«In a moment of socio-economical and urban transition processes taking place in Europe, an increasing number of cities and territories are today facing population decline and its consequences. Population decline is indeed associated to widespread issues: unemployment, declining of property values, fragmentation of the urban environment, lack of participation in the city and neighbourhood life. Moreover with population change social bonds among neighbours are under stress and a sense of community is getting lost. According to the literature, this lack of interaction is clearly manifested in the use or under use of public spaces and infrastructures. In context of post industrial shrinking territories public authorities, stakeholders and designers therefore wonder on how to intervene in public spaces, and which kind of strategies are need to enable them to mobilize local communities. Research shows that public spaces that are designed even with small-scale, low-cost infrastructures, but following the real need of the inhabitants (users), play an important role in social inclusion in neighbourhoods and cities. Therefore, by listening the city how to develop smart low-cost urban design interventions guidelines to reactivate public spaces and to facilitate social inclusion, vitality and wellbeing? »

Keywords: Public space, placemaking, temporary urbanism, co-development, shrinking region.

To read more: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321857695_RECYCLING_LIMBURG_A_co-design_approach_for_transforming_public_spaces_in_Kerkrade_West

Chair: Nurhan Abujidi. Collaborators: Herwin Sap, Cecilia Furlan, Marijn van de Weijer.

Tutors Workshop: prof. Ignacio Grávalos, Patrizia Di Monte, Marc Holvoet.

La entrada Public Space. Tutor workshop «Recycle Limburg, a co-design approach for transforming public spaces.» se publicó primero en GRÁVALOSDIMONTE, Arquitectura Zaragoza.

Cities and territories as renewable resources is today quite a shared concept among architects and urbanists; however each territory is unique, hence needs specific approaches  to be “re-cycled”. This implies to closely observe territory and read the traces left from the continues process of transition, cancellation and rewriting (Corboz 1983).

Located in the South of Netherlands, Limburg appears to be a territory in transition and is certainly going through deep-set changes and be at the conclusion of one or more life cycles. Speaking of life cycle for cities and territories entails to understand dynamics of transformations, that occur slowly or after radical shocks. Each of them implies losses and costs, but offers potentiality of underperforming sites. Starting from the evaluation of what already exist the concept of recycle aims to work with former architectural elements, infrastructures, public spaces and vacant sites. 

Zuyd University

KU Leuven

NHTV Breda

La entrada Gravalosdimonte tutor at RECYCLE LIMBURG international Workshop se publicó primero en GRÁVALOSDIMONTE, Arquitectura Zaragoza.