UCL Development Planning Unit:
- "Planning for socially just and sustainable development in the global
south"
BUDDlab series
BUDDlab is published by the Development Planning Unit, UCL.
The Development Planning Unit is an international centre specialising in academic teaching, practical training, research and consultancy in sustainable
urban and regional development policy, planning and management.
Development Planning Unit, University College London
34 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9EZ, United Kingdom
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BUDDlab Volume 1 - October 2010
Wales Workshop
Since the beginning of time, the art and act of building has been at the core of human evolution and our relationship
with the specific landscapes that surround us. And while the idea of building with traditionally local
materials and resources still exists in parts of the world, in many western societies,
the opportunity to initiate and engage in an actual building project is difficult in
comparison to the amount of ideas that are hatched on a drawing board or computer.
For the past years, the Wales Workshop at CAT-Machenllyth
has provided a platform for BUDD students to escape
the urban confines of London, and gain hands-on skills utilizing local
resources and methods while further building upon their group dynamics outside the classroom.
BUDDlab Volume 1 captures the essence of these experiences, offering a collection
of essays regarding the conceptual multiplicity of ‘building’ and the role of practitioners,
as well as the reflective voices of past students.
People are at the heart of building and the Wales Workshop
would not have been possible without the passion
and dedication of our esteemed colleague, Maurice Mitchell of the London Metropolitan University,
the fine hosts and facilities at CAT-Machenllyth and indeed the many BUDD students who have trudged its grounds.
Foreword -Caren Levy
Materials that Fit -Maurice Mitchell
Reflecting on Action -Camillo Boano
Building Dimensions -William Hunter
Student Voices
References
BUDDlab
Vol 2 - June 2011
BUDDcamp, Brescia-Italy
...In ‘Trading Cities 1’ from his now seminal text Invisible
Cities, Italo Calvino describes the city of Euphemia as
a place “where the merchants of seven nations gather
at every solstice and equinox.” These merchants arrive
at Euphemia for trade and simultaneously develop an
evening cultural exchange, “sharing tales of wolves,
sisters, treasures” unifying merchants from different nations
along their travels for financial gain. Though cultural
diverse, this sharing of second hand experience of
the world serves to connect specific lifestyles, thereby
giving Euphemia a distinct social identity.
Unfortunately, in most urban areas throughout the world,
this symbolic and evocative aura of collectiveness falters
by way (among other things) of stereotypical fear and
fragmentation. Nestled near Brescia, Italy’s main central
square, the Quartiere Del Carmine, was a place not unlike
Euphemia. Though finding itself in a state dereliction
in the ‘70s and ‘80s, subsequent refurbishment and
transformation in the ‘90s has given way to a completely
gentrified character with pockets of mixed immigrant areas.
A major consequence of this development is that
it has stifled the use of open spaces and semi-public
spaces where everyday meetings took place and strong
social ties were formed and thrived. However, despite
this challenge, small groups of women have initiated
projects underlining good neighbourhood practices that
revolve around a network of open houses where immigrant
families develop ‘care’ practices at different levels...
FOREWORD - William Hunter
INTRODUCTION - Agostino Zanotti
STUDENT REFLECTIONS
BUDD 2011 Class
REFERENCES
BUDDlab Vol 3 - February 2012
"Speculations on a Good City"
“Through its complex orchestration of time and
space no less than through the social division of labor,
life in the city takes on the character of a symphony:
specialized human aptitudes, specialized
instruments, give rise to sonorous results which,
neither in volume nor in quality, could be achieved
by any single piece.”
The symphony of Lewis Mumford’s city is one of progressive
innovation, an evolving repository of meanings
and memories. It distinguishes itself from other scales of
creation due to the way density harnesses and gives rise
to a new energized circuitry manifest in social activity
and material artefacts. Yet the city, with all this dynamic
sophistication, is arguably just as imperfect. Essentially
the city provides the location for culture to feed, to roam,
and to make mischief.
Indeed plenty of mischief occurs in cities- from the wallows
of criminal activity, to uneven capital distribution
and societal fragmentation brought about by neoliberal
urban planning. Hardly a city in the world can claim exclusion
from these debilitating forces. But certainly these
rather negative and challenging facets of human nature
are not the only defining features of our cities. After all,
cities everywhere are counteracting these realities with
ever-competing campaigns of unique and attractive urban
projects and initiatives, cultural experiments, and
overall positivity. The burning question then is not one of
perfection, but rather considers what factors and criteria
can simply render a ‘good city’?...
Preface - William Hunter
THE GOOD CITY: Inclusive City: Recognition, Redistribution
and Representation for Negotiating Insurgent Citizenships - Veyom Bahl
Cultivating Innovation: Seeds of a good city and the case of Rosario - Krista Canellakis
Shaking Up the City: From Street Art to Creating a Sense of Place - Melissa García-Lamarca
Two Ideal Contemporary City Visions: England and Chile: Daniela Godoy
Musings on a Networked City - Benjamin Leclair-Paquet
Memory City- Still Learning from Las Vegas - William Hunter
Composing the City: Urban Feedback, Connectivity & Strengthened Identity - Andrew Wade
Good for whom? Nick Wolff
The concept of the good city is inherently subjective -good for whom? Beyond the physical infrastructure, the
concept of a city is also made up of its visitors and workers, the role that the city as a functioning entity performs
and the influence that it brings to bear on those outside
its borders, which may reach from the local to the
global. However the group that has the greatest stake in
the notion of a good city are its residents, and it is they
with whom this essay will be primarily concerned. The
essay will approach the good city as one that is good for
all its residents. It is therefore directly concerned with the
concept of social justice.
AFTERWORD - Camillo Boano
REFERENCES
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