution, wars or poverty—are some of these ‘apocalyptic’ scenarios presented to us. These scenarios, usually used as topics for students’ projects (particularly in architecture), are frequently offered devoid of any form of tangible hard data.

Whether we have any input in determining the future of our cities or not is another question. However, a good grasp of what is really going on the ground can only assist our response.

The recently published UN "Human Development Report 2009" offers some insights on what is really happening around migration and it claims that:

Migration not infrequently gets a bad press. Negative stereotypes portraying migrants as ‘stealing our jobs’ or ‘scrounging off the taxpayer’ abound in sections of the media and public opinion, especially in times of recession. For others, the word ‘migrant’ may evoke images of people at their most vulnerable. This year’s Human Development Report, Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development, challenges such stereotypes. It seeks to broaden and rebalance perceptions of migration to reflect a more complex and highly variable reality

And,

The report suggests that the policy response to migration can be wanting. Many governments institute increasingly repressive entry regimes, turn a blind eye to health and safety violations by employers, or fail to take a lead in educating the public on the benefits of immigration.

Find the UN Human Development Report 2009: here

post: Beatriz C. Maturana

S. Schwartz: Should universities provide a moral education?

2009-09-20T19:35:00.025+10:00

It was refreshing to hear Vice Chancellor of Sydney’s Macquarie University Steven Schwartz on ABC BigIdeas, discussing issues of morality and ethics in higher education. Morality, ethics, judgment and other such notions have for long been avoided in our universities, most of which have followed with an almost evangelical fervour the line of relativism.

Schwartz argues that, in universities relativism has had many adverse consequences--often discussed as separated issues (e.g. reduction of scientific credibility by society, poor or unclear curricula, economic imperatives leading universities decisions...). Schwartz manages to articulate the links between them. For instance, market interests leading research and lack of public confidence in scientific knowledge—consequently in scientific methods. His proposition has wide implications not only in regards to the objectives and approach of universities to teaching, education and knowledge, but also implications for each disciplinary field within academia, within which similar questions can be posed.

In the field of architecture, the vacuum left by scientific knowledge appears to have been filled by an emphasis on phenomenological experiences and expressions of inner thoughts detached from contextual knowledge. Many of these concepts, that fill the architectural design studio ‘discourse’ such as, ‘play’, ‘fun’, ‘scenarios’, ‘climate change’,[1] ‘sustainability’, ‘creativity’, ‘imagination’ among many others, are never explained, contextualised, measured or questioned.

Below I will be following this discussion and also counter arguments to Schwartz's contention.

"From its earliest classical origins, education's real purpose was to build 'character' so graduates could take up their role in their society and contribute to the good of everyone. But is that still the case or have financial imperatives had their way? After all, this year's budget papers did say that universities are here to grow the knowledge-based economy, that they are key contributors to economic progress. Commercial transactions have their own ethical imperatives and these are not always consistent...".

"...Publications are the coin of the realm in university scientific careers.
Some scientists agree to pose as authors just so they can add another paper to their CVs.
Clearly, we live in another time and another place from Salk.
The central ethical premise of universities has changed fundamentally.
The discovery and dissemination of knowledge has been replaced by the desire to exploit it.
Just think, can anyone today imagine a university giving a valuable vaccine away?
Hardly likely.
In fact, the government encourages universities to do just the opposite—to patent our discoveries and capitalise on our intellectual property.
One famous university has just spent a large amount of money on lawyers trying to prove to a court that it owned the rights to a successful drug.
The university lost the case and paid out a fortune in legal fees.
Was the institution sorry it took the matter to court?
Far from it. As one senior staff member explained, had the claim been successful, the university would have made millions.
Please don’t get me wrong. (...)"

(ABC Radio, BigIdeas, 6.09.09, listen to this talk here)
Find a transcription of this talk here

For a counter argument and comments see Stephen Romei, editor of The Australian, here

Notes:
[1] Note that I am not questioning 'climate change', but the manner in which this critical issue is posed, often as an excuse to 'play' with ideas without any material context and/or knowledge framework (social, climatic, geographic, etc.)--measurable expressions of the material/physical context.

Melbourne's Bushfires: time to reflect new urban strategies

2009-09-10T10:37:00.002+10:00

Melbourne's Bushfires: isn't it time to reflect new urban strategies?

Presentation at Process@Loop: Responses to Bushfire, May 4 2009. Loop Bar, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne.

As harsh climate conditions with its disastrous consequences become more frequent, Australian authorities and politicians are now quick to name climate change as a contributing factor. In view of a future increasingly exposed to a harsher climate, calls for the review of emergency laws, the upgrading of fire evacuation plans and building regulations are been considered. However, are these expedient responses dealing with the complex issue of suburban and outer suburban living?

Resetting agendas a conference in a climate of change

2009-02-27T10:26:00.004+11:00

Reflections on the Oxford Conference 2008

Abstract:
As its title suggests, ‘The Oxford Conference 2008: 50 Years on – Resetting the Agenda for Architectural Education’ aimed to influence architectural education. Five decades ago, in 1958, fifty delegates representing British members of the profession, industry and teaching institutions attended the first and only other Oxford Conference on Architectural Education organised by the RIBA. Several visitors from abroad and from Commonwealth countries also attended. The 1958 conference articulated the demand to shift architectural education from polytechnics or art schools to universities, and fifty years later the notion that we live in a ‘climate of change’ permeated Oxford Conference 2008 (Oxford 2008). With delegates from forty-two countries representing every continent there was a manifest change in the composition of the delegates, and on the face of it this would suggest that a more diverse attendance made a difference in the spectrum of issues coming to the forefront: but did it?

Find this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=4399408

Beatriz Maturana (2008). Resetting agendas a conference in a climate of change. Architectural Research Quarterly, 12 , pp 209-212
doi:10.1017/S1359135508001127

Jaywalking: the day I asserted my rights as a car

2009-02-22T12:11:00.005+11:00

Written on Friday April 11th. 2003

We had decided to have some fun that night. For long all our efforts had focused on opposing the war on Iraq. We had not succeeded of course and Australia was part of this war. We were saddened by the news, the civilian deaths, the misery, and the destruction of Iraqi cities. Appalled by the violence of the so called, “Coalition of the willing”.

This night we were going to have a break, "let’s go dancing, Brazilian music for a change!" We dressed up a bit and drove to Smith Street. As we approached the corners of Gertrude and Smith Streets, we saw a “take over the streets” demonstration with some anti-American slogans. A few young, mainly hippie looking demonstrators had managed to stop the traffic along Smith St. It was too good to go pass by without showing solidarity with the initiative. We stopped, I said hello to a few demonstrators, they looked at me with a bit of distrust. In the crowd I recognised my Melbourne University classmate Andy. I was thrilled to see him there. Not because we had ever talked about anything, or even talked for that matter, but because at this stage I thought that there were no committed students at Melbourne University who would be prepared to act on their convictions. I was so happy in fact that I gave him a huge hug—he must have been surprised, but he warmly returned my greeting.

Andy said to us, “it is nice to have respectable looking people among us”. And, with my “respectable look”, I managed for a while to keep the police a breath from me. However, after a good 20 minutes of us crossing the road very slowly, taking enough time for the lights to change colour—while still occupying the road when the cars had the green light—the police grew weary and came directly towards me.

I was standing with my newly founded friend and Anthony on the road, about 2 meters away from the gutter. The police (2 of them) demanded that I move to the footpath. I did not move. They asked me for my name and address. I did not give it to them. They accused me of challenging the law. I did not say a word.

Should I, by law, give my name and address? Should I, by law, obey their orders and move to the footpath? I really did not know. I looked at Anthony and Andy for some clues, something that would indicate that I could 'legally' keep my stance—their faces were blank.

I was scared, puzzled and felt totally ignorant of my rights. I tried to talk the policemen to let me go, but there was no chance that they would move away and leave me in peace to continue demonstrating. “We will have to take you to the police station” said one of the policemen. The charges were: “suspicion of Jaywalking and contempt for the law”. I did not know what “Jaywalking” was either. Based on their words, I had not even qualified for 'Jaywalking', only for suspicion of!

I could picture myself inside the Collingwood Police Station – not a nice prospect for a night that was supposed to be fun. However, to my mind, this was nothing when compared to the reasons why we were demonstrating. Many thoughts crossed my mind, I could have given my name and address to the police, but I did not know what the implications were. As I tried to negotiate with them a lost cause, and perhaps just to earn some more time of freedom, I looked around. I took two steps back and I was inside the white lines that define a car space on the side of the road. I asked the police, “if a car can park here for (I looked up to the parking sign)—2 hours—don’t I have at least the same right than a car to be here?” Now, the police looked puzzled. They exchanged glances and after a few eternal seconds one of them, with a sneered smile and very coarse voice, said to me “smart ass!” and in a kind of condescending manner they walked away.

I was relieved. I could not believe that, at least momentarily, I had attained as much right as a car to be on the road.

The two police went directly to another group of demonstrators occupying the road, one police asked them to move to the footpath and the group obeyed immediately. The policemen looked at us, we all laughed. “This is group solidarity guys!” shouted one of the policemen back to us.

Notes:

Photograph(s) belong to a more recent march.

arch-peace editorials: Victoria’s Bushfires: time to reflect new urban strategies

2009-02-18T23:14:00.019+11:00

Although it is believed that some of the bushfires that affected the State of Victoria may be the work of arsonists, this was a natural disaster in the sense that it was triggered by an dreadful combination of climatic conditions such as a very dry season, thick and dry native forest in country Victoria and around Melbourne’s periphery, strong winds and an unprecedented heat of up to 48C.

