VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York
Abstract
The Czechoslovak government strategies of the 1950s and 60s emphasised the development of heavy industry and energy, dependent almost exclusively on brown coal. The largest coal deposits are at the foothills of the Ore Mountains. These areas were developed exclusively based on mining at the expense of other economic activities, the natural and existing built environment, social structures and public health. The mining operations were rewarding, increasing the quantities of coal mined and leading to an overburdening process. In 1979, the craze for coal was in full swing as cities, one after another, was swallowed up. Not even the royal city of Most was spared devastation. Once mining operations were carried out, the city shrank – affecting the social and cultural aspects of the city, causing the loss of historical heritage and local communities due to migration and landscape development was disturbed. These factors lead to total ecological destabilisation, elimination of aesthetic values and decrease in the recreational potential of Most. Therefore, the post-mining city is now called “landscapes without a memory”. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twin offers architects and planners novel methods to communicate effectively with stakeholders, users and other professionals in the field. Immersive experiences have reshaped how ideas are presented, and they continue to offer avenues of collaboration for development. This ongoing research assesses the performance of technological applications when used as a public participation tool and their effectiveness in communicating development ideas and strategies for reclaiming the post-mining built environment in Most, Czech Republic.
Akshatha Ravi Kumar is an Architect-Designer and Urban Planner. She is currently pursuing her PhD studies in Urban Planning at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Her research mainly focusing on heritagization of built environment in post mining cities and the study is conducted on the City of Most in North Bohemia as a specific case study.
Lijun Chen is a lecturer in Design and designer. She is pursuing her PhD at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Her research focuses on Transition Design, and is integrated into the areas of Social Design, System Innovation, Sustainable Design, and Inclusive Design in the context of addressing the wellbeing of older people and sustainable transitions in communities. She has also previously worked in product design, as a lecturer, head of international office, Cumulus coordinator at the Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology.;
Noor Marji is an architect, urban planner, and PhD student at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Her research integrates Artificial Intelligence and architecture, specializing in transient built environments, urban regeneration, post-war urban reconstruction, and development of vulnerable communities, with a focus on Middle Eastern countries.;
Gülbahar Emir Işık has experienced several practical projects related to BIM, particularly healthcare and educational projects, in several countries. While pursuing undergraduate education specializing in architecture at BAU, she took an intense interest in the relationship between architecture and the city and completed a master’s degree in urban design at ITU. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student working with Prof. Dr. Henri Achten on Digital Twin Studies in architecture at CTU. Her work focuses specifically on digital twins and architectural design processes.