lunes, 23 de febrero de 2015

The second OIKONET conference on “Global Dwelling” will be hosted by the Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, on 25 September, 2015.



OIKONET is a European project co-funded by the Executive Agency of Education, Audiovisual and Culture (EACEA), with the purpose of studying contemporary housing from a multidisciplinary and global perspective by encompassing the multiple dimensions which condition the forms of dwelling in today’s societies:  architectural, urban, environmental, economic, cultural and social.


The first OIKONET conference was organized by La Salle School of Architecture in September 2014, and the final one will take place at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), UK, in 2016.


The second conference will focus on regeneration strategies as mechanisms that are applied to improve the existing living conditions in urban areas around the world. Nowadays, various local and global factors cause the appearance of disadvantaged communities and declining urban areas worldwide. Instead of offering universal solutions, contemporary integrated interventions are intended to tackle specific problems by encompassing social, economic and urban dimensions. By building on existing local forces – involving all stakeholders and the local community in the process of finding solutions–, urban areas can unleash their endogenous regeneration potential. Even though being deeply influenced by local conditions, this process acquires a global dimension when certain mechanisms and policies – such as planned gentrification and social mix – are reproduced at multiple locations and cultures.


The conference will discuss the implications of such integrated approaches based on the design and implementation of strategies for the regeneration of communities – at a social, economic and environmental level. We invite researchers, lecturers, design studio instructors, policy makers, practitioners and community leaders, involved in the research, design and implementation of housing regeneration strategies, to submit original papers addressing the following issues:


  • What are the consequences – for architecture and urban planning education – of designing regeneration strategies instead of designing housing developments?
  • How are the visions and goals in a community renewal process, collectively defined?
  • Which urban regeneration strategies are needed to achieve a sustainable urban development (at the cultural, economic, social and environmental level)?
  • Are there any alternatives to gentrification as driver of urban regeneration?
  • How current learning and teaching practices in architecture and urban planning should change to support community development?
  • Which methods and techniques are needed to unleash the endogenous regeneration potentials of communities?
  • How can community participation be integrated alongside professional expertise to define the objectives of an urban renewal process?
  • How can the global and local dimensions involved in a regeneration process become intertwined?


We welcome critical presentations of case studies addressing regeneration practices all over the world. We particularly encourage the submission of works that explore methodologies for creating links between community-based research and innovative learning practices which bring together professionals and non-professionals in the process of renewing the urban habitat.