As these harsh climate conditions with its disastrous consequences become more frequent, Australian authorities and politicians are now quick to name climate change as a contributing factor.[1] In view of a future increasingly exposed to a harsher climate, calls for the review of emergency laws, the upgrading of fire evacuation plans and building regulations are been considered. However, are these expedient responses dealing with the complex issue of suburban and outer suburban living?

While a handful of scientists show caution in declaring that this disaster is due to climate change, others assert that:

There does seem to be a human element to bushfire risk. In terms of human contribution it is clear that most of the global warming since about 1950 is likely due to increases in greenhouse gases. Higher temperatures clearly increase the risk of bushfires.[2]

Reconstructing the same, “brick by brick”

Australia has abundant land and for the 200 years of colonisation settlers have had no need to compromise—not on the size of their houses and land, nor in terms of privacy, material costs or the cost of services such as transport and schools. This uncompromising attitude is part of an entrenched cultural trend that defines our suburbs, outer suburbs and suburbs within rural habitats, with its remarkable nature corridors and bush. While these conditions offer some fine aspects which define the Australian way of life, it also precludes other modes of living, particularly those associated to sharing resources, social equity, accessibility, urban vitality and the chances of achieving environmental sustainability.[3] One example of this is car dependency with all its detrimental effects. Larger pieces of land in the outer suburbs or “suburbs in the bush” are more affordable. As George Megalogenis notes, the population in the worst affected areas lived in an extension of “Mortgageville: communities with more children, and parents with less education, than the national average”.[4] This is an urban periphery foreign to the city skyline, forgotten by the urban professions and their educational institutions. For instance, how often do architectural design studios focus their explorations on the needs of these populations?

Responses as to what should be done to rebuild the destroyed houses and townships vary. While it is perhaps too soon to reflect on how and why this disaster took on such devastating force, reflection is needed. Comments focusing on at least two different dimensions of the problem emerge. Overall, one centres on the upgrading individual structures through better technology and regulations, while the other points at planning issues by questioning the wisdom of reconstructing in the same manner.

For example, Victorian Premier John Brumby recommends that building codes need revision. Architect Lindsay Johnston discusses fire resistant houses and the construction of underground bunkers in areas prone to bushfires, while also adding that urban sprawl exacerbates the danger for these communities.[5]

Similarly, scientists such as Professor Andy Pitman suggests that fireproof underground shelters and different building regulations for houses near bush areas should be considered, simultaneously questioning the suitability of rebuilding in the affected areas.[6] Dr. Nichols on the other hand warns of the “real chance that some communities may never be rebuilt”, while also noting that “the devastation in Victoria presents a sombre opportunity”.[7]

It is that sombre opportunity that I want to discuss. An opportunity that offers the chance to put in practice what our urban professions, ecologists, educators and members of the general public have been discussing for years. The understanding that devastation brought on by climate change cannot be overcome with yet more technology that reinforces the mindset that generated it. That perhaps it is time to think of collective rather than individual solutions to our predicaments.

Promises such as “Together we will rebuild each of these communities — brick by brick, school by school, community hall by community hall”,[8] may offer some needed consolation to the victims and hope that their lives might one day return to some normality. However, in view of the facts it is pertinent to question what should be reconstructed in the context of Australian culture, ecology, climate change and the long term well-being of those affected today.

A collection of scattered buildings don’t make a town

What we witnessed in the last month were heroic and tragic personal efforts to save the family house. Among those, one case comes to mind, where a group of people in Flowerdale survived thanks to a call for the nearby residents to stay in one building, a pub, while concentrating all efforts on saving that one building: a notion of collective that emerged out of despair.

When you fly across Europe what you will see is a very different urban, suburban and rural morphology to that of Australia. The European landscape is pierced by circles and lines, where the circles are the towns or villages, the communities and the lines the roads or connectors. In Australia, lines connecting sparsely located properties crisscross the earth. Sporadic grouping of buildings such as the post-office, pub, supermarket, sometimes a school and bank, indicate something similar to a centre—but without a centre. In Australia these have been referred by some as “townships”.

What is also peculiar to Australia is that these linear “centres” have very few or no residential buildings whatsoever. While in this morphology a relative sense of community can exist, this is greatly diminished by distance, a resulting car dependency and the placing and function of buildings.

If we superimpose the analogy of the pub in Flowerdale, to a slightly more densely populated town or village, in which people also have their residences, it would not be too far fetched to think that this imaginary inhabited town could be more easily protected than a road with spread out buildings and even more scattered houses placed within large to very large properties. In this late example, not only the efforts of residents but also those of emergency services are broken up and weakened. I cannot but to agree with Nichols when he says:

I'd like to think at the end of the day that governments recognise that keeping a community together may well be worth the many millions of dollars it might cost to bring that about.[9]

The morphology of our cities, suburbs and satellite suburbs within rural land follow a planning trend. Rampant urban sprawl and its detrimental effects are well documented. Whether different planning regulations can assist to prevent tragedies such as the one we just witnessed is worth investigating. But planning the future of suburbs, wherever these are located, cannot continue being the result of rushed decisions by politicians, or a privilege reserved to one set of professionals.

Suggestions that focus on building regulations, or on more technology (whether sustainable or not), are part of micro-solutions. These solutions should not obscure or replace the need for a macro-scale debate and revision. It is at the planning and urban levels where community and expert discussion could take place, where questions about what is possible and wise and how should we shape urban, suburban and suburbs in rural communities can be addressed. This is what I would call the sombre opportunity that can and needs to be grasped. This is a collective and too often discounted approach to solving a problem.

Focusing on an armoured building or more disaster prepared individuals is one step in the same old direction—the individual object (building) and the person who does not compromise. Nor are these answers affordable to the social demography described by Megalogenis. These solutions dismiss what we have just learnt through this experience, that together with the destruction of lives and houses, the ecology, food production, water, power supply, public health and communication are also threatened.

Other, perhaps vital consequences of these bushfires will not be known to us for a long time. This is a complex situation and while we may aspire to find simple solutions we can no longer afford to be simplistic in the process of finding them.

Rethinking how to live in the local environmental context

Perhaps we now have, after we have witnessed and suffered from Black Saturday, the opportunity to think about how we live and question whether our way of building in the bush is suitable to the environment in which we live. Well thought through large-scale strategies offering direction for micro solutions (building design, building code and technology) is an option worth pursuing. This is not a theoretical proposition, it is factual and necessary. The world provides examples that can be used to start the discussion.

For instance, some basic and enduring principles in the design of communities can prove handy. Towns grow from a centre—a civic centre. The civic centre (which is not a building but space) is not only the place where some services congregate. The civic centre is a public space of cultural meaning. Meaning that is endowed by its location within the town, by the diversity of activities surrounding it—from civic to commercial, cultural, residential and recreational. It is a natural centre that cannot be avoided—a civic place towards which people and activities gravitate, where nature is present and under control. It is a safe space for the playground, a gathering after school, for the elderly, the town market and cultural activities. While many of the affected communities in Victoria relied on the sport oval as a place of congregation during the bushfires, no sport oval can compete in importance with a town’s civic centre. Sport ovals are generally on the outskirts, isolate and surrounded by passive edges. They serve specific purposes. Therefore, they do not rate high in everyone’s cognitive maps and less so for those just visiting the area.

Rethinking Victorian bushfire affected communities will necessitate considering population density and the provision of new options for living arrangements. Countryside isolation may suit some. However, most sections of the population would find added social engagement and support in a denser town that has the right balance between services, infrastructure and housing accommodation— while still enjoying the attractions of the bush.

Higher density justifies the provision of services, among them public transport connecting with major regional centres and other communities. Public transport is about communication, socialisation, connectivity and about environmental sustainability. Lack of access to public transport goes hand in hand with poverty and social exclusion. However, I have yet not heard any politician addressing the issue of public transport as an intrinsic social need—how can such an essential service still be ignored?

We can use our creativity to find solutions within the constraints that we now face and to create suitable living environments for the local conditions. Real creativity emerges out of working with the constraints posed by the problem and not when the context and constrains are severed from the problem. If natural local conditions and climate change represent the context—particularly when most scientists agree that human activity is partly to blame—how can we assist in the minimisation of such change?

Should we consider compromising some aspects of the way we live? What are the disadvantages and the benefits in view of the recent tragedy? I suggest that these and other questions need to be widely discussed. That the responsibility for finding solutions cannot sit with planners and politicians alone—it needs to involve the large community including an extended professional community. The dimension of this tragedy has given us an unfortunate glimpse into a challenging future in which individually toughened houses will not suffice. Today we have the opportunity to learn from this disaster and to try new approaches.

References:

1. See comments By Victorian Premier John Brumby in, Kerry O'Brien, "Brumby Warns of Worse to Come," ABC News, 7:30 Report (9 February 2009).
2. Kevin Hennessy from the CSIRO in Jonathan Pearlman, "It will only get worse as climate changes," The Sydney Morning Herald 9 February 2009.
3. G. Davison discusses Australian cities and its deficiency in regards to social spaces. See Graeme Davison, "The European City in Australia," Journal of Urban History 27, no. 6 (2001). Note that Australia has one of the highest green house emissions per capita in the world.
4. George Megalogenis, "On the Edge," The Australian 14 February 2009.
5. Oscar McLaren, "Bushfire Tragedy Rewrites Rules for Architects," ABC News (11 February 2009).
6. Andy Pitman, co-director of the University of New South Wales' Climate Change Research Centre, in Adam Morton, "Climate change must be 'a factor' in deciding whether to rebuild," The Age 10 February 2009.
7. David Nichols in McLaren, "Bushfire Tragedy Rewrites Rules for Architects."
8. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in, B. Nicholson and D. Rood. “We'll Rebuild Brick by Brick.” The Age 11 February 2009.
9. D. Nichols in McLaren, "Bushfire Tragedy Rewrites Rules for Architects."

