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

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?

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.

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Jaywalking: the day I asserted my rights as a car

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-US 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.

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Notes on "513 Glenroy Line"

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.

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Opposition to Jerusalem museum

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

studio+space: what is trespassing to you?

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.


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Speak against transport privatisation and you may lose your job!

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

Suburban sprawl to solve Melbourne's housing crisis

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?

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Timor Leste: no urban/architectural enquire can be devoid of its social-political context

Timor Leste: no urban/architectural enquire can be devoid of its social-political context
By Beatriz C. Maturana
originally published in arch-peace forum. 2/07/2006

During a short visit to Timor Leste in September 2001, as part of the Australian “Friendship City Relationship” planning team, I was the architect and the de facto translator for my group. As my first language is Spanish, I could easily talk and communicate with East Timorese government officers, students (older than 25), the driver, the lady who cleaned the house and prepared our meals and the people in the markets. Portuguese is close enough to Spanish so communication is easy enough and Tetum, the most widely native language spoken in the country, is impregnated with Portuguese.

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