Failing while succeeding? On the delicate effects of a yet sincere cooperation.

Within wider criticalthoughts on and inside international cooperation, in this contribution some reflections are made about possible approaches to evaluate the effects of cooperation actions onto recipient populations. Starting from an experience of academically-led indepentent cooperation in a rural internal area of El Salvador, Central America, a debate is stimulated on how international cooperation can avoid forcing the beneficiary populations, and instead really and solely serve the interests of the recipients: their strategic empowerment and – above all – their self-determination.Dentro de reflexiónes más amplias sobre and adentro la cooperación internacional, en esta contribución se comentan una posibles estrategias de evaluación de las acciónes cooperativas sobre las poblaciónes receptoras. A partire de una experiencia de cooperación independiente guiada por subjectos academicos en una región rural interna de El Salvador, America Central, se estimula a un debate sobre cómo la cooperación internacional pueda evitar forzar las poblaciónes beneficiarias y, al contrario, servir realmente y únicamentelos interéses de las poblaciónes receptoras: su fortalecimiento estratégico y – sobre todo – su autodeterminación

Effective participatory processes and multi-disciplinary approaches for the analysis of a territory and the fostering of durable and sustainable self-managed strategic planning: the Ma.Sa.Ma. project, a rural case study in El Salvador.

This contribution presents a participatory and multi-disciplinary approach to the development issues of a deprived area of El Salvador. Here, the various dimensions of sustainability are not taken for granted, and the area is characterized by an unproductive and undiversified rural economy, scarce access to resources and funding, as well as increasing environmental plights. Thus, appropriate planning and technological actions were drawn up for designing strategies, projects and practices aimed at promoting social development and achieving basic, essential conditions for granting durable acceptable living conditions in a healthy environment. Participatory, co-planning and co-design processes were tailored and put into action together with the local communities. This helped supporting people’s empowerment by increasing their awareness, knowledge, skills, and self-organization capabilities. It also defined an innovative model aimed at overcoming unbalanced decision-making processes and supporting the collaborative work of the population towards the creation of shared development strategies, thought to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Beside participative territorial analysis, and the subsequent development of guidelines and strategic lines of action, some value-added results have been achieved, such as the strengthening of the relations among local groups, and the creation of a system to share problems and potentials, and respectively solve and enhance them through the formulation of common goals and strategies. The contribution focuses on the difficulties the project run though, and reflects on the effectiveness of participatory design processes to promote sustainable, innovative models of development within complex environments

Indagine sulle Implicazioni Sociali, Ambientali e Territoriali del Sars-Cov-2 in Italia

Questo Report rappresenta l’elaborazione dei dati raccolti con un questionario online, preparato e diffuso da Khora Lab, al fine di comprendere se e come la pandemia di SARS-Cov-2 possa aver mutato e prospettive future dei sistemi territoriali e delle comunità sul territorio italiano. Le ragioni del rapporto sono molteplici. Da un lato si vuole dare voce alle esigenze che ognuno di noi ha - come individuo e come parte della collettività - in merito alle nuove ed emergenti dinamiche relazionali e spaziali, mentre dall’altro vuole offrire una base informativa capace di generare un dialogo costruttivo e aperto in merito all’impatto della pandemia e alle possibili traiettorie di sviluppo futuro

Cooperation beyond development. Rethinking international aid for the self- determination of recipient communities.

Questo articolo propone un dibattito critico e costruttivo sui temi della cooperazione negli ambienti stessi della cooperazione, soprattutto sugli obiettivi reali e apparenti, sugli effetti sortiti inconsapevolmente, e sui vincitori e vinti dell’aiuto internazionale, il tutto visto da una prospettiva socio-economica mondiale. Sono qui presentati i primi esiti di un Seminario Partecipativo tenuto proprio su tali tematiche, articolato in quattro tavoli di lavoro: autodeterminazione e reciprocità, emergenza e sviluppo, formazione, co-progettazione / progettazione partecipata.A critical and constructive debate is proposed on and inside cooperation, specifically on the real and the apparent goals, on the unaware effects, and on the winners and losers of international aid, framed in a global socio-economic perspective. The first outcomes of a recent participatory workshop on such themes are hereby illustrated, divided in four working tables: self-determination and reciprocity, emergency and development, training, and co-design / participatory design

Vernacular Wisdom as a Path Toward Low-energy Ecologically Sustainable Housing and Settlements: Participatory Design and Building to Rehabilitate Local Adobe Bricks in El Salvador

Globalized cultures, imaginaries, and economies are often matched to the standardization of building approaches. However, solutions that are not tailored for a specific context tend to entail environmental, economic, and social issues. Throughout human history, vernacular wisdom has produced interesting low-energy and climate-responsive architectures all around the globe: These can be seen as interesting examples in an era of global warming and overall uncertainty; at the same time, they represent accessible sustainable solutions in deprived areas of the world as well as in wealthier areas. The experience of participatory design and building process is here presented, carried on in a rural area of El Salvador, Central America. A sanitary facility for a school is designed and realized after the collectively desired recovery and improvement of one of the fruits of local vernacular wisdom in building design, i.e., the adobe earth brick. Some potentials and limits of such experience as well as of the used technology are reviewed in the perspective of affordable and ecologically sustainable housing and settlements in the area

Vernacular Wisdom as a Path Toward Low-energy Ecologically Sustainable Housing and Settlements: Participatory Design and Building to Rehabilitate Local Adobe Bricks in El Salvador

Globalized cultures, imaginaries, and economies are often matched to the standardization of building approaches. However, solutions that are not tailored for a specific context tend to entail environmental, economic, and social issues. Throughout human history, vernacular wisdom has produced interesting low-energy and climate-responsive architectures all around the globe: These can be seen as interesting examples in an era of global warming and overall uncertainty; at the same time, they represent accessible sustainable solutions in deprived areas of the world as well as in wealthier areas. The experience of participatory design and building process is here presented, carried on in a rural area of El Salvador, Central America. A sanitary facility for a school is designed and realized after the collectively desired recovery and improvement of one of the fruits of local vernacular wisdom in building design, i.e., the adobe earth brick. Some potentials and limits of such experience as well as of the used technology are reviewed in the perspective of affordable and ecologically sustainable housing and settlements in the area