Published in:

Maturana, Beatriz. "Victoria’s Bushfires: Time to Reflect New Urban Strategies." On Line Opinion (27 March 2009), http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8707.

A shorter version in Architects for Peace (editorial), 17 February 2009: find here. Also in
Planning News, p.12-13, 9 March 2009.

research in progress: themes in architectural design studios

2009-02-05T12:19:00.011+11:00

Architectural Design Studio and the Real World Out There

PhD Candidate: Beatriz C. Maturana
Supervisor: Dr Greg Missingham

Central to architectural education is the design studio where all knowledge acquired converges to be given form. Critique of design studio education has focused on its methodology, its power relations and pedagogy. However, seldom has the content of the design studio been scrutinised. While the general architectural education curriculum is accessible, public and subject to periodical scrutiny and evaluations, the core of the discipline, the content of design studio is not. In spite of its problems, it is widely accepted that the design studio is at the centre of architectural education. Consequently, we can assume that what matters in design studio will influence what matters in the practice of architecture and architecture itself.

Concerns and aspirations by universities and education in general assert their reasoning on science, on rational thought and processes, validated by their grasp on reality. This has prompted some to claim that the question of reality is one of the most fundamental questions currently faced by humanity. This research centres on this question, as it contends that without an understanding of what version of reality is brought to the design studio, assertions and aspirations regarding architectural contribution can become self-referential and operate in a vacuum. Thus, exploring themes in architectural design studio becomes crucial to establish what is currently important in architectural education (by default or design), the implications of this importance to the actual wider contribution of architectural design studio and more importantly to plan for the future of architectural education.

This research investigates the themes that architectural design studios explore in three Australian architectural faculties: from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), University of Tasmania (UTas) and The University of Melbourne (UoM), in the states of New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria, respectively. The premise is that without a systematic engagement with reality, what makes architectural design studio an attractive and an important method for learning, might also be a device for the distancing of that learning from its ultimate alleged goal as a ‘profession’, a service to society. Accordingly, professional and academic’s efforts to contribute to, for instance, minimisation of climate change may be compromised.

The problem(s) selected and explored by the studio is what this research calls the theme. If the design studio is about problem-solving, what problems do these studios focus on and what problems do they leave out? This thesis examines data contributed by the three participating architectural faculties to ascertain preference for certain ‘realities’ above others. It does this by exploring degrees of distance or proximity to the real world, through notions of Immediacy, Groundedness and Urgency, among others. This research understands reality as external and independent from us, external from our awareness and interpretation, however, understood through these processes. So far this exploration suggests that, finding the ‘real’ in design studio is a matter of degree, of context, relevance and also a matter of definition. It is about creative imagination for a purpose, one that frames the exploration and clearly articulates the purpose of imagination with all its ‘imagination’ related terms.

I hope that through this investigation a different way of looking at the themes in architectural design studio will emerge. One that is cognisant of the connection between what is explored in design studio today, the resulting practice of architecture and the role of architecture within society.

---
References:

[1] H. R. Maturana, "Reality: The search for objectivity or the quest for a compelling argument," Irish Journal of Psychology 9, no. 1 (1988): 25. Note H. R. Maturana is not related to this author.

[2] An intrinsic aspect of the formation of the professions is their pledge to the ‘greater good’ or social commitment. See Mike Saks, Professions and the public interest: medical power, altruism and alternative medicine (London: Routledge, 1995). See also: M. MacEwen (1974), K. Frampton (2000), S. Salama (1995 & 2007), among many others.

[3] In describing the state of architectural education in Australasia some have referred to it as in a “state of crisis”, augmented by pressures to adapt education to consumerism, competition and corporatism. It is also argued that this is due to “a relative lack of self-knowledge”, particularly in regards to teaching and learning. See Michael J. Ostwald and Anthony Williams, "Understanding Architectural Education in Australasia: Volume 2: Results and Recommendations," ed. The University of Newcastle (Newcastle: The Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia (AASA), 2008), 10.

architecture: fantasy, creativity, play and the ‘real world’

2009-02-05T02:01:00.002+11:00

reality check: fantasy, creativity, play and the ‘real world’

1. Introduction:

Disengagement from the ‘real world’ is a common criticism of the architectural discipline. With architects serving only 10-15% of the population and an even lower number in housing design, it is not difficult to understand the basis for this critique.
Conversely, architecture is also about imagination, creativity, play and fantasy—all activities promoted in architectural education, particularly design studio. Through this tutorial, we will try to understand whether architecture needs to touch base with the ‘real world’. We will investigate what this mean for architecture and what is needed for imagination, fantasy and play to become tools in the search for a sustainable future.

Find this post: http://realworldarchitecture.blogspot.com/2009/04/imagination-fantasy-creativity-play-and.html

Notes on "513 Glenroy Line"

2008-12-22T23:31:00.010+11:00

By Beatriz C. Maturana

Photograph by Matthew Lew, bifurcaciones

Three aspects fascinated me about Carlos Alcalde’s article, "513 Glenroy Line". The first is his sharp and direct commentary about Melbourne—no Anglo affectation, not masking the shock, no acceptance of local notions of correctness. The second is the content of course, particularly in regards to the harshness of the city, the commonly accepted (and general unawareness) of extremes of monotony. The third is his deep understanding of the way in which cities work, the interconnectedness of all, people, economy, form, distribution of architectural woks and transport. This last point interests me greatly because here Alcalde places himself in the urbanist' shoes and speaks as an urbanist would do (a American urbanist, non-Anglo that is). This cross-disciplinary understanding would not surprise anyone in a European or American (non-Anglo) context, although this is highly unusual here where separation among urban professional fields is extreme—to the point of ‘silence’. This lack of convivial collaboration and conversation among urban disciplines seem to be replicated in the city—a “kingdom of commodity”, of “super-survivors”, of postcard type of imagery and then… the suburbs, as Alcalde notes.

The magazine in which this article appeared is concerned with the inseparable issues of cities (urbanism) and culture. Alcalde fluently presents them as he asserts that,

La ciudad con estilo cuesta cara y casi nadie puede pagarla. La gente “normal” vive en los suburbios, que bien podrían pasar por una pesadilla de arquitecto fashion latinoamericano: sólo tres o cuatro estilos arquitectónicos distintos, repetidos hasta el cansancio. Ni un edificio, ni un quiosco… y silencio. Por todos lados, un silencio vacío. Porque así como no huele, no sabe ni se deja tocar, esta es una ciudad que tampoco suena. La comodidad parece haber matado los sentidos.
(…)
Aún no comprendo cómo una ciudad tan fácil, que funciona tan bien, me resulta tan insoportable.[1]

“A stylish city is expensive, and almost no one can afford it. “Normal” people live in the suburbs, and these could well be any Latin-American urbanist’s worst nightmare: only three of four different architectural styles, repeated infinitely. Not one building, not one kiosk… and silence. All surrounded by silence, empty silence. Because, the same way that the city has no smell, it does not allow itself to be touched, this is a city that does not create sound. Comfort appeared to have killed all senses.
(…)
I still cannot comprehend how a city that is so manageable, that works so well, can strike me as unbearable.[2]

According to Alcalde, in this “kingdom of comfort”, only pariahs don’t have a car. These are the children, the elderly, the alcoholics, the mentally retarded, the recently arrived migrant—the yet non-adapted ones, within which Alcalde places himself, in the 513 Glenroy bus line.

Find Carlos Alcade’s photo-essay in bifurcaciones (Journal of Urban Cultural Studies)

[1] Carlos Alcalde and Matthew Lew (photographs), "513 Glenroy Line," bifurcaciones [online], no. 7 (2008), www.bifurcaciones.cl/007/Melbourne.htm.

[2] Translated by B. Maturana

Opposition to Jerusalem museum

2008-12-04T18:03:00.005+11:00

Opposition to Jerusalem museum

An extract of the letter published by The Guardian, 15 November 2008.
The Guardian, Saturday November 15 2008 Article history

A recent judgment by Israel's supreme court will allow the construction of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's Museum of Tolerance, designed by renowned US architect Frank Gehry, over a Muslim heritage cemetery of great historical importance in the centre of Jerusalem. It is a blow to peaceful coexistence in an already divided city.

This project, started in 2006, had been frozen due to public outcry and legal challenge, most especially from Muslim religious leaders and the Israeli Islamic movement, with the backing of Orthodox Jews concerned about disturbing graves. The site in Mamilla, near Jerusalem's Independence Park, is on disputed burial land taken over by the Israel's Land Administration in 1948, whose ownership is claimed by the Islamic authorities.

To pursue this divisive project that will include two museums, a library-education centre, a conference centre and a 500-seat performing arts theatre, would seem highly insensitive, a statement of Israel's hegemony over the Palestinians, rather than any expression of "tolerance". All the architecture in the world cannot engender harmony on the basis of trampling over people's rights and history. It is inflaming passions in an already combustible Middle East and will push any peace accord further off the horizon.

We call on the Jerusalem municipality, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Israeli authorities not to allow this architectural time-bomb to proceed.
Charles Jencks, Richard MacCormack, Neave Brown, Abe Hayeem, Haifa Hammami, Hans Haenlein, Cezary Bednarski, Kate Mackintosh, Suad Amiry (Ramallah), Shmuel Groag (Jerusalem), Beatriz Maturana (Australia), Walter Hain, Ian Martin and 28 others
Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine.

