Antwerp City Wastescapes. Historic interplays between waste & urban development.

This paper analyses waste management and the production of space over time in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. By reconstructing how shifting waste practices simultaneously reshape our urban environments at multiple scales, this paper also articulates historic interplays between waste management, urban development and planning practices. Benefiting from available waste processes and materials is a practice that disappeared during industrialisation scale jumps and more linear processes of urbanisation and consumption indeed dominate the current practices. But cities like Antwerp are rethinking these resource consumptive processes and orienting their policies towards what is generally labelled as a resource independent ‘circular economy’. In order to be resilient for climate change, Antwerp’s centralized and heavily engineered and stressed waste collection and treatment installations of the last century require revision, if not systemic redefinition. After a century of dumping on peripheral locations, bottom-up initiatives such as repair cafés, zero waste shops, green schools and even supermarkets are changing the cultural appreciation of ‘waste’ in Antwerp by pulling ‘waste practices’ back into the city and activating social community spaces. What can we learn from the historic interplays between waste and urban development in Antwerp at the eve of Antwerp’s next –circular- waste geography

Mapping the realms of the soldiers: cartographies of military landscapes in Skopje and Bitola

This paper presents the process and the results of a cartographic exploration on the interactions between the military and the civil society. It features two interrelated study-cases : the cities of Skopje and Bitola, both characterised by consequent periods of war and strong army presence. Frequent and often abrupt changes of occupying military power combined with the local effects of ever-evolving military strategy, altogether having a dramatic impact upon their urban landscapes and the overall territorial settings. The proposed method of exploration includes the study and processing of archival sources as well as the creation of novel interpretative maps. The former includes a critical analysis of historical and contemporary cartographies, taking into account the specific agency of mapping and its embedded politics. As for the later, two series of eight maps each are created, offering a diachronic as well as a synchronic reading of the history of the local militarised landscapes. Through the simultaneous deconstruction of archival maps and the construction of interpretative maps, the research approaches the interaction of the military and the city in a twofold way: on the one hand revealing process of appropriation through the act of mapping -in which the specific agency of the military plays a significant role, and on the other hand constructing a palimpsests of urban and territorial army-related narratives that enables the formation and transmission of the city's memory.Peer Reviewe

Cajamarca: Mapping (Post)Mining Palimpsests of the Peruvian Andes

Mining, in addition to other human activities and natural phenomena, has repeatedly reshaped the landscapes of the Peruvian Andes. Long-standing, significantly modified and new Andean landscapes have resulted in a complex reading of the ‘land as palimpsest’ (Corboz, 1983). In recent decades, large-scale modern mining has disturbed headwater landscapes and broader Andean ecologies, as exemplified in Cajamarca’s gold mines. This article critically reads past and present spatial transformations induced by gold mining in the headwaters of the Cajamarca Basin. Through archival documentation, fieldwork and interpretative cartography, it analyses the large-scale surface mining operations in Cajamarca from 1993 to 2020, as well as their impact on downstream rural and urban ecologies. A cross-scalar mapping investigation discloses the spatial-ecological outcomes of twenty-seven years of mining (and closure) operational procedures. As a conclusion of the palimpsest reading, a design-research question is posed as to how Cajamarca’s post-mining landscapes can be opportunely premeditated. It hypothesizes that, already during exploitation, the post-mining landscapes can be consciously constructed by an intelligent manipulation of mining procedures and create a layer of the territory that is more robust. Environmental reconstruction after mining closure recreates a pseudo-natural environment that supposedly erases the traces of mining and restores natural condition—literally back to nature, with no cultural trace. In this regard, reconstruction is merely theoretical since the repairing to a natural state would mean no palimpsests. However, despite the most imaginative and ecological repair, the territory remains a mega palimpsest, cruelly violated and disrupted. Therefore, at best, the proposition can be to build a cultural, consciously conceived and tailored post-mining landscape, merging mining and post-mining landscape construction into one movement, where the remaining (palimpsest) is part-and-parcel of the newly constructed

