COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe Training School ��Urban agriculture inside the city:alternatives for vacant lots and public space��

The third Training School of the Action took place in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque country, Spain) from 24th to 26th September 2014. Vitoria-Gateiz has experimented an important urban outgrowth in the last decade, mainly through the planning and development of two new neighborhoods, Zabalgana and Salbur��a, situated at the eastern and western border of the city, by the Greenbelt. These new development are well-equipped and designed according to sustainability principles. Nevertheless, among the main problems they present is their over-dimensioned public space, which creates some areas lacking enough density and mix of uses. On the other hand it is very expensive for the municipality to maintain these public space with the high Vitorian urban standards for public space. The proposed solution for this problem is a strategy of "re-densification" through the insertion of new uses The debate has arisen about which are the most adequate uses to insert in order to get an increasing of urban vitality, specially considering that housing has reached its peak and that Vitoria-Gasteiz is well served with social and sport amenities. The main goal of the TS was to offer an opportunity for the reflection about how urban agriculture might be an optimal alternative for the re-qualifying of this over-dimensioned public space in the new neighbourhoods, especially considering it synergic potential as a tool for production, leisure and landscaping, including the possibility of energy crops within the limits of urban space. Continuity with rural and natural surrounding area through alternatives for urban fringe at the small scale is a relevant issue to be considered as well within the reflection. Taking Zabalgana neighbourhood as a practical field for experiment, the Training School is conceived as a practical and intensive design charrette to be held during a whole day after two days of local knowledge-deepening through field visits and presentations.

Bio-climatic Design Handbook: designing public space to reach urban sustainability.

The "Bio-climatic Design Handbook: guidelines for the development of planning regulations" is a tool for urban planning and design professionals planning for the construction of public space taking into account bioclimatic and environmental standards. Based on environmental conditions assessment, urban design guidelines are given. These take into account various scales; from the territory to the microclimatic reality. From these general keys for the design of public space the handbook performs recommendations on specific case studies. The application of bioclimatic techniques in urban design promotes comfort in the public space and the respect for the existing environment, while it influences the energy consumption of buildings that conform this open space. The tool was developed in the context of BIOURB project, where Spain and Portugal cooperate writing this bilingual handbook. The case studies are located in this cross-border region.

New York: the revitalization of public space. Recent interventions in the Manhattan grid

La reticula de Nueva York ha sido un formato de nuevos planteamientos de "hacer ciudad" desde hace dos siglos. Esta ultima decada ha suspuesto un periodo fructifero para el espacio publico neoyorkino bajo la administracion de Michael Bloomerg. Esta revitalizacion no habria podido ser posible sin la reactivacion de factores de espacio publico que ya existian: la reticula, la legislacion publica y el rol del ciudadano. El ciudadano juega un papel fundamental en la ciudad, ya que es usuario, critico y promotor de espacio publico. Sin embargo, en ocasiones no es evidente para quien o quienes estan pensados los nuevos espacios publicos en la ciudad. Desde esta perspectiva, podemos identificar diferentes usuarios en la ciudad y analizar formulas recientes de espacio publico para cada uno de ellos: el vecino, el ciudadano, y el visitante. En palabras de Jane Jacobs: " las ciudades tienen la capacidad de proveer algo para todo el mundo, solo porque, y solo cuando, han sido proyectadas por todo el mundo".

El comportamiento del viento en la morfolog��a urbana y su incidencia en el uso estancial del espacio p��blico, Punta Arenas, Chile = The behavior of wind in urban morphology and its incidence in the resting use of public space, Punta Arenas, Chile

El comportamiento del viento en la morfolog��a urbana y su incidencia en el uso estancial del espacio p��blico, Punta Arenas, Chile = The behavior of wind in urban morphology and its incidence in the resting use of public space, Punta Arenas, Chile

De la c��psula comunitaria al espacio compartido. La b��squeda del post-espacio p��blico en la vivienda de ACM = From community capsules to shared intervals. The search of the post-public space In the housing developments by ACM

Arquitectos y no arquitectos como Rossi, Grassi, Jacobs, Sennett o Lefebvre, denunciaron cr��ticamente durante los 50, 50 y 70 la ruptura entre la calle y el espacio dom��stico y el consiguiente declive del dominio p��blico urbano a escala de ciudad y a escala de barrio. La cr��tica a la "Ville Contemporaine" no solo se escrib��a, tambi��n se dibujaba y a veces, incluso, se constru��a. La primera generaci��n post-CIAM trabaj�� intensamente en desmentir con palabras y obras al Oud que ya en los a��os 20 del pasado siglo, tomando la delantera a Le Corbusier y desde su mejor sentido pr��ctico y est��tico afirmaba: "Las calles para el negocio, los patios interiores para la vida. Los dos estrictamente separados y con un car��cter contradictorio".

