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60 535 Global Urbanism: Lviv
Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).
The course is open to students from: Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Global urbanism seeks to explore global urban challenges as they manifest in particular cities and regions outside of Europe, or in its periphery; places severely affected by climate change, political instability, social inequalities, and Western expansion. What kind of futures might be imagined and rethought in such environments – together with local communities? What are the roles of experts such as architects, urbanists, and landscape architects in such contexts? What are local perspectives and knowledge, and how can that inform “outsider” expertise?
Fall 2023: Lviv, Ukraine
In the fall of 2023, we will be critically investigating what sustainable futures might mean in Ukraine, with a specific focus on Lviv Oblast. By invitation from the Kharkiv School of Architecture we will be collaborating on issues of urban and ecological sustainability; envisioning alternative futures for human habitation, ecologies, agricultural production, and socio-economic stability.
With the ongoing war, Ukraine is faced most acutely with humanitarian issues, and a collapse of built environments. But beyond this lies another crisis; that of climate change and the degradation of habitats. For this studio we will be asking whether the devastation of the war can be used as a starting point for critically reassessing the way we build cities, how we live in them, use environments, and interact with landscapes. What can we bring with us into the future in terms of spatial practices, cultural heritage, social norms, and structures, what will be left behind, what will have to be different, and how will it all need to be (re)assembled?
Knowledge:
- Acquire an in depth understanding of Ukraine and its situation.
- Assess ways in which to approach complexity, ambiguities, and severe situations and suggest operational interventions.
- Explain the useability and limitations of scenario planning as a method in urban and landscape strategies/interventions.
- Recognise the connectedness between climate, landscapes, urban environments, and political stability.
Skills:
- Gathering, analysing, and presenting complex data and information.
- Organizing scenario matrixes and backcasting scenarios.
- Designing strategic responses and interventions on the basis of scenarios.
General competence:
- Put into perspective the roles of architects and landscape architects in crisis situations.
- Develop the ability to learn from, communicate, and collaborate with a range of actors.
- Work as an architect and landscape architect in other cultures.
- Develop an understanding of changes that are increasingly affecting urban and natural landscapes across the globe including Nordic regions.
During the fall of 2023 The Kharkiv School of Architecture (KhSA) will be running a parallel course for their students, allowing for an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and insights.
We will be working in Lviv Oblast in Western Ukraine, where KhSA is currently situated. Lviv is a province with a pre-war population of 2,5 million. Today, many of the country’s IDPs reside in Lviv due to the relative safety of its location away from Russia and next to the Polish border. Due to the ongoing conflict we will not be able to travel to Lviv, so our study will happen remotely. Our contacts at KhSA and in Lviv Municipality will provide good entry points for us in gathering necessary data and information. We will also be having regular Zoom exchanges with the Ukrainian students and their parallel studio course to showcase our respective work and receive important feedback from one another, in addition to online interviews and meetings with residents, local stakeholders, administrators, and professionals.
The course is divided into three modules. In module 1 we will be producing a database of historical and current trends that have shaped Ukraine and the Lviv region. This part of the course will enable students to immerse themselves in a very different situation from what they are used to; an area in crisis and constant flux, where the complexity of information can be overwhelming.
In module 2 we will be focusing our attention on imagining future scenarios for Ukraine, 50 years from now, with a particular focus on the Lviv region. By structuring and analysing information from module 1 we will be building speculative futures that will be used for design responses in the second half of the semester.
In module 3, the design phase, we will be dialling back the clock to the near future. In close coordination with the planning authorities in Lviv and KhSA, we will be provided a brief for an actual physical intervention at a territorial, city, or neighbourhood scale. With the many futures of the next 50 years in mind, how are we to best solve this real life brief so that we are strategically prepared for future developments? How will it best respond to the war, its aftermath, and the multiple fallouts of climate crisis? How can futures thinking help the municipality in their strategies moving forward, and what kind of dialogue can such an approach provide? How might such an approach enable change and a radical move away from old systems?
Excursion:
During the course we will be able to physically meet up with students from KhSA for a joint futures workshop in Poland. As we are working in a part of Ukraine formerly annexed by Poland, the trip, by train, will provide the possibility of studying the wider region’s rich and disputed history, a prerequisite for devising futures.
It is strongly recommended that students partake in the study trip to Poland as we will be carrying out key assignments while meeting students from KhSA. For those who are not able to join the trip to Poland, alternative arrangements will be provided.
Course literature will be available in Leganto.
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe) | - | Pass / fail | Assessment folder: Final assessment of work carried out in all three modules based on the student’s ability to investigate and analyze, ability to communicate and discuss with others, ability to respond and produce on the basis of analysis. Students will be assessed on their active participation and contribution in all three modules. As the course teaches students a process for how to work, it is necessary to complete a module before moving on to the next. Modules 1 and 2 are group assignments, while Module 3 can be group based or individual. Students are required to present their work at the end of each module, either as a group or individually, in addition to keeping an up-to-date process sketchbook showcasing their individual contribution through each module. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | Participation and attendance in lectures, supervision at the desks in the studio, seminars and workshops is expected. |
| Excursion | Those who do not have the opportunity to participate in an excursion will be given an assignment/a project that replaces this. |