Vulnerability motivates invention
Our cities have always known a fundamental opposition between affluent and vulnerable populations. The latter are often the first victims of socio-economic, political and climate crises. The conflict takes many forms, but it frequently manifests itself in deprived, left-behind urban areas, some of which once embodied the height of our utopias. Moreover, with climate disruption, a significant share of the population could prove vulnerable in the not-so-distant future. It is therefore important to explore social inclusion in a city in transition, decarbonised and resilient. How can the actors of the transition strengthen urban cohesion to face imminent emergencies? And how can local initiatives give these places a vital new momentum?
Speakers:
- Albane VASSAULT, architect, ULB
- Capucine PERROUD, architect and urban planner, ULB
- Manon BOURDIN, architect and urban planner, ULB
Social innovation and ecological transition.
A springboard for the urban periphery
In the near future, a modernist neighbourhood will enable its residents to reclaim their shared space by redefining the green and public space currently given over to the ideology of the car. New forms of solidarity emerge alongside a new local economic system based on the exchange of goods and services, offering a model of a circular and inclusive city.
and
- Clotilde ALBARET, architect DE, ENSA Malaquais
Building (oneself) Vulnerable. Stitching a fragmented territory back together with the thread of otherness.
By 2050, 60% of us will be affected by one or more vulnerabilities: ageing, poverty, climate change, pollution-related illnesses… The urban population will by then reach 6.4 billion. And yet cities have never been so harmful to us. This prospect prompts us to question vulnerability in urban settings. The project proposes to change the way we regard it, encouraging a shift from a passive to an active gaze. It is about becoming aware of each person’s place within a system of collective interactions, so that fragility is no longer pushed away and hidden but, on the contrary, embraced. Vulnerabilities must intersect and people must meet. We need to break down barriers, move beyond standard templates, hybridise programmes and build networks. We need to weave a new Ariadne’s thread through the city, legible and clear, to welcome and integrate fragility at every scale. At the crossroads of these issues, the Porte de la Villette stands out as one of the last opportunities to make room for vulnerability within the walls of Paris.
Respondent:
- Marine DECLÈVE
Art historian, urban planner,
PhD in urban studies, EPFL,
researcher in residence at the Atelier Cartographique (Brussels)
Registration:
