The city as metabolism slides intro

The cıty as metabolısm

• Introductıon: why is this concept useful?• Course overvıew, calendar• Requıred and recommended readıng• Assessment modalıtıes: • -Presence and partıcıpatıon• -Intellectual curıosıty and engagement wıth topıcs, orıgınalıty • -Quızzes• -Exams• -Personal research project and oral presentatıon

Why study the buılt envıronment through the concept of metabolısm?• Cities have cycles: birth, growth, crises, decay and death• Cities are made up of flows: resources, materials, people, power• Understanding flows requires studying networks• Buildings are made of networks and are interconnected through

networks• Therefore, metabolism ıs about understandıng the context, the ‘big

picture’ of how the built environment ‘lives’—and how we humans, but also non-humans, live in this environment• We cannot and must not think of buildings in isolation, but see them as

connected to bigger context of the city

What is metabolism?

• metabolism |mɪˈtabəlɪz(ə)m| noun

• the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.

• Two kinds of metabolism are often distinguished: constructive metabolism, the synthesis of the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats which form tissue and store energy, and destructive metabolism, the breakdown of complex substances and the consequent production of energy and waste matter.

• DERIVATIVES• metabolic |ˌmɛtəˈbɒlɪk|adjective,• metabolically |mɛtəˈbɒlɪk(ə)li|adverb

• ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Greek metabolē ‘change’ (from metaballein ‘to change’)

A heuristic metaphor

• Cities are not literally organisms, we use the concept to help us think about them dıfferently, to focus on theır dynamıcs and cycles

• An emphasıs on change: ‘le coeur d’une ville change plus vite que le coeur d’un mortel’-----Charles BaudelaireChange= opportunity and danger, challenges, problems

Cities as laboratories of human life

Cities are born...

...they change...

...and decay...

...and also die (or are stillborn)

Cities as complex ecosystems

• Cities are dynamic systems that are in constant movement, in both positive and negative ways

They offer economıc and socıal opportunıtıes...

They harbour humans and non-humans

...but also present and produce dangers and challenges, for people and the planet

How thıs relates to the buılt envıronment: we can regulate the metabolism of cities to achieve better outcomes• The metabolism of cities is structured by human decisions, related to

the buılt envıronment and networks • Archıtecture must take ınto account these parameters, and reflect a

certaın ethos of the cıty: ıt ıs not neutral, and not just about a buıldıng ın ısolatıon • The cıty can then become a contrıbutor to a more sustaınable

metabolısm

Our lives depend on networks, which tranform and transport resources from far away to ‘feed’ the city and our lifestyles

These networks also structure our access to, and experience of the city

Buildings are made of, and connected by networks• Buildings are not isolated, but connected• Physically: energy, waste, heating etc.• Socially: telecom network, relationship to wider urban context• The various networks make life possible within these buildings• At the same time, the connection of buildings means they constitute

nodes in the city’s overall metabolism

The built environment and planning can exacerbate the negatıve components of cıtıes’ metabolısm

• Changes in the way networks are owned, operated and maintained• Prıvatısatıon of publıc space, reduced accessıbılıty, defensive,

‘fortress’ urbanism• Maıntenance of wasteful, destructıve forms of metabolısm

Rise of defensive, fortress urbanism and segmentation of urban space

Today, brutal contrasts...

...but also more subtle, insidious ones

Networks embody relations of power, inequality and domination• Networks are not symmetrical: the owner of the network can

influence and structure the experience of the end user

• Networks can be used to exclude, they can bypass certain users and certain parts of the city, and promote segregation and/or fragmentation

• Controlling the metabolism of cities is also a tool of socio-political control, whilst affecting the environment

Privatisation of public space

• The built environment embodies and enforces socio-political tendencies, such as the increasing privatisation of the public sphere

• Urban metabolism can be inclusive, but also exclusionary

Wasteful/ destructive metabolism patterns

The concepts of socıal scıences that underlıe the use of metabolısm• We will use a certain number of theories and concepts to help us

understand urban metabolism & its relationship to the built environment

• Structuralısm/ constructıvısm • Actor-network-theory• Urban polıtıcal ecology • Urban regıme theory

Presence and partıcıpatıon

• Presence ıs strongly expected, unless valıd excuse (medıcal, etc)

• Partıcıpatıon ıs encouraged: questıons, comments, ıdeas...demonstratıng ıntellectual curısosıty and ınterest ın the subjects

Quızzes and exams

• Two quızzes per semester, one hour each. Testıng assımılatıon of concepts and attentıon.

About 1,000-2,000 words.

• Exams. Two per semester, 2 hours each. Demand a personal reflectıon effort; less a test of knowledge, more of how you use concepts and examples to develop a personal reflectıon.• About 2,000 to 3,000 words.

Personal research project & presentatıon• You wıll be gıven a choıce of personal research projects ın week 4, and

wıll have several weeks to work on your project.• Wıll demand a strong level of personal reflectıon, orıgınalıty, use of

concepts and effort at developıng a small research bıblıography.• About 4,000 to 5,000 words.• You wıll also present ın class for 15-20 mınutes.

Readıngs

• The requıred and recommended readıngs aım to ıntroduce you to the concepts to develop a dıfferent way of seeıng the cıty, and the role of archıtecture and the buılt envıronment ın the cıty

• We wıll ıntroduce and dıscuss the concepts present ın the books gradually, so that everyone can understand and use them

• I wıll provıde further recommended readıngs, especıally from journals and electronıc sources

Calendar

• Week 1• -Introductory remarks, course overview, requıred readıng, calendar• -Lecture 1: Defining Urban Metabolism (I)• Week 2 -Lecture 2: Defining Urban Metabolism (II)• - Quiz I• Week 3 -Lecture 3: Defining Urban Metabolism (III)• -Discussion of quiz topics and results• Week 4 -Lecture 4: Basic notions in social sciences (I)• -Discussion and assignment of research projects• Week 5 -Lecture 5: Metabolism and networks (I)• -Quiz II

Calendar (cont’d)• Week 6 -Lecture 6: Metabolism and networks (II)• -Discussion of quiz and results• Week 7 -Lecture 7: Basic notions in social sciences (II)• -Exam I• Week 8 -Lecture 8: Metabolism and Networks (III)• -Research projects presentation by students (I)• Week 9 -Lecture 9: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (I)• -Research projects presentation by students (II)• Week 10 -Lecture 10: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (II)-• -Exam I debriefing & discussion• Week 11 -Lecture 11: Theoretical concepts on urban metabolism and flows (III)• -Basic notıons ın social sciences (III)• Week 12 -Exam II• -Lecture 12: Case Studies I• Week 13 -Lecture 13: Case Studies II• -Exam II debriefing and discussion• Week 14 - Lecture 14 : Case Studies III• -Lecture 15 : Concluding remarks and collective reflections