���This square is our home!���: the organisation of urban space in the spanish 15M movement

Why should a progressive planner/urbanist pay attention to the Spanish 15M movement? From a disciplinary standpoint, its most complex and interesting aspect, which could hypothetically be transferred to other contexts (as in fact happened in the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy London movements), is its 'spatiality'. This article analyses the spatial practices of the so called #spanishrevolution, one of the 2011 social movements that showed the possibility for a new collective appropriation and self-management (autogestion) of urban public space. Although the political goals of the movement were vague at the time of its inception, the practices and spatial imaginaries deployed by it have become consolidated and proven to be yet another of its more successful facets in promoting the spreading and organisation of the protest, making it a phenomenon that calls for reflection on the part of urban thinkers and planners.

Just a failed shopping-scape? Urban and public values of Le Mirail���s dalle

The famous plan for Toulouse-Le Mirail, by Candilis/Josic/Woods (1961), proposed a radical and hitherto new public space, the dalle, an elevated linear ?stem? that wove the whole urban intervention and concentrated all the commercial, social and cultural activity of the neighbourhood. However, the project is today stigmatized as a total social failure. The dalle has been demolished and a traditional commercial street has been implemented. Was demolition the sole alternative for Le Mirail?s future? This paper aims at identifying certain themes around the conception of the dalle, capable of informing today?s theory and practice in the design of new shopping/public-scapes. It reflects on both the most positive values of the project and on its naiveties and mistakes, conscious of the social unrest that aggrandized them. Ultimately, it calls for a deeper reflection on the urban proposals of the Modern Movement, beyond demolition as the only possible solution.

Outraged spatialities: the production of public scale in the #spanishrevolution

The spatial processes deployed by the 15-M movement in Spain include elements of social change that exceed the limits of conventional politics. Located at a liminal level, these processes operate in the often unnoticed realm of the micro-politics of urban everyday life and the regimes of place that regulate it, providing new criteria for understanding sociospatial and urban phenomena. This article shows how public space, its representations and the spatialities associated with them have served as a support for, have determined and, ultimately, have been reshaped and transformed by the Spanish ���indignados��� (outraged), in particular in the city and the metropolitan area of Madrid. Drawing on a series of theoretical approaches to the articulation of recent revolts, the deployment of a prefigurative politics and the occupation of public space, I will give an experience-based account of the spatial constitution and effects of these connections in and around Madrid���s Puerta del Sol. As a whole, the indignados��� occupations and actions provide urban theory with conceptual and practical tools to imagine alternative forms of collective commitment in the production of spaces of hope for social progress and generalized self-management.