River restoration and rehabilitation as a new urban design strategy: learning to re-see urban rivers

This study analyses how river restoration-rehabilitation concepts can be transferred from natural settings to constructed environments and thus form part of an urban design strategy. In contrast to conventional civil engineering, this strategy explores how hydraulic challenges can be tackled through instead of against nature. The study focuses on urban rivers in Chile where unstable geographical and environmental conditions in combination with limited budgets require innovative solutions. The methodology uses research by design. From an environmental viewpoint, river restoration know-how is shifted from a restoring tool to a spatial analysis tool focused on understanding natural spatial processes. The outcome of this study is a cartography that maps the dynamic interplay between the natural water system and the city of Concepcion’s environmental conditions on the one hand and the relationship between the river landscape and urban development on the other

HCMC: Reflejando el centro, invirtiendo la lógica contemporánea

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest agglomeration in Vietnam, is a multitude of cities and where spatial development is inherently intertwined with a continuously transforming water structure. HCMC is a relatively young city—the foundational citadel dates from the end 18th century—that nevertheless was always complex. Its original dichotomic nature, with Chinese Chợ Lớn and Vietnamese Sài Gòn, forcefully colonized and domesticated a quagmire. It eventually became colonized itself by France (formalized by the Indochina federation 1887-1954). The agglomeration subsequently underwent strong growth and transformation during the American War (1955-75), to explode even more after the (re)opening up to the market in 1986 (Đổi Mới: the change to the new). Shock and wave development (and significant disruption), hand-in-hand with forceful public intervention and laissez-faire dynamics, led to odd bedfellows—a partially planned and spontaneous urban environment, iterating between conscious design decisions anchored on territorial characteristics (predominantly defined by water structures) and generic additions regardless of the terrain, between structuring and undirected fabrics. Amidst another wave of rampant growth and expansion, the city plans to double its center eastwards across the Sài Gòn River in the water-sick districts 2, 9 and Thu Duc. This offers the occasion to boldly rethink the formation of the contemporary tropical deltaic metropolis. The article will plead for an alternative for the future development of HCMC through the elaboration of a project for the twin center of Sài Gòn, foreseen in an interfluvial land that is systematically permeated by canals, river branches, ditches, etc. The plan recognizes that the water system defines the base spatial register of the territory and intelligently anchors urban development on this register.Ciudad Ho Chi Minh (HCMC), la mayor aglomeración de Vietnam, es una multitud de ciudades y es donde el desarrollo espacial está intrínsecamente entrelazado con una estructura de agua en continua transformación. HCMC es una ciudad relativamente joven —la ciudadela fundacional data de finales del siglo XVIII— que, sin embargo, siempre fue compleja. Su naturaleza dicotómica original, con Chợ Lớn (China) y Sài Gòn (Vietnam), colonizó y domesticó con fuerza una ciénaga. Finalmente, fue colonizada por Francia (formalizada por la federación de Indochina 1887-1954). Posteriormente, la aglomeración experimentó un fuerte crecimiento y transformación durante la Guerra de Estados Unidos (1955-75), para explotar aún más incluso después de la (re) apertura al mercado en 1986 (Đổi Mới: el cambio a lo nuevo). El desarrollo de olas y choques (y perturbaciones significativas), de la mano de una enérgica intervención pública y una dinámica de laissez-faire, dio lugar a una extraña combinación: un entorno urbano parcialmente planificado y espontáneo, iterando entre decisiones de diseño conscientes ancladas a características territoriales (predominantemente definidas por estructuras de agua) y adiciones genéricas independientemente del terreno, entre tejidos estructurantes y no dirigidos. En medio de otra ola de crecimiento y expansión desenfrenada, la ciudad planea duplicar su centro hacia el este a través del río Sài Gòn en los distritos 2, 9 y Thu Duc, que están llenos de agua. Esto ofrece la ocasión de repensar audazmente la formación de la metrópolis deltaica tropical contemporánea. El artículo abogará por una alternativa para el futuro desarrollo de HCMC a través de la elaboración de un proyecto para el centro gemelo de Sài Gòn, previsto en un terreno interfluvial lleno de agua que está sistemáticamente permeado por canales, ramas de ríos, acequias, etc. El plan reconoce que el sistema hídrico define el registro espacial base del territorio y ancla inteligentemente el desarrollo urbano en este registro

