Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - BarcelonaBottom Up Strategies for Urban Regeneration
Main language of instruction: English
Head instructor
Professors: Dr. Carmen Mendoza Arroyo
Arch. Emilio Hormias
Arch. Sandra Bestraten
This course will give students a multi-disciplinary perspective on urban regeneration through the integral use of bottom-up strategies. Specific case studies and projects will allow students to examine the and develop tools for mapping, working with groups of different cultures, built environment analysis, as well as tools for measuring land use issues. Students will have an increased understanding of how design responds to social and environmental issues and of the methods to involve community members in decision making.
This course will also examine appropriate, low-tech construction and building materials, their techniques and their application in various contexts. Students will examine the urban planning of these contexts, how they came to be, and how it enables and responds to the lifestyles, culture, and climate of the region. It is very important to strengthen the social structure of the place where the work is being performed, by providing improved construction techniques and organizational forms. These will bring the population greater autonomy and greater quality of buildings, enhancing their comfort, safety, identity and sense of belonging.
To introduce a variety of cases of innovative community-based revitalization in the global North and South, with the guiding principle and tenet that many cities around the world have similar spatialities, connections and processes and that comparative urbanism beyond the North-South divide and towards post-colonial urban studies is valuable for learning and reflection.
To explore the contrast and connection between bottom up processes of urbanization and community design compared to top-down, institutional practice.
To offer students a variety of examples, tools, and techniques that can foster innovative community-based environmental revitalization projects.
Various forms of settlement and urban growth methods will be studied, especially learning to elaborate planning according to the tools and features of the site. The student will acquire tools to stimulate the collaboration of people in participatory processes.
Understanding of some of the key factors that need to be addressed in successful development and relief projects.
Understanding how a successful project is constructed that addresses these factors in development
Group work, case study analysis and group presentations.
1. Participation in class
2. Analytical skills and ability to develop eventual proposals providing specific solutions to
the problems raised
3. Ability to develop teamwork and leadership skills
4. Ability to integrate in the student’s own project/exercise what has been learnt during the
lectures.
5. Ability to put forward in public the work and/or research developed during the course
Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, MIT Press, Cambridge MA 1960
Hassan Fathy, Architecture for the Poor, Ed. The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt,
1989, ISBN: 977 424 575 X
Ian Davis, Emergency architecture
Van Lengen, Johan “The barefoot architect” A handbook for green building, Shelter
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Hugo Houben, Hubert Guillaud. Traité de construction en terre.Editions Parentheses. 1989
Marseille. ISBN 2-86364-041-0
Peter Walker, Rowland Keable, Joe Martin, Vasilios Maniatidis, Rammed earth. Design and
construction guidelines. 2005. ISBN 1-86081-734-3 Informes de la construcción, Earth as
Building Material
S. Bestraten and E. Hormías Informes de la Construcción. (Coord.)Vol 63, No 523 (2011)
doi:10.3989/ic.2011.v63.i523