Find this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/15/israel-and-the-palestinians

arch-peace news and articles: We need to challenge dominant mindsets: Interview with Beatriz Maturana

2008-11-08T18:55:00.000+11:00

arch-peace news and articles: We need to challenge dominant mindsets: Interview with Beatriz Maturana
Interview by Dick Urban Vestbro, 'Architects Designers Planners for Social Responsibility' (Arc.Peace) and published in ARC-PEACE Newsletter No 25 January 2009 page 2-3. Interview published with Arc.Peace's consent.

"to what exiled country are you returning?"

2008-10-15T19:18:00.012+11:00

Link to photographs: to what exiled country are you returning?

July 2008, Amman, Jordan, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts. Sculpture by Palestinian artist Ahmad Ka'nan, entitled "to what exiled country are you returning?" The keys represent the homes that Palestinians have been forced to abandon.

I was inspired to publish my photos after seeing an album by my friend Marwa Yousef's entitled AMRIK (find here). Her photos where taken in Ramallah Cultural Palace. Mine, featuring the same exhibit, where taken in Santiago Chile. AMRIK focuses on the Arab presence in America (non-Anglo). As far as I know this show has been exhibited in Palestine, Egypt, Brazil and Chile.

Santiago has its own modest version of the Alahambra

I have included other photographs taken about 3 month ago when I visited the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman, Jordan. The boat (1st image above) is a very powerful and moving sculpture by Ahmad Ka'nan, Palestinian artist entitled "to what exiled country are you returning?"

I have borrowed Ahamad Ka'nan's title of his sculpture for this post. To me the title conveys the permanent unresolved state of migration. It is not only physical, it does not belong to a place it is a different way of relating to the surroundings, for ever carried by those who for one reason or another had to leave their home country. It was immensely moving to see these two exhibitions. On both occasions and from different perspectives the migratory condition conveys the uncertainty of the past, the present and the future and the unshakable sense of loss and often also of hope.

Note: in these two occasions taking photographs was allowed.

Location: Santiago in Chile (November 2006) and Amman in Jordan (July 2008).

Find these photos: here (and sorry for the quality of some of them).

More about Arab and Middle Eastern migration to Chile: here

studio+space: what is trespassing to you?

2008-09-28T23:07:00.008+10:00

studio+space: what is trespassing to you?

At our last committee meeting, we had a very interesting discussion around the notion of 'trespassing' after which, and as suggested by Peter Johns, we decided to focus on trespassing for our next words@bldg50.

The discussion was prompted by very real concerns around one of our pro bono project in which our ‘clients’ are actual squatters. So the question was: what is trespassing for Architects for Peace, is it something we take on, is it what we are…? After all we trespassed the notions of ‘nationalism’, ‘patriotism’, fear of ‘terrorism’ and many other such notions when we took an stance against the war in Iraq. Since then, we have trespassed the many government decisions by openly opposing them. For instance, on indigenous housing and land issues, on asylum seekers, on the continuation of the attack and occupation of Iraq, on the Kyoto protocol, on public transport and so on… Perhaps we might conclude that Architects for Peace stands for trespassing!

So, I would like to invite you to a visual exhibition which I will start. The question is: what is trespassing to you?

This of course will lead to our next http://www.architectsforpeace.org/seminars.php in November 08 called 'trespassing'. There are no limits to the form that your view of trespassing may take, and the only rule is that it has to somehow connect to the built environment. So it is up to you, from silly to serious all views are welcome. I will start with the following photograph I have called “corny”, which in my view trespasses taste and imagination, and makes me smile.

Note: To add your image, please link your blog/post to this post by using the link option below. Otherwise send us an email with your image and a few explanatory words.

Speak against transport privatisation and you may lose your job!

2008-05-20T21:59:00.009+10:00

Dr Paul Mees—one of the few academics whose community contribution is accessible and public through the general media—was demoted for speaking out against the further privatisation of what is left of Melbourne meagre public transport system. In a concerted move between State Government and the university authorities, a decision was made to ‘downgrade’ Dr Mees for making his views public. During a forum on the privatisation of Melbourne public transport, in August last year, Dr Mees claimed that figures presented by the government on the results of privatisation were “deliberately misleading”. (C. Lucas. “Melbourne Uni demotes transport dissident”, The Age, 20/05/08). The situation raises concerns about the right of academics to engage and support the community against government agendas that have already had and will continue to have a detrimental impact in their quality of living and the quality of the urban space.

The following statement by The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) identifies some of the issues in play, one of which is the ‘reputation’ of the university in question. The NTEU’s comments are commendable and show a level of solidarity unfashionable within some academic circles. However, for educational institutions such as the University of Melbourne, ‘reputation’ is accompanied by a dollar figure. Issues of freedom of expression and intellectual rigour (including ethical behaviour), as demonstrated by this action, have long taken a backstage.

In the attack, made at a public forum last year, Dr Mees said the authors of a 2007 report on privatisation were "liars and frauds and should be in jail". (http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/uni-damaged-over-dissident-row/2008/05/20/1211182764879.html)

Given that Dr Mees has for long researched into the situation of Melbourne Public Transport, Dr Mees comments are just what academics like to call a very comprehensive “plain English Statement”.

In a statement issued today, the National Tertiary Education Union said the University of Melbourne's reputation and standing as an institution upholding the highest standards of intellectual rigour and academic freedom had been damaged by its handling of the issue. Union state secretary Matthew McGowan said the university, in its own collective agreement, committed itself to "upholding the scholarly values of intellectual freedom, honesty, openness and rigour, consistent with the university's vision" and defined intellectual freedom as "the freedom of academic staff ... to engage in critical inquiry, intellectual discourse and public controversy without fear or favour, but does not include the right to harass, intimidate or vilify". ) http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/uni-damaged-over-dissident-row/2008/05/20/1211182764879.html

Beatriz C. Maturana

arch-peace news and articles: Melbourne University's Magazine: Beatriz and Architects for Peace

2008-05-05T09:40:00.000+10:00

The following is an article published in Melbourne University Magazine for Alumni about Beatriz Maturana and her work for Architects for Peace, April 2008, p.13.
For a link to the magazine (pdf) click here

Research: 'themes' in architectural design studios

2008-04-22T20:41:00.047+10:00

PhD Candidate: Beatriz C. Maturana
Supervisor: Dr Greg Missingham

While the general architectural education curriculum is accessible, public and subject to periodical scrutiny and evaluations, the core of the discipline, the ‘content’ of design studio is not. Design studio is peculiar in its delivery of knowledge. With a focus on problem-solving it provides an alternative non-normative approach to education. This approach is interesting as it requires a selection process of the problems to be tackled which tends, as sometime asserted, to emulate the reality of the architectural professional practice. This sifting process of selecting which problems of professional practice are incorporated and which are not, is replicated in the selection of the social reality (problems or issues) investigated within the design studio.

I am currently undertaking a PhD research at the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning. My research supervisor and fellow researcher is Dr Greg Missingham. The focus of this research is architectural design studio and it investigates ‘themes’ in some faculties of architecture in Victoria in New South Wales, Australia.

The typology of problem selected and explored by the studio is what this research calls the 'themes' or problems. If the design studio is about problem-solving, what problems do these studios focus on and what problems do they leave out? The thesis will examine the data to ascertain how studios preference for certain 'realities' above others takes place.

This research has a practical application and it should assist to further understand how teachers shape new professional architects through the themes explored in the design studio. Because of this, we envisage that the results will be useful to all the faculties involved.

So far and to provide a contextual framework to this investigation, we have interviewed some academics from different parts of the world. The decision in regards to who I was going to interview responds to an earlier interest (still present but outside the scope of this work), to understand how an Anglophone and European (Napoleonic) educational traditions can determine the general profile of the architect that they produce. Interviews have been conducted in Australia, Sweden, Spain, Chile, Brazil and England. These interviews, while not longer the central focus of the research, have been essential to understand the wider context in which architectural education takes place (social, cultural and historical backgrounds, ‘educational market’ and competition, socio-political and ecological awareness) and finally, to understand the role of architecture within the city.

OUR ACADEMIC INTERVIEWEES AND CONTINUING CONTRIBUTORS...

Santiago, Chile:
• Dr Cristina Felsenhardt Rosen: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: City, territory, Landscape Architecture and Environment / Design Studio.
• Dr Federico Arenas Vásquez: Profesor de Análisis del Territorio, Magister en Asentamientos Humanos y Medio Ambiente, Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
• Dr José Rosas Vera: Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies PUC. Decano de la Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
• Dr. Margarita Greene Zúñiga: Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Jonathan Barton: Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales. http://www.puc.cl/ieu/
• Ricardo Tapia Zarricueta: Arquitecto, Universidad de Chile. Director INVI (National Institute of Housing) 2003 - 2005

Porto Alegre, Brasil:
• Prof. Arq. Paulo Hom Regal: Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul.
• Prof. Arq. Renato Menegotto: Coordinator of the department of projects, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul.

