COUNTER-PROJECTS / COUNTER-SPACES Urban & Environmental Theory Session #4 / MAS Urban and Territorial Design ETHZ/EPFL

 
ON CITIES AND PRODUCTION
While the development of productive infrastructures had for a long time followed an extensive model, relegating auxiliary facilities to the outskirts, a new paradigm is emerging: the productive city. In the context of procurement liberalization, Syvil explores how architects can regain agency by shifting their focus to preliminary research, programming, and managing demonstration projects as alternatives to traditional planning. Syvil counters logistical decentralization by advocating for the relocation of logistics infrastructures to urban centers. By examining the history of productive infrastructures in the Paris region, Achille Bourdon uncovers the underlying mechanisms of the productive metropolis, as illustrated by his studio’s work.

Organized in the framework of the MAS in Urban and Territorial Design, the Urban and Environmental Theory Sessions see guests address the theme of the semester: “Counter-projects / Counter-spaces”. The sessions, offering a combination of theoretical positions and professional design experience, address the challenges of spatial, social, and energy transition through various contributions: from human geography, urban studies, spatial design, environmental studies, and system thinking.