Cities & Rivers: Socioecological Public Space

Description

A selection of architecture, landscape and urbanism with selected comments on the perspectives of its authors like other independent perspectives in the academic realm, the world of the profession and the users. This is a collection of projects - designed from their local and territorial DNA - that respond in new ways to the global socio-ecological crisis in which we have been in engaged with since the beginning of the 21st century. Featured works include public spaces, architecture and urban studies that incorporate natural dynamics and that also emphasise - recovering in some cases - legal access among all citizens and equal access to the city and its opportunities. The works presented are particularly renowned given their leadership role in a new approach to the relationship between cities and rivers, in which natural dynamics become part of the public space, eliminating the effect of catastrophe.

aldayjover architecture and landscape was founded in 1996 in an old seventeen century palace in the center of Barcelona, and expanded to Virginia (USA) in 2011. It is headed by three partners -I aki Alday, Margarita Jover, Jesus Arcos, and an associate director of landscape architecture Francisco Mesonero. aldayjover is a multidisciplinary research based practice, focused in innovation and in the specific character of the place. The work is particularly renowned by its leadership in a new approach to the relation between cities and rivers, in which natural dynamics as the flood become part of the public space, eliminating the effect of "catastrophe." The integration of hydrological, transportation, or energy generation infrastructures with public space and public architecture rely heavily in interdisciplinary collaborations that start in the beginning of the concept phase. Engineers from different areas, environmentalists, social scientists, historians and artists work together with architects in the holistic understanding of the problems and the conceptual frame of possible answers. Innovative solutions and new methodologies are developed to tackle the complexity of contemporary urban and territorial challenges.