Towards a Social-Ecological Urbanism: Co-Producing Knowledge through Design in the Albano Resilient Campus Project in Stockholm

Abstract

If we are to promote urban sustainability and resilience, social-ecological knowledge must be better integrated in urban planning and design projects. Due to gaps in the two cultures of thinking that are associated with the disciplines of ecology and design, such integration has, however, proven to be challenging. In mainstream practice, ecologists often act as sub-consultants; they are seldom engaged in the creative and conceptual phases of the process. Conversely, research aiming to bridge the gap between design and ecology has tended to be dominated by a relatively static and linear outlook on what the design process is, and what it could be. Further, few concrete examples of the co-production of ecological and design knowledge exist. In this paper, we give an account of a transdisciplinary design proposal for Albano Resilient Campus in Stockholm, discussing how design-seen as a process and an assemblage of artifacts-can act as a framework for co-producing knowledge and operationalizing concepts of resilience and ecosystem services. Through a design-based and action-oriented approach, we discuss how such a collaborative design process may integrate ecological knowledge into urban design through three concrete practices: (a) iterative prototyping; (b) generative matrix models; and, (c) legible, open-ended, comprehensive narratives. In the conclusion, we sketch the contours of a social-ecological urbanism, speculating on possible broader and changed roles for ecologists, designers, and the associated actors within this framework.

Promoting Partnership between Urban Design and Urban Ecology through Social-Ecological Resilience Building

“…Achieving greater partnership between ecologists and designers is, however, by no means a straight-forward undertaking. Previous attempts have tended to be dominated by relatively static design approaches, ignoring a more non-linear and complex understanding of the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems [22]. While the urban design field lately has experienced an upswing due to renewed concerns of a diminishing ecological and urban quality, urban environments still display surprisingly few deliberate attempts to integrate ecological functions in urban architecture and design [20,[23][24][25].…”

“…Considering the great challenges that humanity presently is facing, we suggest that research collaboration between ecologists and designers should primarily focus on the enhancement of social-ecological resilience. According to Erixon Aalto, Marcus, and Torsvall [22], attempts of bridging the gap between design and ecology has traditionally been dominated by relatively static design approaches, ignoring more non-linear and complex understanding of the interconnectedness of the social and ecological systems (but see e.g. [19]).…”

“…Central to a more dynamic and non-linear understanding of the interconnectedness of urban ecology and urban design that Aalto and colleagues are calling for, is a shift of focus where humans become resituated from being outside ecosystems to one being integrated within them, or more precisely "as stewards 'navigating' the system from within" [22](p. 1). In this way, humans become co-creators of nature through the integration and management of ecosystem services in urban design projects and by adopting social-ecological resilience thinking as a guiding design principle [57].…”

A Conceptual Framework for the Externalization of Ecological Wisdom: The Case of Traditional Korean Gardens

“…Ecology as the basis of design-any human intervention on nature-has been argued for past half a century [1], and even today, scholars and professionals of design fields have highlighted the importance of integrating natural environment in the design process [2]. Despite these movements to integrate the knowledge from two domains, there still is a gap between the domains of ecology and design with few design cases that successfully incorporate ecological theory into design practice or planning placing human systems or human interventions within the ecosystem, not as a spectator or an object in the ecology [3]. In an attempt to couple ecology and urban design together for urban sustainability, theoretical and practical frameworks have been suggested, such as sustainability science that investigates the interactions between nature and society [4], and an open cycle of ecological design that utilize plant ecology to investigate the transformation of urban designs [5].…”

“…Architectural components, frequencies, functional groups, and example images.CopyrightGyeongnam Ilbo [경남일보] http://www.gnnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=265713;3 …”