Towards Regenerative Eco-Productive Milieus Introduction article by Chris Younès (FR) — anthro-philosopher of inhabited milieus, professor at Paris’s École Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA) and member of Europan’s Scientific Committee. Founder member of ARENA (Architectural Research European Network). Founder and member of the Gerphau research laboratory www.gerphau.archi.fr and Didier Rebois (FR) — architect, teacher at Paris’s École Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA). General Secretary of Europan and coordinator of the Scientific Committee www.europan-europe.eu
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How can urbano-architectural projects achieve a
I — HYBRID AND REVIVED USES
more synergistic combination between ecological
This refers to strategies that support ecological and
transition and productive activities? In his book The
economic transformations through territorialised
Great Transformation, the economist Karl Polanyi
sociopolitical means with the aim of reshaping society.
called for a disembedded market economy to be re-
Three projects emphasise the importance of changes
embedded into society1. There is a real need to move
in uses, seeking to construct assemblages around
beyond predatory activities and to imagine other
mixedness and social life, bringing together productive
ways of regenerating inhabited milieus. Many of the
and geographical spaces employed at different
winning projects seek to establish conditions for a
scales: rivers, clusters, buildings. Priority is placed
complementary encounter between natural and cultural
on collaborative and inclusive approaches. Hybrid
ecosystems. The interlinking of uses and mobilities is a
Parliament, winner in Rotterdam Kop Dakpark (NL), for
key parameter for this, incorporating various degrees of
example is presented as a refuge for the unconventional,
interaction with natural and metabolic conditions. And
for the anti-patriarchal, for feminism, for transgender.
all this encourages consideration of how life cycles
This manifesto architecture is advanced as a foundation
operate at their different spatiotemporal scales.
for democratic and horizontal productive projects (fig. 1).
1 — ROTTERDAM KOP DAKPARK (NL), WINNER — HYBRID PARLIAMENT > SEE MORE P.135
