UTAutumn ChallengeAutumn Challenge ExperiencesThematic Lecture (elective) – Resilient communities in the age of transitions

Thematic Lecture (elective) – Resilient communities in the age of transitions

Autumn Challenge Thematic Lecture: Resilient communities in the age of transitions

Description

Imagining, planning, designing cities - or parts of them - means designing collective futures. The seminar explores those significant questions that communities are facing in the contemporary transformations of their living environment. Whom are the futures designed for? How possible and imaginable futures, and related socio-cultural-economic-ecological conditions, affect contemporary design decisions? What is the temporal horizon of the design perspectives (Short? Medium? Long?).  The contamination of disciplinary boundaries between landscape, architecture, urbanism, ecology, and futures studies (a recent branch of social sciences) has forced to expand and redefine the practice of designers and their field of operations. Following this, the seminar will focus on the expansion in approaches and definitions by associating the concept of future-proofing with the assessment of relevant megatrends; the megatrend assessment is considered the starting point to support the definition of future-proof policies or interventions.

We consider climate change as a key factor requiring the development of resilience in addition with other megatrends which might create synergies and reinforcing effects (both positive and negative), depending on the preparedness of social-economic  systems and actors. The interaction among participants will consist of a facilitated discussion inspired to the MEGATRENDS IMPLICATIONS ASSESSMENT - A Workshop on Anticipatory Thinking and Foresight for Policy Makers (by the Joint Research Centre, JRC  2017), using the platform MURAL and an original template (created for the event).

Expectations

Students will be actively involved in interactive activities with the aim to achieve new knowledge of theories and practices on climate adaptation and urban resilience, as well as innovative tools for engaging communities. The seminar is specifically designed to address multiple disciplines and enrollment is encouraged for students from the fields of landscape architecture, architecture, urban planning and design, ecological design, as well students from environmental sciences, economics and social sciences interested in the long-term management and design of built environments or territories but it is also opened to other disciplines.

Activity Description

TO PREPARE FOR THE LECTURE, make sure to get familiar with the following documents:

LECTURERS

Sara Favargiotti

Architect and Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento. 

Rocco Scolozzi

Professional futurist, trainer and facilitator, PhD in Environmental Engineering, an expert at spatial decision support system and system dynamics, trainer and facilitator in “futures exercise”.