El microclima urbano en los espacios abiertos : estudio de casos en Madrid

El microclima urbano juega un rol importante en el consumo energ��tico de los edificios y en las sensaciones de confort en los espacios exteriores. La urgente necesidad de aumentar la eficiencia energ��tica, reducir las emisiones de los contaminantes y paliar la evidente falta de sostenibilidad que afecta a las ciudades, ha puesto la atenci��n en el urbanismo bioclim��tico como referente para una propuesta de cambio en la forma de dise��ar y vivir la ciudad. Hasta ahora las investigaciones en temas de microclima y eficiencia energ��tica se han concentrado principalmente en como orientar el dise��o de nuevos desarrollo. Sin embargo los principales problemas de la insostenibilidad de las actuales conurbaciones son el resultado del modelo de crecimiento especulativo y altamente agotador de recursos que han caracterizado el boom inmobiliario de las ��ltimas d��cadas. Vemos entonces, tanto en Espa��a como en el resto de los Pa��ses Europeos, la necesidad de reorientar el sector de la construcci��n hac��a la rehabilitaci��n del espacio construido, como una alternativa capaz de dar una soluci��n m��s sostenible para el mercado inmobiliario. En este prop��sito de mejorar la calidad de las ciudades actuales, el espacio p��blico juega un papel fundamental, sobre todo como lugar para el encuentro y la socializaci��n entre los ciudadanos. La sensaci��n t��rmica condiciona la percepci��n de un ambiente, as�� que el microclima puede ser determinante para el ��xito o el fracaso de un espacio urbano. Se plantea entonces c��mo principal objetivo de la investigaci��n, la definici��n de estrategias para el dise��o bioclim��tico de los entornos urbanos construidos, fundamentados en las componentes morfotipol��gica, clim��tica y de los requerimientos de confort para los ciudadanos. Como ulterior elemento de novedad se decide estudiar la rehabilitaci��n de los barrios de construcci��n de mediado del siglo XX, que en muchos casos constituyen bolsas de degrado en la extendida periferia de las ciudades modernas. La metodolog��a empleada para la investigaci��n se basa en la evaluaci��n de las condiciones clim��ticas y de confort t��rmico de diferentes escenarios de proyecto, aplicados a tres casos de estudio situados en un barrio periurbano de la ciudad de Madrid. Para la determinaci��n de los par��metros clim��ticos se han empleado valores obtenidos con un proceso de simulaci��n computarizada, basados en los principios de fluidodin��mica, termodin��mica y del intercambio radioactivo en el espacio construido. A trav��s de uso de programas de simulaci��n podemos hacer una previsi��n de las condiciones microclim��ticas de las situaciones actuales y de los efectos de la aplicaci��n de medidas. La gran ventaja en el uso de sistemas de c��lculo es que se pueden evaluar diferentes escenarios de proyecto y elegir entre ellos el que asegura mejores prestaciones ambientales. Los resultados obtenidos en los diferentes escenarios han sido comparados con los valores de confort del estado actual, utilizando como indicador de la sensaci��n t��rmica el ��ndice UTCI. El an��lisis comparativo ha permitido la realizaci��n de una tabla de resumen donde se muestra la evaluaci��n de las diferentes soluciones de rehabilitaci��n. Se ha podido as�� demostrar que no existe una soluci��n constructiva eficaz para todas las aplicaciones, sino que cada situaci��n debe ser estudiada individualmente, aplicando caso por caso las medidas m��s oportunas. Si bien los sistemas de simulaci��n computarizada pueden suponer un importante apoyo para la fase de dise��o, es responsabilidad del proyectista emplear las herramientas m��s adecuadas en cada fase y elegir las soluciones m��s oportunas para cumplir con los objetivos del proyecto. The urban microclimate plays an important role on buildings energy consumption and comfort sensation in exterior spaces. Nowadays, cities need to increase energy efficiency, reduce the pollutants emissions and mitigate the evident lack of sustainability. In reason of this, attention has focused on the bioclimatic urbanism as a reference of change proposal of the way to design and live the city. Hitherto, the researches on microclimate and energy efficiency have mainly concentrated on guiding the design of new constructions. However the main problems of unsustainability of existing conurbations are the result of the growth model highly speculative and responsible of resources depletion that have characterized the real estate boom of recent decades. In Spain and other European countries, become define the need to redirect the construction sector towards urban refurbishment. This alternative is a more sustainable development model and is able to provide a solution for the real estate sector. In order to improve the quality of today's cities, the public space plays a key role, especially in order to provide to citizens places for meeting and socializing. The thermal sensation affects the environment perception, so microclimate conditions can be decisive for the success or failure of urban space. For this reasons, the main objective of this work is focused on the definition of bioclimatic strategies for existing urban spaces, based on the morpho-typological components, climate and comfort requirements for citizens. As novelty element, the regeneration of neighborhoods built in middle of the twentieth century has been studied, because are the major extended in periphery of modern cities and, in many cases, they represent deprived areas. The research methodology is based on the evaluation of climatic conditions and thermal comfort of different project scenarios, applied to three case studies located in a suburban neighborhood of Madrid. The climatic parameters have been obtained by computer simulation process, based on fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and radioactive exchange in urban environment using numerical approach. The great advantage in the use of computing systems is the capacity for evaluate different project scenarios. The results in the different scenarios were compared with the comfort value obtained in the current state, using the UTCI index as indicator of thermal sensation. Finally, an abacus of the thermal comfort improvement obtained by different countermeasures has been performed. One of the major achievement of doctoral work is the demonstration of there are not any design solution suitable for different cases. Each situation should be analyzed and specific design measures should be proposed. Computer simulation systems can be a significant support and help the designer in the decision making phase. However, the election of the most suitable tools and the appropriate solutions for each case is designer responsibility.

Concienciaci��n para la conservaci��n del patrimonio urbano : los instrumentos de gesti��n para la recuperaci��n del barrio madrile��o de Embajadores