Untangling Stakeholder Dynamics in Circularity of the Built Environment: A Comics-Based Approach

Comics are a known method to visually link characters to context through time. This article explores the medium of comics to untangle stakeholder dynamics in the context of a complex theme such as circularity of the built environment. Circularity of the built environment tailors concepts of circular economy to the field of construction and urban development. Relying mostly on optimization strategies, context-specific characteristics such as stakeholder agency and spatial preconditions are often disregarded as resources in the design of circularity projects. This results in one-size-fits all circularity instruments formalized in generic toolboxes. Circularity instruments should additionally engage with stakeholders, recognizing complexity and surfacing the resourcefulness of the territory. This comics series follows the researcher from analysis to design hypothesis, clarifying complexity at hand from the researcher perspective, including stakeholder agendas, spatial conditions, barriers and opportunities. Part of an ongoing action-research project, the self-reflective comics show parts of a researcher’s journey untangling circularity in the built environment in its multiple stakeholder dimensions. It includes data sourced from mixed method research, such as ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and archival research on two Flemish industry parks, Kortrijk-Noord and Leuven-Haasrode. These comics function as a narrative assemblage method for critical analysis, bringing together different data sources, and rendering our research process on circularity contextual and visual. Additionally, the comic allows us to communicate, challenge, and begin to design with (hidden) stakeholder agency

Restauración fluvial como estrategia de diseño urbano. Un diálogo entre investigación y diseño. Concurso río Andalién, Concepción, Chile

A diferencia de otras ciudades en Chile, el desarrollo histórico de Concepción no transformó por completo el sistema fluvial del río Andalién, por lo que permite aún ver fragmentos de estructuras naturales que están activas y, por lo tanto, existe la posibilidad de volver a imaginar la ciudad manteniendo estas estructuras vivas. Esto es un tema relevante bajo el escenario de crecimiento planificado para Concepción, donde la mayor parte de su nueva urbanización se encuentra dentro de la cuenca de este río. Este artículo analiza de manera crítica los resultados de un concurso internacional que ilustra el diálogo entre la academia y los diseñadores, quienes en conjunto generan nuevas ideas en torno a preguntas de diseño abiertas y en múltiples escalas para abordar la restauración fluvial como estrategia de diseño urbano, donde se discuten una serie de conceptualizaciones y posibilidades para el futuro de la ciudad mientras se restaura parte del sistema natural del río. Las bases del concurso buscaron que los escenarios fuesen elaborados como algo que fuera más allá de una cruzada ecológica o de un embellecimiento del espacio público, puesto que estructuras naturales con un funcionamiento saludable pueden jugar un papel crucial en la estructuración de la ciudad en un momento en que se necesita un razonamiento distinto mientras se acometen grandes proyectos de canalización como solución para segur urbanizando

Territórios expectantes e os instrumentos urbanísticos: o caso da Operação Urbana Água Branca|Expectant territories and urban instruments: the case of Urban Operation Água Branca