Barcelona, Spain:
• Dr. Aquiles González Raventós:La Gran Scala Masters Program, ETS Arquitectura de Barcelona

Stockholm, Sweden:
• Päl Röjgård: KTH, School of Architecture, Stockholm, Building design
• Mats Egelius: White Architects, author of book “Ralph Erskine, Architect” (1990)
• Pehr Mikael Sällström: Swedish Association of Architects, Education
• Dan Johansson: KTH: teaching 4th year architectural/planning/urban design, KTH, Stockholm
• Professor Dick Urban Vestbro: Div. of Urban Studies, Dept. of Infrastructure, KTH, Stockholm
• Lars Orrskog: Assoc. Prof in spatial planning, KTH, Stockholm

London, UK:
• Professor Hans Haenlein MBE: Hans Haenlein Architects / Reading University, Website: here
• Gregory Cowan

Melbourne, Australia:
• Dr John Rollo: Architecture and Building, Deakin University
• Rob Stent: Immediate past president of the RAIA (Victoria Chapter), Partner at Hayball, Leonard & Stent Architects
• Prof. Miles Lewis: BArch BA PhD (Melb) AM FAHA FRSA. Professor of Architecture, University of Melbourne
• Mario Gutjarh: BArch Melb. DipTRP Melb. MRAPI. University of Melbourne

Qatar:
• Dr Ashraf Salama: Professor of Architecture, Qatar University. Meetings, email conversations and his extensive written work on architectural education continue to assist this research. Website: here

DATA:
This research focuses on the content explored in design studio, not its pedagogy. Central to this research is the gathering of data from design studio outlines produced by faculties of architecture in Australia.
Greg and I are specifically looking for design studio handouts from 2003 to 2007. The data we are focusing on consists of: studio handouts, posters, or any other available information regarding the themes (topics) of architectural design studios from 1st to 5th year (or faculty’s equivalent 3+2), preferably in electronic form. No grades (results/marks) or data on student’s submissions are necessary. This research has ethical approval and does not involve photographic material (except for ours) or personal data.

SO FAR WE HAVE THE PARTICIPATION AND CONTRIBUTION OF:

University of Tasmania, School of Architecture and Design

University of New South Wales, Architectural Studies Program

University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

We have also had some informal individual contributions from members of RMIT
University, School of Architecture and Design

If you believe you could contribute with data for this research please contact us: email

LITERATURE:
As part of the literature review I would particularly like to note the work of:

Fisher, Thomas. In the Scheme of Things : Alternative Thinking on the Practice of Architecture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2000.
Argyris, Chris. "A Life Full of Learning." European Group for Organizational Studies 24, no. 7 (2003): 1178-92.
Bermudez, Julio. "The Future in Architectural Education." Paper presented at the 87TH ACSA Annual Meeting Proceedings, Minneapolis 1999.
Boyer, Ernest L., and Lee D. Mitgang. Building Community : A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice : A Special Report. Princeton, N.J.: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1996.
Habraken, John N. "Tools of the Trade,Thematic Aspects of Designing." An unpublished paper on the education of architects (1996),
Kostof, Spiro. The Architect : Chapters in the History of the Profession. 2000 ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
Ledewitz, Stefani. "Models of Design in Studio Teaching." Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 38, no. 2 (1985): 2-8.
Milne, David. "Architecture, Politics and the Public Realm." Canadian Journal of Political and Social Theory / Revue canadienne de theorie politigue et sociale 5, no. 1-2 (Winter-Spring, 1981): 131-46.
Morin, Edgar. Seven Complex Lessons in Education for the Future (Les Sept Savoirs Necessaires a I’education Du Futur). Translated by Nidra Poller. 7 place
———. "Sobre La Interdisciplinariedad." Centre International de Recherches et Etudes Transdisciplinaires (CIRET) Boletín No. 2 (1990).
Salama, Ashraf. "The Architect and Society - Chapter 2." In New Trends in Architectural Education: Designing the Design Studio, edited by Ashraf Salama, 1995.
———. "A Theory for Integrating Knowledge in Architectural Design Education." ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research 2, no. 1 (2008): 100-28.
Salama, Ashraf M. "A Process Oriented Design Pedagogy: Kfupm Sophomore Studio " CEBE Transactions 2, no. 2 (September 2005).
Salama, Ashraf M., and Nicholas Wilkinson, eds. Design Studio Pedagogy Horizons for the Future. Gateshead UK: Urban International Press, 2007.
Schön, Donald A. "The Architectural Studio as an Exemplar of Education for Reflection-in-Action." Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 38, no. 1 (1984): 2-9.
———. "Toward a Marriage of Artistry & Applied Science in the Architectural Design Studio." Journal of Architectural Education (1984-) 41, no. 4 (1988): 4-10.
Stevens, Garry. The Favored Circle: The Social Foundations of Architectural Distinction. Boston: Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1998.
Teymur, Necdet. Architectural Education : Issues in Educational Practice and Policy. London: ?uestion Press, 1992.
———. Environmental Discourse : A Critical Analysis of 'Environmentalism' in Architecture, Planning, Design, Ecology, Social Sciences and the Media. London: ?uestion Press, 1982.
Tombesi, Paolo. "Capital Gains and Architectural Losses: The Transformative Journey of Caudill Rowlett Scott (1948–1994)." The Journal of Architecture 11, no. 2 (2006): 145-68.

Melbourne CBD, its close neighbours and its greater rest: a question about public transport, equity and urban quality

2008-03-13T23:57:00.017+11:00

The following notes were written for the presentation delivered at the Sustainable Living Festival, under the title of Sustainable Transport – Visions for Victoria in 2010. It contains all what I didn’t say and some bits of what I actually spoke about. Public transport is an ongoing issue for cities in Australia and it is one that we hope will drive all the professions of the built environment to jointly address it as a critical urban issue. I would appreciate comments or questions that could assist to further develop these ideas.

Melbourne CBD, its close neighbours and its greater rest: a question about public transport, equity and urban quality

Melbourne is a city fractioned not only spatially but also in our perception of what Melbourne involves. Think for a moment about the dichotomy between the notions of ‘city’ and suburbs as opposed to city and its centre—the first referring to what the city is and the suburbs are not, with the latter referring to an entire city with a centre. This fractioned notion of Melbourne coincides—whether by mere chance or design—with the delimitations defined the extent of its public transport. Quality public transport means a transport service that offers at least two reliable transport modes (underground, buses, perhaps although less efficient for a large metropolis, trains and trams), frequent, direct, affordable, available day and night (including weekends) and accessible by a five minutes walk.

When we think of Melbourne, we tend to think of the CBD (central business district), and areas such as Richmond, Prahran, Fitzroy, Brunswick…. What all these areas have in common is that they display the best in urban qualities. There is an energy due to the multiplicity of activities, (universities, work, commerce, markets, services, schools and child care centres, proximity to hospitals, amenities, entertainment)—all relatively close by, and accessible by a variety of means: bicycle, tram, buses, train, walking. Most would agree that these conditions are optimal—the property market agrees too, tagging properties in these areas the highest. So, do the above mentioned areas represent Melbourne, or is this idea a misconception? Perhaps these areas represent only half of Melbourne or a third of Melbourne—and that would be serious, because the rest is not like what I have just described. Are these areas just one tenth of the real Melbourne? No, unfortunately Melbourne’s CBD, Richmond, Prahran, Fitzroy, Brunswick…. represent only one 20th of Melbourne—let’s say one 15th for good measure. The rest—the large majority of suburbs—in different degrees, do not enjoy closeness to amenities and services, multiplicity of activities, diversity of people and culture. Nor do these suburbs of Melbourne enjoy public transport choices, often no public transport at all.

Whereas wealth and heritage assist some suburbs to foster an urban character of their own (for example Malvern, Surrey Hills or Heidelberg), the ‘rest’, is defined by what is left when major road connectors, freeways and ‘one mile’ warehouse shopping strips (with their equally large street level carparks) are accommodated. Add some pieces of bushland reserves and this is the real Melbourne where most people live. The city’s centre, the CBD and surrounding suburbs, makes Melbourne a quality city, but metropolitan Melbourne involves places as far as St Albans, Laverton, -Cranbourne and Craigieburn. The lack of connectivity between periphery and centre or around its periphery, casts a question regarding Melbourne’s equity in the distribution of services and amenity. The following example illustrates how access to public transport affects people in different urban areas: a household in inner Melbourne, or the City of Yarra, will undertake and average of 5.4 walk trips per day. However, a household in Wyndham or Melton will undertake an average of 1.9 walk trips per day. For those not familiar with Melbourne suburbs, Melton and Wyndham are further away form Melbourne CBD.[1]

The role that public transport has in reducing or increasing the social exclusion is well documented, not least by Dr Jane Stanley who presented at Architects for Peace 2007 forum, Transported.[2] The following statement shows that the government is also well aware of the social inequity resulting from this situation.
Limited public transport services have the most impact on communities that are experiencing a range of other disadvantages, such as higher unemployment and reliance on social services. Lack of transport services can exacerbate isolation and limit access to opportunities.[3] At a risk of repeating what you may already know, walking patterns have health, economic, social and urban consequences. Car dependency makes people walk less, makes the viability of corner shops almost impossible (for example try to find a corner shop in new developments such as Caroline Springs where people drive to the supermarket, drive children to schools etc). It makes the streets more deserted, so the perception of danger increases. Suburbs not serviced by quality public transport, no matter how neat and manicured they may be (or how many awards the developers may accumulate for their landscaping), are no longer the pedestrian domains but the domain of the car. Subsequently, houses begin to turn their backs toward the roads. In roads with heavier traffic, large warehouse style businesses settle in. We have the McDonalds in one corner and KFC in the other—repeating regularly across Melbourne’s suburbs—perhaps this is the real Melbourne. Is this the fault of these businesses, the housing industry, or is this a problem with our government, at all levels?

Somewhere in Melbourne's periphery, the landscaped desolated streets.

