Fostering new urban agencies with Research through Design
(2023) University of Malmö - Institute for Urban Research Seminar — Location: Malmo, Sweden (21.September.2023)
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- Abstract
- Through an analysis of the work of the Brussels Studies Institute-Brussels Centre Observatory (BSI-BCO), a multi-disciplinary and multi-university research platform working in close collaboration with public and associative stakeholders towards a sustainable transformation of the Brussels downtown area, this presentation highlights the potentialities of Research Through Design not as problem-solving methodology, but primarly as a method to foster new multistakeholder agencies. Indeed, almost none of the urban design solutions developed through the research process have been implemented. Neither were most of the proposals for new policies. But when using RtD as a basis for open discussions with various urban stakeholders, the BSI-BCO managed to have a significant impact on Brussels' Mobility and Structure Plans, and to sparkle new collaborative green and slow networks initiatives. We learned from this experience that the main outcomes of design researches may not be the designs themselves, but rather their impact on the development of new experimental partnerships and governance frameworks. We learned to look at urban transition not as a series of problem to be solved, but as an ecosystem of agencies to be enhanced. In conclusion, glimpses of other recent researches by Jean-Philippe De Visscher in Brussels, its surroundings and Cameroon will illustrates the impact of similar methodologies on different types of urban issues and contexts.
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De Visscher, J.-P. (2023). Fostering new urban agencies with Research through Design. University of Malmö - Institute for Urban Research Seminar, Malmo, Sweden. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/25406