IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B
Abstract
The potential of permeable urban landscapes is highlighted in contemporary academic research on nature-based solutions and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Various studies aim for the re-naturalization of urban spaces on a larger scale, addressing issues like stormwater drainage, ecosystem preservation, and flood risk reduction due to urban densification’s impact on climate change. Recognizing the urgent need for permeable landscapes, this paper explores incorporating permeable ground into impervious urban environments through civic engagement. By studying the spontaneous growth and temporary nature of urban plants in guerilla gardening practices, the research aims to cultivate spontaneity through civic imagination and interventions in the urban environment that require minimal human maintenance. The study focuses on experiments integrating ephemeral installations made of ceramic materials, earth, and organic elements to provide innovative permeable surface solutions in urban spaces in Izmir, Turkey. The research consists of four stages: documenting and categorizing urban interstices, exploring strategies for successful integration, on-site implementation, and monitoring the intervention’s impact on the urban landscape. Together, these phases constitute an urban guide designed to provide temporary interventions that enhance the natural environment while aspiring people to engage with their environments and cultivating a sense of ownership, potentially proposing a lasting, albeit temporary, impact.
Hande Atmaca graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture in 2010. She completed her master’s degree at the Design Studies Program, Izmir University of Economics and the Interior Architecture Department of the Università degli Studi di Firenze in Florence. She is a full time member of Interior Architecture Department in İstanbul Beykent University.
Tuba Doğu holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture from Middle East Technical University; with one-year educational experience at The University of Bologna. Following her undergraduate studies, she completed the degree of Master of Design Science at The University of Sydney where she specialized on sustainable housing strategies in low-income settlements. Between her studies, she has worked at various NGOs and involved in action-research projects in Australia, Brazil and India respectively, and lectured at universities in Izmir. She was a Fulbright PhD visiting research fellow at Columbia GSAPP (2017-2018), a fellow at Design Trust Hong Kong (2018), and selected cultural manager under Tandem Turkey Program (2018-2019/2015-2016). In 2020, she completed her doctorate studies at IzTech. Her research interests include social interventions as a form of alternative spatial practices, centering on questions of human and material agency. She continues her research at UrbanTank (www.urbantank.org), which she is a founding partner of since 2013, developing research and intervention projects for human-oriented and participatory urban environments.
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Monday 15th July, 2024