There is no doubt that increase density justifies and assists the delivery of transport services, but what comes first? Housing—naturally, organically and as experience demonstrates—congregates and increase in density close to where good transport services are provided. It is therefore misleading to place the responsibility of opting for denser housing options and use of public transport services on people. People cannot opt for an underdeveloped transport service, nor can they (us) be expected to opt for density, if this does not deliver the advantages those denser areas around the CBD enjoy—human urban scale, comparatively good public transport, multiplicity of services and amenities. I suggest that it is time to cease shifting the responsibility on individual citizens and to lobby the government (or work with the government), to implement changes that will radically transform our underdeveloped public transport—only governments can do this. Half measures are domed to fail. The public will not opt for public transport when they become more educated on the ecological advantages of it, but when in practice it proves useful. For decades the public in Stockholm, Santiago in Chile, Vancouver, Barcelona and many other cities, has not failed to recognise the advantage offered by their public transport, and this has not been due to their knowledge on sustainable options—although this of course can augment the interest.

On the outskirts of Stockholm, bus and metro services.

These days some councils in the outskirts of Melbourne are also embarking on large and ambitious urban projects, some do better than others, but the challenge is how to build ‘city’ rather than a series of disconnected urban events. Building city relies on overlapping and interaction, movement and connectivity in a manner that is ecologically and socially responsible. Transport in this sense must allow multiple options, multiple ways of living and different living aspirations. For example, access to public transport in the outskirts of Melbourne should provide everyone, including the teenager and the elderly citizen with the options to come and go to anywhere in the city anytime, any day with a maximum waiting time of five minutes, with a maximum walking distance to transport services of 5 minutes walking, and at an affordable cost. Most cities within rich nations have this, why can’t Melbourne have this? Why can each city and town in Victoria be connected by a bus service every 5, 10 or 15 minutes? Barcelona has this, Santiago, Berlin, why doesn’t our government see public transport as a priority? Note that all the cities I have mentioned have an element that makes all excuses as to why Melbourne cannot enjoy a quality public transport meaningless. Some of these cities have a similar population (Barcelona, Santiago), some smaller populations (Stockholm), similar density (Vancouver), some are located in poorer countries some in wealthier countries—what all have in common is that they enjoy a cheaper and efficient public transport that involves at least buses, and underground, in some cases also trams, and with waiting times that vary from 90 sec average for the underground to 5 minutes for buses. There are no outdated level crossings, no prescribed times and variable weekdays service.

Melbourne's underdeveloped public transport says much about the will, ideology and priorities of our governments, as about the professionals of the built environment. A few years ago, Donald Schön, discussing the crisis faced by the professions, suggested that professionals pay much attention to problem solving and little attention to understand and identify the nature of the problem.[4] To follow on his example, the problem may not be how to resolve the cost of the freeway, or its look, or whether the level crossing has been nicely landscaped and the handrails comply with the regulations. The question might be whether these ‘solutions’ are providing the answer to our current transport needs or just reinforcing a pattern of obsolete ideas about transport—and it is in this area in which the professionals of the built environment have been complacent.

Governments (at all levels) and professional experts allow important sites within and around the city to be use as carparks—not for public housing, not for clinics or schools, but for carparks. And in the suburbs experts allows the creation of large street level carparks, in other words, large deserts of bitumen and steel. How socially, or environmentally sustainable are these practices? However, we continue to allow financial resources to support these ‘solutions’.

I suggest that we have done well in providing answers to detailed problems set in an already prescribed agenda, but is this agenda addressing the real problem? And what is exactly the nature of the problem? Shouldn’t the urban professions, in the fulfilment of their pledge to the public interest be more pro-active in demanding investment in a real public transport? A public transport that could solve more than a need to get between A and B but that would also assist to diminish our embarrassingly high contribution to greenhouse gases per capita, while adding urban vitality between A and B.

In sum, the professions of the built environment can and should be directly and actively involved on issues that affect the city. Transport is key aspect that defines the quality and health of our urban space.

Cities are complex and rich systems and solutions cannot be approached in an isolated manner. It is essential to understand that public transport play a crucial role in the urban quality of the city, and this responsibility and implications go beyond the realm of what one discipline can do, in this case beyond the realm of traffic engineers. It is essential for the professions of the built environment to work in collaboration. It is also essential for these professions to play an active role and together with the politicians, develop an agenda that is inclusive of all the issues involved. What we would like to see:

Transport is not a traffic issue, it is an urban issue. A collective transport solution that is an integral part of the city, its social, urban and environmental fabric. The quality of the city (the entire city) cannot be separated from the quality of its transport. Good quality urban spaces are not isolated events. They work in connection with its surrounding neighbourhoods and municipalities—together they form the city.

Transport must connect the entire city, be time efficient and affordable. It must run frequently and be available anytime, any day. In a city like Melbourne, transport should not determine the way in which people live, but rather offer people real choices. The public deserves a good collective transport system and the environment cannot afford any less.

We need to find an inclusive a holistic and a collaborative way to address the quality of our cities and with this its transport. Quality depends on approaches that are encompassing of human and non-human beasts, buildings, roads, traffic, vegetations, commerce (of all scales), and services. We hope that government (at all levels) begin to trust the professions and the community, not as recipients of set agendas, but as partners. This requires openness to criticism, openness to question the premises. It requires trust in collaborative processes.

-----------------

References:
[1] While this data was obtained in 1999 and things may have changed since, what can be inferred from the information is the correlation between access to public transport and propensity to walk. Refer to Victorian Activity and Travel Survey, “Trip Rates per Household on the Average Weekday by LGA”, RMIT University, 1999. In article by David Sykes, "Vats Has the Facts," Local Connections March 2004.
[2] Refer for example to: John Stanley and Janet Stanley, "Public Transport and Social Exclusion: An Operator's Perspective," No Way to Go 1, no. 1 (2007).
[3] Integrated Transport in Department of Infrastructure. "Melbourne 2030: Planning for Sustainable Growth - October 2002." (Place Published: Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, 2003), http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/downloads/2030_complete.pdf.
[4] See Donald A. Schön, The Design Studio : An Exploration of Its Traditions and Potentials, Architecture and the Higher Learning. (London: RIBA Publications for RIBA Building Industry Trust, 1985).

* Note that the public transport in Santiago has undergone an extremely difficult period under the new TranSantiago. Much remains to be said about this bold move, but this belong to another discussion...perhaps somewhere under the role of the 'experts'.

Find PDF: here

Going Underground in Santiago: March 6, 2008

2008-03-09T17:29:00.011+11:00

Going Underground in Santiago
Presented by Beatriz C. Maturana (B.Arch M.Urb.Des. PhD candidate University of Melbourne).

This presentation will show some projects that illustrate how Santiago deals with the issue of densification and pedestrianisation of the city. The three projects are the extension of the Metro lines, the new library in the Faculty of Architecture (PUC), and the Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda. The presentation is based on a series of observations collected over three weeks of 'walking the city'.

The city of Santiago has undergone incessant transformation in the last twenty years. However, perhaps the most noticeable and unexpected change has been its surrounding geography. The magnificent mountains, the Andes that until only fifteen years ago were perpetually covered in snow and ice cap glaciers, lay bare in today’s summers as a reminder of our recklessness.

While many of the urban transformations follow on a relatively stable trajectory of modernisation and improvement of the social conditions, this course was interrupted during the period of the Pinochet’s dictatorship. The dictatorship’s rejection of urban planning, in favour of the ideology of the ‘free market’ and left a damaging legacy of urban sprawl and inequity. This has presented a challenge to the governments of the last twenty years. In redressing the urban ills, these governments claim that they have placed society, culture and sustainable ‘quality of life’ above all other concerns.

See slide show:

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About Beatriz C. Maturana (B.Arch M.Urb.Des.)

Architects for Peace president and founder

Beatriz was born in Santiago, Chile and she left for Australia in the mid eighties due to the political situation in her country. Beatriz completed her architectural degree at RMIT, Australia in 1992 and a Masters of Urban Design at the University of Melbourne where she is currently a PhD candidate focusing on architectural education. She runs her own practice and teaches at RMIT and the University of Melbourne. Beatriz founded Architects for Peace in 2003 in response to the silence around the unjustifiable war on Iraq.

Suburban sprawl to solve Melbourne's housing crisis

2008-03-05T10:20:00.005+11:00

After almost a decade in power the Victorian government has realised that Melbourne is experiencing a housing shortage—the solution: to allow even more urban sprawl.

With petrol prices increasing, with one of the highest per capita greenhouse emissions per capita, with one of the most underdeveloped public transport system in the ‘developed’ world, and one of the lowest urban population density in the world,* how sustainable and/or responsible is this approach?

* London 5,100 p/km2, Berlin 3,750 p/km2, Sydney 2,100 p/km2, Melbourne 1,500 p/km2 ... followed by a long list of other car dependent cities in the US. Source City Mayors (http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/largest-cities-density-125.html)

Suburban sprawl to solve Melbourne's housing crisis
ABC News March4, 2008
The Victorian Government is planning to open up tracks of land within Melbourne's urban growth boundary to ease the city's housing shortage.

Rezoning of land in 5 growth corridors, including Melton-Caroline Springs in the west; Casey Cardinia in the east; and Whittlesea in the north-east, will be fast tracked to provide enough space to build tens of thousands of new homes.

According to the government up to 1200 people are moving to Melbourne each week and while there is enough zoned land for the next 7 to 8 years, the new plan will provide land into 2018.

The Planning Minister Justin Madden says demand for land is greater than has been anticipated.

"We have experiences enormous growth in the last couple of years, in particular in the last 12 months, and the trends will continue and so all growth boundaries in Melbourne will be opened up," he said.
(...)

