Architecture, Construction, Settlements
VU 260.223, 2.0 ECTS Summer Term 2019 (english spoken class)
Module: International Urban- and Regional Development
Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@tuwien.ac.at
The relation between the formal andinformal citypresents the focus of this class. The focus is on strategies
to improve the urban living conditions in disadvantaged residential quarters in emerging cities.
General topic in 2019:
Social inclusive strategies to upgrade the In_Formal City.
Practical examples from Latin America.
Keywords
Arrival City, informal urban development, social inclusion, micro-urbanism approach,affordable housing, incremental housing, neighbourhood upgrading, the architect as an activist, urban eco-systems.
Topic
The informal cityoften stands as a synonym for a place with high population density. Social exclusion
and segregation along with economic marginalization are all too often existing conditions that frame the
real urban life of such an informal city. The term ‚informality’, however, is by no means synonymous to chaos or delinquency, or simply something ‚illegal’. Without dispute, the future of the city depends on the extent to which we are able to synchronize the existing potentialsof both the informal and formal city;it will certainly depend on how fast we learn to plan the unplanned!
By now, there exist various urban regions worldwide, particularly in Latin America,which in their develop-ment trajectory have positively influenced the interface between the informal and the formal city.What all these strategies have in common is that especially existing, grown structures – be they formal or informal – have been integrated in further urban development efforts. These upgrading-projectsintend to uplift dis-advantaged informal urban districts and their deficits as opposed to the formal city.
The cities and examples discussed in class mainly attempt to find answers to all those areas where the city authorities still have an ultimate decision taking authority: the public space, the mobility sector and education!
Within that context neigborhood upgrading, affordable urban housingand mobility infrastructures are key challenges for the contemporary Latin American City. Therebythe role of architects and plannersis of central importance to provide urban housing facilities and a livable neigbourhood environment. It is their responsibility to go beyond the need for creative design and planning in order to create a favourable climate for dialogueand consult other disciplinesfrom social and administrative areas. Mobility infrastructures andtactical interventionswithin the urban transformation of the Latin American City
and their relevance for social inclusionare the main topics of this class.
Participants
• 30-40 students from Architecture and Planning (inscription by TISS: www.tuwien.ac.at)
• Other disciplines are welcome !
Organization
•The class is English spoken and can be taken as part of the Module “International Urban- and Regional
Development” (organized by Prof. Rudolf Giffinger: www.srf.tuwien.ac.at ) or on its own.
• The class will be organized as a block seminar in March 2019 with 6 lectures and finalized mid of June
2019 with a short-term design project (practical part). The attendance of the lectures and the finalization and
presentation of the practical part is required.
Timtable (preliminary)
Lectures
• Thu March 14th09.30-13.00 Kick-off, Introduction.
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. The Latin American City and the role of the urban activist:
challenges of informal urban development.
Group work
• Fri March 15th 09.30-13.00 „The Urbanization of the Air“: Integral Upgrading Strategies:
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. North-East Zone / Santo Domingo, Medellín.
Group work
• Thu March 21st 09.30-13.00Microurbanism and integral neigborhood upgrading strategies:
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. The Favela Bairro experience from Rio de Janeiro.
Group work
• Fri March 22nd 09.30-13.00 Tactical Urbanism approach: Infrastructure and urban technology
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. Curitiba and Medellín; La Chureca, Managua.
Group work
• Thu March 28th 09.30-13.00 Affordable housing: From Social Housing to self-help solutions:
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. Metrovivienda, Bogotá; Santiago de Chile and others.
Introduction to the practical part – short_term urban design project.
• Fri March 29th 09.30-13.00 Affordable housing: Site-and-Service and incremental housing:
Sem 5 / loc. tbd. Villa El Salvador, Lima; Cd. Bolivar, Bogotá; Elemental and others.
Group work / Questionnaire to the short_term urban design project.
Practical part: short_term urban design project
(topic and location tbd.)
• April / May 2018 timing+loc tbd.Individual meetings for the practical part (short_term urban design project)
• Thu June 13th timing+loc tbd Final presentation of the practical part:
short_term urban design project
Each of the 6 lectures consists of:
• a presentation of one or several study cases (“learning from” … around 1 ½ hrs)
• a discussion or group work (“critical review” … around 1 hr)
• and a following reading of recommended texts (“further analysis”… between the lectures)
The practical “short_term urban design project”will be developed as a teamwork from April / to June 2019
with 4 -5 optional meetings; the detailed schedule and the locations are yet to be defined.
Andreas Hofer Ass.Prof.DI.Dr.techn.Dr.h.c.
andreas.hofer@tuwien.ac.at
Institute of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture
www.stb.tuwien.ac.at