O artigo aborda os rebatimentos do processo de transformação produtiva no planejamento das cidades, com foco na experiência Paulistana, marcada pela retração da atividade industrial desde finais da década de 1970. Aborda-se aqui os rebatimentos desse processo na reestruturação do território da metrópole paulista por meio da promoção de instrumentos urbanísticos, nomeadamente as Operações Urbanas e especificamente a Operação Urbana Água Branca. A operação é analisada em sua efetividade em transformar o território industrial, apresenta as diferentes estratégias projetuais definidas para esse território, envolvendo os parcelamentos de grandes glebas industriais que, em sua maioria, nunca se materializaram. Finalmente, analisa-se a materialização da Operação Urbana Água Branca por meio do mapeamento dos terrenos consumidos e dos empreendimentos imobiliários dela decorrentes, analisando criticamente a real reestruturação consequente dessa operação

Diseñando el (al) límite: negociaciones agua y ciudad en Chile

Chile está constituido por una amplia red de cuencas fluviales costeras y andinas que desembocan en el océano Pacífico, configurando con ello un singular patrón geográfico. El sistema fluvial del río Andalién se sitúa en Concepción, una de las ciudades de mayor desarrollo de Chile, y se trata de un caso de estudio altamente representativo de lo que ocurre actualmente con los ríos urbanos del país. El río está muy dañado ecológicamente, con una importante invasión de su espacio y prácticamente olvidado por la planificación y el diseño urbano, considerándolo siempre como un elemento a descartar o mitigar. El río Andalién ha sufrido en las últimas décadas la modificación de sus llanuras de inundación, la reconducción y canalización de su cauce y la alteración de procesos sedimentarios e hidrológicos (e.g. erosión en su tramo alto, cambios en el flujo natural de agua debido al masivo monocultivo de pino y eucalipto que ocupa gran parte de la cuenca). A tenor del escaso nivel de protección con el que cuenta el río, es posible que las acciones de degradación continúen a futuro. Especialmente preocupante es la destrucción proyectada de la marisma en el área de la desembocadura del río, con la instalación de una plataforma logístico-portuaria. Este artículo usa la investigación vía diseño (research by design) aplicándola en un ejercicio concreto. Se exploran nuevos marcos conceptuales que puedan aportar una intervención del río que considere el paisaje como guía del crecimiento urbano. El trabajo refleja también cómo, mediante un ejercicio colaborativo interdisciplinar, se puede crear un escenario de futuro sostenible. El trabajo pone el foco en una propuesta de diseño alternativa en la zona del río con mayores inundaciones. Para alcanzar este objetivo nos hemos centrado en la restauración con base en la geomorfología fluvial y el diálogo con el diseño urbano. De este modo es posible obtener una propuesta más adaptada y resiliente al fenómeno del cambio global.Chile is shaped by an extensive network of coastal and Andean river basins that flow into the Pacific Ocean, thus configuring a unique geographic pattern. The fluvial system of the Andalién River is located in Concepción, one of the most developed cities in Chile, and it is a highly representative case study of what is happening now with the country's urban rivers. The river is very damaged ecologically, because an important invasion of its territory and it is practically forgotten by planning and urban design, normally considered as an element to be discarded or mitigated. In the last decades, the Andalién River has suffered the modification of its floodplains, the redirection and canalization of its course and the alteration of sedimentary and hydrological processes (e.g., erosion in its high section, changes in the natural flow of water due to the massive monoculture of pine and eucalyptus that occupies much of the basin). In view of the scarce level of protection that the river has, probably the degradation will continue in the future. Especially worrisome is the projected destruction of the marsh in the area of the river mouth, with the installation of a logistic-port platform. This article uses research by design applying it in a specific exercise. New conceptual frameworks that can provide an intervention of the river that considers the landscape as a guide to urban growth are explored. The work also reflects how, through an interdisciplinary collaborative exercise, a sustainable future scenario can be created. The work puts the focus on an alternative design proposal in the river area with greater flooding. To achieve this objective, we have focused on restoration based on fluvial geomorphology and dialogue with urban design. In this way it is possible to obtain a more adapted and resilient proposal to the phenomenon of global change.Mesa 3: Ciudad y territorios del agua: indagaciones proyectualesUniversidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo (FAU