Continue reading: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/04/2178937.htm

Developed – Developing: Dialogical Integration in International Conferences

2008-02-26T23:56:00.019+11:00

Developed – Developing: Dialogical Integration in International Conferences
This editorial was originaly published in Architects for Peace, January 23, 2008

I recently came across a question posed by Dr. Ashraf Salama in his website. Dr Salama asks, “Conference Attendance: Do the Developing have Something to Offer the Developed?”[1]

The question is interesting because it may not be possible or prudent to try and answer it without first understanding the conditions imposed by the notion of ‘developed’ and ‘developing’. Can an answer be attempted without questioning this dichotomy? And as Dr Salama rightly points out, if there is more than ‘something’ already offered by poorer countries, what has prevented an even larger contribution and due acknowledgement? Dr Salama illustrates the question by providing some examples. He notes a low level of attendance to international conferences on the part of developing countries. He also notices that when people from poorer countries attend, there is an “implicit assumption that they go to learn”, rather than to share their knowledge or, why not, even teach. Dr Salama however claims that there may indeed be a lot of learning coming from the ‘developing’ world but that it is not appropriately acknowledged. For example, he claims that much is learnt from the developing world in matters of conservation, ecological design practices, historical analysis and education.

I would add to the list: water treatment, emergency housing, disaster management, community planning, alternative building technology such as bamboo, rattan and earth construction, low cost and social housing, desert architecture and public transport (for example Curitiba and the TransMilenio in Bogotá). From theory to practice, to some degree we have embraced the knowledge of scholars such as (to mention a few), Spiro Kostof, Constantino Doxiadis, Ali Madanipour, Necdet Teymur, Alberto Pérez-Gómez, to the social and urban knowledge of Jaime Lerner. Scholars, philosophers and practitioners have in one way or another shared their knowledge. However, it could be argued that while some have achieved a degree of recognition—and in the process references to the geographical origins fade away—what most have in common is that they had made their way through an international, mostly Anglophone institution, for example a British or US university. Something prevents a direct input, one that is not mediated by renowned Anglophone institutions, or by having migrated to richer countries and with that having mastered the English language. In discussing this matter Dr Salama suggested that perhaps different historical conditions to those of today may have determined the path of scholars such as Spiro Kostof and Constantino Doxiadis. If this was the case, it would be important to ask how opportunities for recognition and/or influence may have changed in the last decades.

At this point it is pertinent to make a distinction between acknowledgment and influence and to ask whether or not international conferences create equal conditions for dialogue, acknowledgment and for the influencing of the discourse by all and what determines such opportunities.

While commonly used, an established convention on the use of the terms ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ does not exist.[2] According to The World Bank, some countries (with ‘transition economies’), might fall within either category according to the criteria used to make the judgment. For example The World Bank classifies countries according to income. However, it makes exceptions for, among others, countries such as Israel, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Within academic circles, the lack of proper definition (if this could ever be reached) is not often accounted for or acknowledged. Instead these terms are used as if they reflected an objective reality and most times used subjectively to validate enormous oversights that, if properly examined, could indeed have enlighten the discussion.

More than a divide across developed and developing—a very poor dichotomy that does nothing to explain rich cultural differences within and which promotes a degree of stagnation among the ‘developed’—I suggest that the divide might lie along the lines of an Anglophone world and the ‘rest’ of the world. The reason why I put forward this untested hypothesis springs from an ongoing research into architectural education, where I have noticed that leading theoreticians in America (a continent with a majority Spanish speaking population), such as Edgar Morin, are virtually unknown in Australia and I assume equally less known in other Anglo speaking countries. Edgar Morin has been translated from French to Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian, but little can be found in English. In a similar case, Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space, today one of the most influential books among urbanists and some architects, was originally published in French in 1974, and translated to English almost twenty years later in 1991. Many more could follow in this important list of mostly unknown architects and scholars to the English speaker.

While a degree of unawareness of what others are doing may not be intentional, this is reinforced by architectural institutions and an architectural media, that insists on the architectural achievements of large, mainly European companies and architects, giving no opportunity for an equally great work produced by local architects and companies in poorer countries. For a random example, this month, the electronic newsmail produced by the World Architecture News (Issue No.123 / 04 January 2008) features six projects, all of which, whether in the UK, Dubai or Shangai, are designed by British/European architects and all of which are large, to very large corporate buildings. Within this list of six architects the work of Zaha Hadid is featured—some may want to consider her an exception.The notion of a conference as an opportunity to advance knowledge and ideas is important. However, too many of them are stifling and costly, making it difficult for those coming from poorer countries to justify the expense. This situation prevents the most needed multiplicity of views while recycling stagnant ideas from a prevailing culture.

Back to the original question, I have no doubt that professionals and scholars from poorer parts of the world have much to offer to the rest of the world—in fact some have already done so, and it is here where Architects for Peace has a great role to play, to be the gateway for direct input of the many forms of contributions and the many unpublished projects happening right now everywhere. It is perhaps in poorer countries where creativity and alternative approaches are the norm and are daily tested.

If there is anything I like about the notion of ‘developing’ it is that it conveys movement, a positive energy used to inspire and to evolve—shouldn’t we all be developing?

Beatriz C. Maturana
Architects for Peace, January 2008

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[1] See Dr. Ashraf Salama’s website at http://www.arti-arch.org/Ashraf%20Salama-Thoughts.htm

[2] The terms “developed” and “developing” lack proper definition. While commonly used by organisations such as the United Nations, the UN has not defined them. See: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm. See also The World Bank’s glossary: http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/beyond/global/glossary.html#12

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arch-peace news and articles: sustainable-living-festival: transport

2008-02-17T22:56:00.002+11:00

studio+space: Architectural | Urban Space Design Studio

2007-09-09T13:20:00.006+10:00

studio+space: Architectural | Urban Space Design Studio

Architectural + Urban Space Design Studio
an invitation for the old, the young, the poor, the rich and all non-human beasts...

"Utopia is on the horizon: when I walk two steps, it takes two steps back. I walk ten steps and it is ten steps further away. What is utopia for? It is for this, for walking". Eduardo Galeano

For the last two years, I have run a 4th year architectural/urban design studio. In this studio, architecture is not the focus, but the result of urban, environmental and social considerations - and this is where we start. The studio focuses on the needs of the city, with architecture there to assist. These are human needs and those of non-human beasts, ecological needs - these needs know boundaries.

The following projects display the work of my University of Melbourne' students, from the last two semesters (2006). In both occasions, we have worked with the support and collaboration of two municipalities, the City of Knox and the City of Melbourne. These are actual sites and the students have worked towards resolving existing urban issues.

In the studios we spend the first two weeks learning about the city - strange as it may sound, some of the students had not spent time learning about their own city in Melbourne Australia. Therefore, for 2 weeks we met, discussed and worked in the public realm of Melbourne's civic centre.

Studio cross-disciplinary approach: An important feature of these studios has been its multidisciplinary and cross-university approach. For the Knox City project, for about half of the semester, students from RMIT public art and students from the University of Melbourne architecture, worked together visiting the site, preparing site analysis and initial urban proposals. This mixing not only provided a richer understanding of the problematic of the city, it also created the opportunity to learn from a different disciplinary perspective and to widen the scope for cross-disciplinary empathy.

The students - sometimes acting as hosts other times as guests - did their best to welcome their guest students. It was interesting to see how this process made it much easier and faster for everyone to feel at ease in this studio. Whether this was because there were not inner competitions - as both groups knew something the others did not know (and that was ok and fun) - is yet to be tested.

1. SOUTHBANK
An invitation for the old, the young, the poor, the rich and non-human beasts...
city-street-market-plaza-house-citizen: agenda for a living walking city…

“From Perikles' Athens to David's Paris, the word 'civic' has implied an intertwined fate, a crossing of fortunes. It was inconceivable to a Periklean Greek that his or her fortune could be separated from the fortunes of a city, or to a pagan Roman of Hadrian's time.” R. Sennett (1994)

Project:
Urban proposal and architectural design for a mix of public and private spaces, with residential and community or commercial buildings. The final proposal will cover an extension of approximately one square block of the Southbank area within “The Sturt Street cultural spine”.

Location:
Bounded by the Yarra River, Westgate Freeway, Kings Way, Dorcas Street and St Kilda Road

top of page image: Clare Cannon
image 2: Minh Ngyuen
image 3: Dominic Kao
image 4: Ka-Wai Wong and team
image 5 (presentation under the freeway): Anna and Libby
Image 6 (presentation under the freeway): Minh, Emily and Clinton
Image 7 (presentation under the freeway): by Minh, Emily and Clinton

Public transport, a shamble and a missed opportunity in the State post-election budget

2007-02-07T22:50:00.007+11:00

Public transport, a shamble and a missed opportunity in the State post-election budget

In the Minister's message for the launch of Melbourne 2030, Peter Batchelor stated: "Not surprisingly, in the consultation process for Melbourne 2030, transport emerged as a dominant theme. It also proved to be the feature Melburnians liked most and least about their city."[1]
A few years later, Treasurer John Brumby's post-election budget (representing the same political party), has allocated a dismal amount for the improvement of our public transport system—and it is not beginning this year, but sometime in 2009. A newspaper article published in May this year claims that, "In a tacit acknowledgement that the extent of overcrowding on Melbourne's trains has taken the Government by surprise, Mr Brumby has also brought forward the purchase of 10 trains and the training of 22 drivers."[2]

Melbourne's suburbs and its periphery continue to be dormitories connected by car to large shopping malls—this is not a city in any urban sense. Walking in much of the outer suburbs is hindered by the excessive traffic and unappealing car oriented roads. The train system has imposed a legacy of level crossings that are not only dangerous and outdated but add to traffic delays. It is a vicious circle: the more our public transport fails, the more we rely on the car. Thus, there is less incentive for people to walk on the streets, less opportunities for socialising, less opportunities for milk bars and small convenience stores to thrive—all in all, this means less health for the individual and the environment. This situation also hinders the economic and business opportunities for those large sections of the city.

