Urbanisation of Poverty

Code:

50135C5

Acronym:

50135C5

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
CNAEF	Architecture and Urbanism

Instance: 2023/2024 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Arquitectura (A)
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Degree in Architecture

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIARQ	27	MIARQ	4	-	3	-	81
			5

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Nowadays, more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, with around a quarter of this population living in extreme precarious conditions and an additional portion facing relevant gaps in its habitat. Estimates seem to indicate that this percentage has declined, but numbers will have increased, and the inequity of economic incomes will also have increased, especially in the economies considered as more developed.

In this way, the debate on equity is a global issue, from the countries of the North to the countries of the South, and that action in the environment built for more equitable spaces and democratic access to urban resources is, a challenge for architects and urban planners.

Given the most recent and contrasting global dynamics of urbanization and the current professional challenges placed at the international level, this curricular unit intends to create a theoretical and practical field of discussion around the spatialization of poverty and the disparities in this process of urbanization, social concerns in the disciplinary field of architecture and urbanism, as well as the limitations and potentialities of redistributive policies, social interest and fair management of the built environment.

Thus, it is proposed here the study of the disparities in the processes of production and management of the built environment, namely, discussing the visibility and role of population groups with lower economic incomes, both focusing on non-Western contexts (in the experiences of Latin America, Asia and in Africa) and in the critical areas of the Western contexts (in the evolution of social policy and in its current situation).

The aim is to establish a broad understanding of issues related to the urbanization process, not only by discussing extreme conditions of disparities and / or limiting resources, but also by framing multi-stakeholder management mechanisms. In these contexts, the professional practice of the architect / urbanist is rarely placed solely in a client - service provider relationship, but rather the actors involved in the decision - making process, recurrently encompassing entities such as public structures for territorial regulation and social interest ( at the central, municipal and / or local level), external financiers, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, local associations and / or inhabitants, placing the architect / urbanist in the role of mediator and facilitator.

Thus, it is proposed to build an informed view of paradoxical realities, discussing methodologies and intervention tools, constraints and potentialities, experiences and strategic orientations of work in extended teams.

Additionally, in this edition of 2023-24, this seminar will also articulate with the “More than Housing” program (https://maisdoquecasas.arq.up.pt/en/), which “kicked-off in April 2023, and includes seminars, shows, publications, and workshops, aiming to inspire, inform, and communicate the research produced by students in the academic year 2023/2024 at the universities. Having as reference the memory of the experience of the housing programmes that took place immediately after April 25, 1974, notably the Local Ambulatory Support Service (SAAL), it is intended to envision a contribution to the future that we aspire for 2074, 100 years after the Carnation Revolution”.

Therefore, based on the themes covered in the classes of the curricular unit, as well as the framework of this program, this seminar will also promote new perspectives on the subject of housing.

Learning outcomes and competences

More than a historical reading of the different approaches to urban and regional planning, this course aims to provide students with tools for reading and problematizing complex and deeply contrasting contexts, as well as practical instruments for professional practice in these paradoxical frameworks .

The aim is therefore to contribute to the individual and collective construction of an informed position and a critical awareness of global issues, as well as to the development of competencies that allow facing professional challenges in an international context, in which situations arise in the face of abundance or scarcity of resources, with the role of mediator and facilitator.

Working method

Presencial

Program

The curricular unit is based on five key themes, which will be covered throughout the semester sessions

1. Globalization and Urbanization: the intensification of the urbanization process and its global consequences, inequities and self-produced settlements, the challenges for architects and urban planners, and their social function and in the international debate between North and South.

2. Land and Infrastructure: territorial policies, access to land, basic networks, occupations and evictions, insecurity and titling, infrastructure and power relations.

3. Qualification and Public Space: programs to improve precarious areas, urban qualification initiatives and socio-spatial integration.

4. Housing in Time: housing programs from the improvement and (re)urbanization of existing settlements to rehousing operations, evolutionary housing experiences, transformation and appropriation.

5. Housing Today: urgent topics such as social emergency and immigration, environmental concerns and climate adaptation, aging and adaptive architecture.

In addition to these themes, some sessions will be dedicated to Visits and sharing Experiences by Guest Speakers.

Mandatory literature

Brenner Neil 340; Implosion, explosions. ISBN: 978-3-86859-317-4
Davis Mike; Planet of slums. ISBN: 978-1-84467-160-1
Lefebvre Henri 1901-1991; Le^droit à la ville
Turner John F.C.; Housing by people. ISBN: 0-7145-2569-3

Complementary Bibliography

Bandeirinha José António; O^processo Saal e a arquitectura no 25 de Abril de 1974. ISBN: 978-972-8704-76-6
Correa Charles; The new landscape. ISBN: 0-408-50071-9
Filgueiras Octávio Lixa 1922-1996; Da função social do arquitecto
Hatch C. Richard 300; The Scope of Social Architecture
Secchi Bernardo; La^città dei ricchi e la città dei poveri. ISBN: 978-88-581-0664-8
Serageldin Ismail 050; The architecture of empowerment. ISBN: 1-85490-493-0

Teaching methods and learning activities

A multifaceted teaching method is proposed through several complementary approaches that produce the construction of a critical and proactive look:

- oral transmission of content and information display in various formats, from descriptions to graphic and multimedia information;

- exercises in the class of case discussion and simulation of intervention situations - "role-playing exercises" - where the roles of several agents involved in the process of environmental management will be addressed and the conflicts and mechanisms of mediation and negotiation, promoting not only the active participation of students in the activities developed during class, but also the understanding and illustration of complex decision processes;

- presentation of real cases of implementation of programs by guests of recognized academic and / or professional merit, with practical experience in the topics addressed.

In this framework, it is expected that this curricular unit will contribute to the reinforcement of internationalization initiatives in the field of research and knowledge transfer, namely through collaboration with international partners.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	30,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	70,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	27,00
Elaboração de projeto	27,00
Estudo autónomo	27,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Approval in this curricular unit implies participation in face-to-face sessions and an active contribution to the practical exercises developed there, as well as the production of group work.

The proposed work consists of the collective production, in groups of 3 people, of an A0 panel with critical analysis of an existing housing project, discussing the determining factors in its production, construction and transformation, identifying constraints and potentialities, presenting different perspectives on this subject, and debating the visions and role of the various participants in this process.

This work must simultaneously have a graphical analysis and design component of the project, as well as reflection on its processes and dynamics, as detailed below in the evaluation axes.

In this work, the quality of the critical analysis of the project will be valued, considering:

1. the graphical analysis of the housing solution, including demonstrating understanding and clear communication of the characteristics of the housing solution, namely through the study and representation of aspects such as: spaces created, uses and experiences, among other dimensions;


2. a reflection on the process, critically analyzing factors such as: social and spatial circumstances, management model, financing, actors, users, experiences, appropriation, among others that may be considered relevant;


3. and a critical look at possible project innovation factors, as well as possible limitations or constraints of the adopted solution, demonstrating knowledge and assimilation of the bibliography on the topic, as well as the ability to produce one's own interpretation and argumentation.

This panel must be originally produced for this curricular unit and all sources consulted must be correctly referenced, an essential condition for approval in this curricular unit.

Assessment of attendance in this curricular unit also involves considering each student's participation in practical exercises during scheduled classes/sessions.

Calculation formula of final grade

Examinations or Special Assignments

In the case of evaluation of less than 10/20, the student may register for an individual appeal examination.

Classification improvement

Students may request to improve their classification by participating in an individual Appeal Exam.