Ústav urbanismu

Ing. Diana Salahieh

15119 Ústav urbanismu

Aleppo City is a recent example of how armed conflict ruptures generationally (re)articulated urban and cultural fabric. Apart from the city's physical destruction, the post-conflict spatial fragmentation reveals significantly altered socio-economic dynamics between its (former) communities’ absence and presence. With the end of active armed confrontation, Aleppo's Old City, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, has witnessed a patchwork of non-orchestrated reconstruction and privately-funded efforts. However, these contemporary reconstruction activities generally lack a comprehensive, sustainable, recovery-oriented, and context-specific approach that captures the city’s post-conflict social, cultural and heritage significance (Affaki, 2021; Munawar & Symonds, 2022). Al-Jdeideh neighborhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, serves as an example where such individualistic and unplanned reconstruction attempts result in underrepresented values and needs of the locals, and an arguably skewed image of the area’s past socio-material symbol as a major hub of culture, commerce, heritage, and everyday life in Aleppo city. Consequently, Al-Jdeideh today remains in a state of conflict between different actors’ visions, and (un)heard Aleppians’ voices. Therefore, in order to stratify the post-war dynamics on a small-scale (i.e. Al-Jdeideh neighborhood) in the context of large-scale socio-economic transformations, this paper combines empirical data from on-site qualitative evaluations of Al-Jdeideh’s heavily destroyed urban structure with semi-structured informal interviews that render the local narratives and memories of Aleppians inside and outside of Syria. This approach allows for a dynamic interpretation of Al-Jdeideh's meaning, urban function, and cultural value for its former and present-day dwellers and users. Finally, the authors call for the urgent adoption of heritage-led regeneration and a human-centered urbanism approach to recover Al-Jdeideh’s image as a traditional and sustainable neighborhood in the Old City of Aleppo. This will enhance the significance and integration of the various local perceptions into a contextual post-conflict recovery approach that acknowledges the past, evaluates the present, and provides future guidelines that reflect the values of present-day and future communities of Al-Jdeideh and Aleppo city. Affaki, M. S. (2021). Reconstruction of Heritage and Spirit: Mending the Scars of Aleppo. In F. F. Arefian, J. Ryser, A. Hopkins, & J. Mackee (Eds.), Historic Cities in the Face of Disasters: Reconstruction, Recovery and Resilience of Societies (pp. 263–279). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77356-4_15 Munawar & James Symonds (2022): Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Forced migration & Community Engagement: The Case of Aleppo, Syria, International Journal of Heritage Studies 28 (9): 1017-1035.

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M.A. Lijun Chen, Arch. Gulbahar Emir Isik, MSc., Noor Marji, MSc., Ing. arch. Akshatha Ravi Kumar

15116 Ústav modelového projektování, 15118 Ústav nauky o budovách, 15119 Ústav urbanismu

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Ing. arch. Akshatha Ravi Kumar

15119 Ústav urbanismu

Abstract: Brownfield is a multi-disciplinary concept that refers to various types of environments. The sudden urbanization and expansion of south Indian cities have led to a drastic increase in the number of brownfields it houses. Although there is no official definition, an emerging consensus has risen around the urban character of brownfields and the need for new interventions. Their location within metropolitan areas represents a strategic opportunity to regenerate the urban fabric at the neighbourhood scale. However, most importantly, architects, planners and stakeholders find it challenging to engage and communicate concepts with general users due to the magnitude of these brownfield areas. Public participation in urban planning processes is affected by what is known as the "paradox of participation" : in early planning phases, when there is still sufficient room for decision-making, only a small number of the people participate, while in advanced phases, when decisions can usually only be revised at great expense, a high level of public participation can be observed. The resulting delayed and more costly planning processes could be partially prevented by shifting public participation activities to a much early phase of planning processes. The reasons for the public's low level of participation in early planning phases are seen as the lack of clarity and the absence of concern due to a high level of abstraction in the concept stage. Public participation and engagement in architecture have reached a new level as expectations among the general public have increased and technological advancements are creating new opportunities. The emergence of extended reality tools offers architects and planners significantly new methods to communicate effectively with stakeholders, users and other professionals in the field. Technological experiences have reshaped how ideas are presented and continue to offer development collaboration opportunities. This ongoing research assesses the performance of extended reality (Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) applications when used as a public participation tool and their effectiveness in communicating development ideas and strategies for the sustainable regeneration of brownfields in and around metropolitan cities in South India

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M.A. Lijun Chen, Arch. Gulbahar Emir Isik, MSc., Noor Marji, MSc., Ing. arch. Akshatha Ravi Kumar

15116 Ústav modelového projektování, 15118 Ústav nauky o budovách, 15119 Ústav urbanismu

The world’s population is ageing. New measures and concepts of population ageing are significant for assessing the living conditions and living arrangements of the elderly, their contributions to society, and their needs for social protection and health care. In 2018 the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report subtitled “Looking back over the last decade, looking forward to the next”, which explicitly mentions technology as a support for age-friendly environments. Although the WHO has discussed the involvement of technology and computers in terms of access to information etc., and uses technology as a “supplementary indicator” regarding “internet access,” in 2019 Marston and van Hoof are critical of WHO’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities model, which lacks reference to and recognition of technological solutions in multiple domains. Increasingly, scholars are finding recognition of the importance of technology and digitalisation as the third pillar of age-friendly cities and communities, particularly in terms of use-friendly and sustainable design, acceptance of technology, and implementation and caregiver needs. The creation of genuine multisectoral action based on cooperation between the various disciplines make it possible to achieve a truly age-friendly society for present and future generations. In the context of active ageing and global digital trends, this study focuses on the analysis of two digital practices (digital twins and artificial intelligence) in the built environment of age-friendly communities, discusses inclusive transformation strategies for age-friendly communities, presents a proposed framework for inclusive digital age-friendly community transformation, illustrates future trends in age-friendly community design planning, and provides a reference point for future research.

