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Cities are like “heterotrophic organisms” because they are dependent on inflows of air, water, food, matter, and energy. Unlike nature, they pollute their own habitat through the production of waste outflows and emissions, extending beyond their own footprint. Data on the ecological footprint of cities have quantified, emblematically, the imbalance between in- and outflows but also what remains: polluted air, water, and soil. The rapid growth of urbanization is a matter of serious concern, but as a part of new development, it can be turned around with an approach in which cities become an “autotrophic organism”. In 2012 Taranto, a coastal city in Southern Italy with an important commercial and military port, was declared as the city “with the highest risk of environmental crisis” in Italy due to a large industrial area developed in the proximity of a highly populated urban settlement. The cause of pollution, a steel production plant, directly employs approximately 12.000 people and another 8.000 contractors indirectly, making it Taranto’s main economic driver. The conflict between economy and environment in the city of Taranto, make it a peculiar case study to be approached with the concept of a Democratic Landscape. This concept reads the territory beyond the natural environment, also recognizing the wellbeing of the inhabitants. After the analysis of a Democratic Landscape in relation to the concept of an “autotrophic organism”, this contribution explores the transformation by regeneration of the ecosystem and the economic regime. In redeveloping a city like Taranto, changing its function from a heterotrophic organism to an autotroph organism, the approach of the so-called “linking open-loop system circularity” is more appropriate. It more adequately describes the system than what is commonly understood for circularity at the building scale of “reduce, reuse, recycle of resources”. Circularity as an attitude brings together many elements that can be considered, Environmental Technology and Design, Urban Design

Cities are like “heterotrophic organisms” because they are dependent on inflows of air, water, food, matter, and energy. Unlike nature, they pollute their own habitat through the production of waste outflows and emissions, extending beyond their own footprint. Data on the ecological footprint of cities have quantified, emblematically, the imbalance between in- and outflows but also what remains: polluted air, water, and soil. The rapid growth of urbanization is a matter of serious concern, but as a part of new development, it can be turned around with an approach in which cities become an “autotrophic organism”. In 2012 Taranto, a coastal city in Southern Italy with an important commercial and military port, was declared as the city “with the highest risk of environmental crisis” in Italy due to a large industrial area developed in the proximity of a highly populated urban settlement. The cause of pollution, a steel production plant, directly employs approximately 12.000 people and another 8.000 contractors indirectly, making it Taranto’s main economic driver. The conflict between economy and environment in the city of Taranto, make it a peculiar case study to be approached with the concept of a Democratic Landscape. This concept reads the territory beyond the natural environment, also recognizing the wellbeing of the inhabitants. After the analysis of a Democratic Landscape in relation to the concept of an “autotrophic organism”, this contribution explores the transformation by regeneration of the ecosystem and the economic regime. In redeveloping a city like Taranto, changing its function from a heterotrophic organism to an autotroph organism, the approach of the so-called “linking open-loop system circularity” is more appropriate. It more adequately describes the system than what is commonly understood for circularity at the building scale of “reduce, reuse, recycle of resources”. Circularity as an attitude brings together many elements that can be considered, Environmental Technology and Design, Urban Design

Het Beleidsplan Ruimte Vlaanderen (BRV) richt zich op het bijkomend ruimtebeslag stelselmatig terugdringen door het ruimtelijk rendement te verhogen of wel te verdichten. Dit kan met behulp van klassieke verdichtingsstrategieën zoals hoogbouw of multifunctioneel grondgebruik, maar ook de ondergrond kan als volwaardige ruimte tegemoetkomen aan de vraag naar ruimte. Dit voegt een geheel nieuwe dimensie toe aan het ruimtelijk rendement, maar is nog niet een vanzelfsprekend onderdeel van het ruimtelijke instrumentarium. Het beter integreren van de ondergrond aan het omgevingsbeleid is het doel van de beleidsverkenning van het Departement Omgeving: ‘Verrijking van het omgevingsbeleid met de ondergrondse dimensie’. Hiertoe is de vraag gesteld hoe het Vlaamse plansysteem, planinstrumentarium en planprocessen verrijkt zouden worden met de ondergrondse dimensie om kwalitatief een bijdrage te leveren aan de verdichting. Het departement zoekt antwoord op volgende beleidsvraag: ‘Hoe kan het Vlaams planinstrumentarium verrijkt worden met de diepte- dimensie’? Binnen deze opdracht is specifiek gefocust op het stedelijk ruimtelijk uitvoeringsplan (RUP) met als testlocatie industriezones Oosteroever in Oostende. Voor de case is een analyse van de ondergrond informatie uitgevoerd en via ontwerpend onderzoek is geëxperimenteerd met visualisatie technieken waarmee een ruimtelijk uitvoeringsplan en de onderliggende deelproducten kan worden verrijkt met de ondergrond. Het concrete resultaat van de studie en het experiment is een upgrade van een generiek RUP waarbij de ondergrond (visueel en inhoudelijk) is geïntegreerd in alle noodzakelijke deelproducten., Environmental Technology and Design, Teachers of Practice / U

