The fact that Ecosistema Urbano works internationally makes their efforts a bit decentralized, however, they are an architecture firm, not a non-profit organization. They work on their projects independently, usually commissioned by city governments and other similar groups, while also consulting community stakeholders. They don’t usually work in collaboration with other architecture firms, which is the norm for this profession. There are definitely other architecture firms and community organizations with similar goals in Madrid, which they could probably partner with to create robust local projects. What if Ecosistema Urbano partnered with Paisaje Transversal and ZuloArk to create a community center? Or an urban garden/farm?
Their work demonstrates an intention to design spaces which democratize urban public space, as well as to design with an ecological consciousness. These are definitely pursuits which I appreciate, they are considering more social dynamics than many other architecture offices. As I mentioned before, architecture and urban design firms operate in more structured, top-down ways, usually only working on projects with people within the firm, or bringing in necessary consultants. I believe that the times in which we find ourselves in call for more collaborations between different kinds of people and groups. It is through this collaboration that a more mutually beneficial future can be created. However, I would like to note that in certain kinds of architecture projects it might significantly slow down or hinder the process if there are ´too many cooks in the kitchen´ so to speak, so this type of collaboration must be approached carefully.
One project that was successfully formed through the collaboration of several groups was The Floating University in Berlin, conceived by the architecture firm raumlabor. Called a ´nature-culture learning site´ on its website, it is a wooden structure built on top of a rainwater retention basin in Tempelhof Park. They host a myriad of cultural and ecological events and workshops, resisting the term institution and instead preferring to be called an ex-titution, defined as a place where people can spontaneously assemble. Their aim is to use this space to open a discussion about people’s right to the city, asking; what kind of city do we want to have? Though it was conceived by raumlabor, it is sponsored by many groups in Berlin that support the arts and culture, including government institutions, and is used by different community organizations to host events. They also have an Office of Neighborhood Networks, which aims to invite and include any relevant Berlin-based group into their project and space. Overall, The Floating University seems to be a very successful collaborative project for negotiating citizen’s right to the city, and I hope to visit it when I go to Berlin later this month. They host many workshops for Climate Care and Climate Justice, and I wanted to include a link to a small zine that was created during one of those workshops, titled ´Seedbox for Urban Climate Activism,´ which includes instructions and drawings for small scale urban interventions that promote climate justice.
I think that right to the city consciousness is prevalent at Ecosistema Urbano, though not the main focus. The projects they are working on are already important and work toward positive goals. Nevertheless, if they wanted to add another layer to their practice they could create Madrid’s own version of The Floating University. I suppose they already have something kind of similar, the Campo de la Cebada, which I mentioned in my last blog post. But I think it could be expanded on and updated, to include more programming and cooperation from different groups. Or perhaps a new space should be created altogether. It might be beneficial, as part of my research, for me to visit both of these community spaces and compare them. This will allow me to get a clearer picture of what it means to design and create a space that promotes an open dialogue about people’s right to the city, that allows them to imagine new urban futures.
Relevant Links
Website: https://floating-berlin.org/
Zine: https://floating-berlin.org/seedbox-for-urban-climate-activism/
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