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Ing. arch. Akshatha Ravi Kumar

15119 Ústav urbanismu

This research is mainly concentrated on the post-mining lands of Ústecký Kraj (Ústí nad Labem Region) - Districts of Ústí nad Labem, Teplice, Most, Chomutov in the Czech Republic. The region of North-West Bohemia (Ústecký Kraj) has always attracted the attention of the extractive industries in all their various guises over the centuries as a result of the rich mineral deposits found there. It is no coincidence that the hills bordering the region are known collectively as the Ore Mountains. The discovery of silver and tin in these mountains in the 12th century triggered the slow but steady settlement of the area. However, the discovery of coal lying alluringly close to the land surface finally unleashed the full panoply of extractive technology on the region. In the century and a half since the Industrial Revolution, this region's physical, cultural and social landscape has been irreparably altered in the scramble to uncover the vast deposits of brown coal in the North Bohemian basin stretching roughly from Kadaň to Ústí nad Labem. Each city affected by the mining activities has significant characteristics of its own in terms of history, culture and land. Even though post-mining lands are a problem that affects the entire Ústecký Kraj, reclamation solutions for these lands must be specifically adapted to the cities and inhabitants that are local. Additionally, to ensure sustainable solutions and a sense of belonging for the living communities. Therefore this paper proposes an architectural study framework to recognise the global perspectives, strategies and policies in line with mining lands reclamation and systematically analyses the influencing factors of urban innovation and development in Ústecký Kraj.

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Mgr. Tomáš Vácha

15119 Ústav urbanismu

Making European cities climate-neutral and smart requires a huge paradigm shift and profound changes in current governance practices, to a considerable extent even systemic changes. This Governance Solution Booklet presents the far-reaching changes in governance tested by cities during their participation in Horizon 2020 Smart City Lighthouse (SCC-01) projects between 2014 and 2022. Following an in-depth analysis of the body of knowledge created by these projects, and after several direct interviews with city representatives and project partners, the booklet collects recommendations on, and solutions and good practices for governance for climate-neutral and smart cities. The Scalable Cities Task Group on Replication defines governance as ‘the framework of rules, procedures, roles and responsibilities that constitute decision-making processes and project management’, both at the level of individual projects and at the level of the municipal organisation. The booklet describes how innovative and tested changes in governance, some of them structural and systemic, have proven their value. It presents the key findings around five quintessential fields of change. For each of these fields, several key recommendations are given, detailing in each case the challenge that is to be addressed, tools and actions that can promote changes, and concrete examples from SCC-01 ‘Lighthouse cities’ and ‘Follower cities’.

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Mgr. Tomáš Vácha

15119 Ústav urbanismu

Cities are at the centre of the debate to mitigate climate change. A considerable number of cities have already made commitments to sustainability transitions through the introduction and integration of green strategies. Moreover, in the past few years, Europe has witnessed an increase in the development of smart cities and advancement towards creating more sustainable cities. At the moment, an innovative concept in smart city development involves Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) that further encourage districts and cities to become carbon neutral. This paper looks at the five cities of Maia, Reykjavik, Kifissia, Kladno and Lviv that are a part of an ongoing H2020 project. The purpose of the paper was to understand the status quo of energy transition in these five cities as they embarked on the PEDs journey and identify associated challenges and benefits that PEDs brought to each city. The information was collected through a knowledge gap survey, City Vision 2050 workshop, discussions during the City Forum and individual interviews with city representatives. Cities across Europe and beyond may find themselves in a similar situation, and therefore, this paper also provides brief set of checkpoints to prepare new cities for the PED journey, thus enabling them to transition towards PEDs more efficiently.

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Ing. arch. Vít Rýpar

15119 Ústav urbanismu

The paper presents a historico-geographical analysis of six towns. The study was recently introduced as a part of a methodology to characterise heterogenous spatial qualities of historic urban tissues in order to improve the areal heritage conservation in Czechia. Therefore, its focal point is the historic town core and its environment. The applied historico-geographical segment of the methodology comprises of three-level scale resolution and three historical time frames analysis. Its aim is to identify and describe valuable patterns and elements in respective levels of abstraction. The particular section discussed shows an experimental approach in which the diverse spatial characteristics of an urban tissue are analysed as a quality of a street space rather than of the blocks. The goal is to near the analysis of a town plan to the experience of a townscape, to switch the significance of a street from a border to an object.

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15119 Ústav urbanismu

Vídeňský program sociálního bydlení oslavil v loňském roce stoleté výročí. Jeho fond zahrnuje 220 000 obecních bytů a k tomu dalších 200 000 bytů, které vznikly s fi nanční podporou města. V nějaké formě městem subvencovaného bydlení tak žije více než 60 % obyvatel Vídně. Kontrolou takto velkého segmentu vídeňská radnice zásadním způsobem ovlivňuje veškeré myslitelné parametry bydlení: architektonický i prostorový standard, dopad staveb na životní prostředí, různorodost forem bydlení a pochopitelně a především také cenovou dostupnost. Program je kontinuální zejména díky stabilní politické reprezentaci.

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