Het Beleidsplan Ruimte Vlaanderen (BRV) richt zich op het bijkomend ruimtebeslag stelselmatig terugdringen door het ruimtelijk rendement te verhogen of wel te verdichten. Dit kan met behulp van klassieke verdichtingsstrategieën zoals hoogbouw of multifunctioneel grondgebruik, maar ook de ondergrond kan als volwaardige ruimte tegemoetkomen aan de vraag naar ruimte. Dit voegt een geheel nieuwe dimensie toe aan het ruimtelijk rendement, maar is nog niet een vanzelfsprekend onderdeel van het ruimtelijke instrumentarium. Het beter integreren van de ondergrond aan het omgevingsbeleid is het doel van de beleidsverkenning van het Departement Omgeving: ‘Verrijking van het omgevingsbeleid met de ondergrondse dimensie’. Hiertoe is de vraag gesteld hoe het Vlaamse plansysteem, planinstrumentarium en planprocessen verrijkt zouden worden met de ondergrondse dimensie om kwalitatief een bijdrage te leveren aan de verdichting. Het departement zoekt antwoord op volgende beleidsvraag: ‘Hoe kan het Vlaams planinstrumentarium verrijkt worden met de diepte- dimensie’? Binnen deze opdracht is specifiek gefocust op het stedelijk ruimtelijk uitvoeringsplan (RUP) met als testlocatie industriezones Oosteroever in Oostende. Voor de case is een analyse van de ondergrond informatie uitgevoerd en via ontwerpend onderzoek is geëxperimenteerd met visualisatie technieken waarmee een ruimtelijk uitvoeringsplan en de onderliggende deelproducten kan worden verrijkt met de ondergrond. Het concrete resultaat van de studie en het experiment is een upgrade van een generiek RUP waarbij de ondergrond (visueel en inhoudelijk) is geïntegreerd in alle noodzakelijke deelproducten., Environmental Technology and Design, Teachers of Practice / U

By jointly approaching the challenges we face – such as ongoing urbanization, climate change, energy transition and the introduction of new mobility such as automated and electric vehicles – urban areas can be made more resilient. The subsurface of the city can play a central role in this, for instance by using space made available by a different use of infrastructure for the ecological and functional improvement of the city. In order to combine ecosystem services, climate and urban systems in a single design that accounts for the dynamics of the subsurface, it must be seen as an integral element of spatial planning and design. Based on this idea this exploratory research was done into the effect of ‘soil first’ on three urban typologies. What is the design potential of these typologies, assuming a circular construction of the public space and a healthy soil? The result is a six step approach in which the city can become more healthy is regard to global challenges and respecting the soil as main carrier., Environmental Technology and Design, Urban Design

By jointly approaching the challenges we face – such as ongoing urbanization, climate change, energy transition and the introduction of new mobility such as automated and electric vehicles – urban areas can be made more resilient. The subsurface of the city can play a central role in this, for instance by using space made available by a different use of infrastructure for the ecological and functional improvement of the city. In order to combine ecosystem services, climate and urban systems in a single design that accounts for the dynamics of the subsurface, it must be seen as an integral element of spatial planning and design. Based on this idea this exploratory research was done into the effect of ‘soil first’ on three urban typologies. What is the design potential of these typologies, assuming a circular construction of the public space and a healthy soil? The result is a six step approach in which the city can become more healthy is regard to global challenges and respecting the soil as main carrier., Environmental Technology and Design, Urban Design

In the city of Taranto located in south Italy, industrial foul-up is one of the biggest contributors of the high percentage of cancer death. The case of Ilva factory in Taranto is an example of how a wrong interaction among stakeholders became the cause for ecological and social problem. The factory is an integral cycle steel plant, where all the stages for the transformation of iron into steel happen. It represents 75% of Taranto province GDP. The Italian government aware of a severe economic crisis was not intended to deploy the complete closure of the factory and it is guiding in a coherent direction to a project for reforming the entire steel cycle production. However the rural cultivated area around the city will be not available anymore and a people through protest are reclaiming a new place where live. Research Theme The research has been developed studying the concept of Community. By saying that the project proposes a unique approach that include three different theme: a system for a land remediation related with the project of a neighborhood for 18.000 people and new jobs Approch The design process is seen as an opportunity where inhabitants use their resources to maintain current needs all the while, ensuring and protecting resources for future generations for example self sufficient production of energy, natural clean process of waters, addressing also in a different economy production. The territory will be cleaned up by phytoremediation and the system of abandoned Masserias (fortified farm house) will be the centers of a new economy, where i.e. collecting the plant for the production of biofuel, and they will be places for leisure and touristic activities., Design as Politics, Urbanism, Architecture and The Built Environment

In the city of Taranto located in south Italy, industrial foul-up is one of the biggest contributors of the high percentage of cancer death. The case of Ilva factory in Taranto is an example of how a wrong interaction among stakeholders became the cause for ecological and social problem. The factory is an integral cycle steel plant, where all the stages for the transformation of iron into steel happen. It represents 75% of Taranto province GDP. The Italian government aware of a severe economic crisis was not intended to deploy the complete closure of the factory and it is guiding in a coherent direction to a project for reforming the entire steel cycle production. However the rural cultivated area around the city will be not available anymore and a people through protest are reclaiming a new place where live. Research Theme The research has been developed studying the concept of Community. By saying that the project proposes a unique approach that include three different theme: a system for a land remediation related with the project of a neighborhood for 18.000 people and new jobs Approch The design process is seen as an opportunity where inhabitants use their resources to maintain current needs all the while, ensuring and protecting resources for future generations for example self sufficient production of energy, natural clean process of waters, addressing also in a different economy production. The territory will be cleaned up by phytoremediation and the system of abandoned Masserias (fortified farm house) will be the centers of a new economy, where i.e. collecting the plant for the production of biofuel, and they will be places for leisure and touristic activities., Design as Politics, Urbanism, Architecture and The Built Environment