Links between social exclusion and access to public transport have been well established. The Brotherhood of St Laurence has produced valuable research on this topic, the following paragraph reflects this concern: "Throughout the focus group discussions, transport was constantly identified as essential in terms of accessing many of the things identified as key elements of a decent standard of living, as some of the comments already cited illustrate. Lack of adequate transport was also seen as a constant problem that caused many to miss out on a decent life".[3]

Compared to other developed cities in the world Melbourne’s public transport is substandard in its connectivity at all levels: to the city centre, within and across other neighbourhoods, to culture and services.[4]

In cities such as Santiago, Lisbon, Barcelona, Stockholm and others, the underground (Metro) is not viewed only as a backdrop for commercial billboards. The authorities have had the vision to turn the public space they generate into an opportunity for artistic and cultural expressions. Painted and ceramic murals adorn the stations of these cities. In Stockholm, stations located in areas with high levels of migrant populations, display artworks incorporating various languages and meaningful designs, while in Santiago, the stations also provide space for transient and permanent exhibitions.[5]

It is true that Melbourne has a low-density population, and this situation adds to our environmental problem. However, as demonstrated in the following comparison by the PTUA (Public Transport Users Association), Melbourne has a higher population density as compared to Vancouver and similar to that of Toronto—both cities with much better public transport systems that are cheaper than ours. Conversely, density is another issue that we must address and public transport should assist in this regard. Cities (in that order):

Melbourne (Keysborough), Toronto (New York), and Vancouver (Surrey).[6]

- Distance from the city: 25k, 25k, 30k
- Population density per hectare: 32, 34, 11
- Bus service frequency (peak, in minutes): 60min, 2.5min, 15min
- Bus service frequency (off-peak, in minutes): 60min, 6min, 15min
- Evening: no service, 7.5 min, 15 min.
- Fare (bus+ train): $9.2, $3, $6.

In these cities, public transport services exist to respond to commuter demands in terms of transport options and waiting times. More importantly, these services are not necessarily tied to population size or community affluence. The claim—often used by our politicians and bureaucrats—that Melbourne’s population is too small for a “high response” public transport is not correct. Neither is the view that we cannot afford the costs of major transport infrastructure—Australia, with an annual budget surplus can certainly afford this.

In a recent article, Royce Miller discusses the possibility of "people-friendly transport tunnels" for Melbourne. These tunnels aim to solve congestion, and opens up more holistic considerations regarding the upgrading of the rail system, connectivity, and the notion of a pedestrian friendly city.[7]

Efficient public transport needs investment. It does not rely on 'coercing' or 'educating' people into using it—people opt for public transport when it is a real option. Underground tunnels, assuming these included good public transport service, could assist cities in becoming pedestrian friendly, as the traffic above is reduced. Public transport, in my view, should be deemed as a right, an integral part of what Lefebvre defined as "the right to the city".

Our governments, State and Federal, have not yet understood the importance of public transport in relation to environmental issues, health and the liveability of our city. Public transport should act as a network of interconnections to link the Melbourne CBD and the majority of Melbournians who live in suburbs and the periphery.

In sum, we have the required population and density to justify a real public transport system. If poorer countries can have efficient, reliable, clean and modern public transport systems, we, with a constant budget surplus can afford all that and more. If cities with 2,000 years of urban heritage can build metros (underground), our 200 year-old cities can also retrofit a metro and other forms of collective transportation.

While I am not an expert on transport, as an architect and urban designer my interest focuses on the quality of the city and I am interested to know why our public transport is of such a low standard. We need educated bureaucrats, professionals and politicians, with a judicious sense of priorities, a real commitment to environmental sustainability and social justice. It is for this reason that our 2007 Forum, Transported, will discuss transport options for a connected city. You are all invited to participate.

Beatriz C. Maturana
Architects for Peace Editorial, July 2007

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References:

1: Refer to: Melbourne 2030, Minister's messages: Sustainable transport. http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/melbourne2030online/content/introduction/01c_transport.html
2: Austin, Paul. Brumby's big spending spree. The Age, May 2, 2007. Available from http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/brumbys-big-spending-spree/2007/05/01/1177788141341.html?s_cid=rss_age
3: For a community perspective on the current state of our transport system, my colleague Kally Vakras pointed me to a recent article on The Age, April 27, 2007. "Commuters tired of playing squash". http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/04/26/1177459880045.html
4. See section on Transport in P. Saunders, K. Sutherland, P. Davidson, A. Hampshire, S. King and J. Taylor. Experiencing Poverty: The Voices of Low-Income Australians. Social Policy Research Centre, Brotherhood of St Laurence, March 2006 [cited 30 April 2007]. Available from: http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/SPRC_experiencing_poverty__new_indicators_of_disadvantage_focus_group_outcomes_report.pdf 5. For more information see:
Metro de Santiago (Metro Cultura-Art): http://www.metrosantiago.cl/metro_arte.php
Metropolitano de Lisboa: http://www.metrolisboa.pt
Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona: http://www.tmb.net/en_US/home.jsp
Stockholm Transport: http://www.sl.se/Templates/SubStart.aspx?id=1906
6. See PTUA: http://www.ptua.org.au/melbourne/better-service
7. Miller, Royce. Council backs people-friendly transport tunnels. The Age, June 15, 2007 [cited June 16 2007]. Available from http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/council-backs-peoplefriendly-transport-tunnels/2007/06/14/1181414466876.html

Images:

First image: Exhibition space in the underground displaying artefacts found during excavation works in a Metro station, Santiago, Chile.
Second image: Artwork mural in a Metro station, Stockholm, Sweden

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arch-peace: interview by GreenLeft Weekly

2006-10-31T10:10:00.004+11:00

Architects challenge greed and war

GREENLEFT.org.au Leyal Aksu, October 18, 2006
Leyal Aksu, Melbourne 14 October 2006

Architects for Peace, Australia, took an active part in the protests against Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Palestine. Beatriz Maturana, a founder of the group, told Green Left Weekly that the group formed in February 2003, in response to the invasion of Iraq. It continues to campaign against the US-led occupation of Iraq.

“It doesn’t make sense for urban professionals to build cities only to have wars destroy them”, Maturana said. When her stream of letters to MPs against the Iraq war were ignored, she decided something more needed to be done. “As professionals, we can add to the community outrage, and we are taken seriously speaking out against social injustice and environmental destruction.”

Architects for Peace is a global organisation. It describes itself as “a forum for architects, urban designers, engineers, planners, landscape architects and environmentalists seeking urban development based on social justice, solidarity, respect and peace”. It involves social and urban planners, engineers, environmentalists and artists, something that Maturana said helps break down barriers between the disciplines so there can be greater “questioning and challenging of the philosophy of greed and individualism”.

Maturana said the group draws links between the Australian government’s refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol and unsustainable urban development agendas such as privatising public space and government and corporate resistance to improving inadequate public transport systems. “The industrially advanced nations’ constant exploitation of other nations’ natural and human resources means that, unless we reverse these inequities, the resulting poverty and resentment will lead to war”, she said.

Regarding the peace movement today, Maturana believes that inclusiveness is key. “We should focus on what we have in common and strive to bring a diverse range of people together by respecting differences. The Lebanese and Palestinians need our support, and that is what we need to do right now. We should come up with immediate common demands and discuss longer-term solutions later.”

Maturana added, “It is bizarre that peace can be considered controversial, even seditious, while war is accepted as natural — at least by the government and the opposition”.

Members of Architects for Peace are also involved in pro bono work that aims to link community groups, non-profit agencies and charitable organisations that need architectural services but cannot afford to pay. “This also helps promote a discussion about architecture and planning, and its impact on people, their health and their cities. We hope that these services can promote education and participation, and assist in finding solutions to preserve our environment.”

Architects for Peace has been involved in converting a Collingwood car park into a community art facility, and the design of a library and workshop for a poor neighbourhood in Nicaragua. It is currently helping extend a community facility in Baucau, East Timor.

[Beatriz Maturana teaches architecture and urban design at RMIT and Melbourne University. For more information about Architects for Peace, visit: http://www.architectsforpeace.org/]

Source: Comment & Analysis, Green Left Weekly issue #687 18 October 2006.

KNOX CENTRAL: transcending the shopping spectacle…

2006-03-24T22:41:00.001+11:00

KNOX CENTRAL

This balancing act aims to rise above exclusive economic agendas. An invitation for the old, the young, the poor, the rich and non-human beasts...
city, street, markets, squares and houses: transcending the shopping spectacle…

"Why are you so interested in these houses?" one of the Turkish dwellers asks me, "they are ordinary". There it is, the fundamental question in its lucid form: why would these countless, repetitive, identical houses for the workers inspire anyone to explore their architectural significance? Yet, a few minutes later, she admits that the roof terrace of their building is "very beautiful and uncommon". Esra Akcan, The "Siedlung" and the "Mahalle"

Project: medium density housing:
The housing project will emerge from a thorough understanding of its suburban circumstance. The objective is to identify current development agendas and propose new ones to ensure and facilitate a multiplicity of uses with a strong social and ecological programme.

Location:
Knox Central is the working name given to a core area of commercial and industrial land located along the Burwood Highway between Stud and Scoresby Road, Wantirna South / Knoxfield.

image 1: Darren Kim Lee Yio
image 2: Group work

Below some of the students final presentations:

Team leaders: Prof Greg Missingham (Knox City)

Studio leader: Beatriz C. Maturana
Beatriz is an architect with a masters of Urban Design, she is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. Her architectural work includes local government buildings such as childcare centres, maternal and child health, sport pavilions and residential and urban design projects.