La tesis trata la evoluci��n de la conciencia de la conservaci��n de los centros hist��ricos y de los instrumentos de gesti��n utilizados en las pol��ticas de rehabilitaci��n del casco antiguo de Madrid, desde las primeras experiencias de los a��os ���80 hasta el perfeccionamiento del complejo mecanismo contempor��neo. El proceso de rehabilitaci��n ha demostrado ser extremadamente coherente en cuanto a los objetivos y en cuanto al tema de los instrumentos ha seguido la tendencia de diversificar y flexibilizar. En Madrid se ha utilizado el concepto de rehabilitaci��n en sentido integral, abarca una amplia gama de acciones que implican por una parte, intervenciones directas sobre los edificios y por otra, la valorizaci��n del espacio p��blico, de los edificios representativos, la introducci��n de dotaciones y tambi��n un componente social. El tema se analizar�� desde la perspectiva del barrio de Embajadores, un ��rea muy especial del casco antiguo de la ciudad. Desde 1998 hasta la actualidad all�� funciona el ��rea de Rehabilitaci��n Integral con el nombre de Lavapi��s. El barrio de Embajadores representa un caso de extrema complejidad dada su tradici��n, que mantiene hasta el momento, de barrio popular que ha tenido como consecuencia negativa un grave estado de deterioro de los edificios y de sus estructuras urbanas. Adem��s, presenta una composici��n socio-cultural muy heterog��nea ya que siempre ha alojado oleadas de inmigrantes que llegaban a la capital tanto de las provincias como del extranjero. Los ���80 marcan en Madrid el inicio de la preocupaci��n por la rehabilitaci��n urbana y de los primeros intentos de definir unos mecanismos. Durante este per��odo el barrio de Embajadores es escenario de los primeros proyectos piloto de rehabilitaci��n. Se sientan las bases del sistema de subvenciones, que empujar�� hacia un modelo de rehabilitaci��n generalizada. A principios de los a��os ���90, la insatisfacci��n dejada por de los resultados obtenidos, la Administraci��n decide reorganizar la estrategia y se procede a la rehabilitaci��n integral por ��reas, concentrando los esfuerzos geogr��fica y temporalmente. La idea ya se hab��a utilizado diez a��os antes, pero sin encontrar nunca la voluntad pol��tica de aplicarla. En comparaci��n con el casco antiguo, el barrio de Embajadores se dej�� para el final del proceso para verificar los m��todos en zonas m��s restringidas en cuanto a superficie y con menos problemas. Desde 1998 hasta hoy, per��odo en que funciona el ��rea de Rehabilitaci��n Integral de Lavapi��s, los distintos tipos de actuaciones, de producci��n arquitect��nica, urban��stica y sociocultural, han mostrado su eficacia, de forma que los cambios que aportaron al barrio son evidentes para todos. Mientras que las ��reas de Rehabilitaci��n del centro una vez alcanzados los objetivos, se preparan para su clausura, a nivel administrativo se est��n definiendo nuevas direcciones y nuevos objetivos para el casco antiguo: subastas para incentivar intervenciones de mejoramiento energ��tico y del nivel de sostenibilidad de los edificios madrile��os. La primera parte de la tesis establece las premisas presentando algunos puntos relevantes relativos al desarrollo hist��rico de los documentos y normativas m��s importantes que tendr��n eco en el proceso de concienciaci��n de la cultura de la conservaci��n del patrimonio urbano de los centros hist��ricos. Despu��s, se habla de la experiencia de rehabilitaci��n urbana en Europa, en Espa��a en general y en Madrid en particular, con referencia a los modelos de enfoque, al marco legislativo y a las experiencias relacionadas con el casco antiguo, y en definitiva a la creaci��n de la conciencia de la rehabilitaci��n y conservaci��n de los centros de las ciudades. La segunda parte se centra en el caso de estudio, el barrio de Embajadores. En primer lugar, se presenta en detalle el barrio: ubicaci��n, datos caracter��sticos, edificios representativos y flujos que generan, trama urbana, datos sobre la formaci��n hist��rica, tipolog��as y caracter��sticas de construcci��n de los edificios y, para finalizar, alg��n dato demogr��fico para introducir la compleja problem��tica social. M��s adelante se exponen las primeras experiencias de rehabilitaci��n: dos proyectos piloto de intervenci��n sobre las viviendas realizados en los a��os ���80, uno privado y el otro p��blico. La parte central del trabajo trata sobre la fase intensiva de rehabilitaci��n, proceso puesto en marcha en el a��o ���98 y que corresponde al per��odo en el que Embajadores es ��rea de Rehabilitaci��n Integral. Se presentan y analizan los objetivos de la rehabilitaci��n y luego los instrumentos de orden administrativo, normativo y legal que regulan las actuaciones en el barrio. Sucesivamente se afronta la rehabilitaci��n de la parte residencial, en r��gimen privado y p��blico, que fue el modelo principal que la Administraci��n llev�� a cabo. Se presenta todo el proceso, desde la decisi��n sobre el tipo de rehabilitaci��n, las subvenciones y las soluciones t��cnicas adoptadas as�� como la rehabilitaci��n de casos especiales de edificios, que por sus caracter��sticas, el alto nivel de degradaci��n o porque ocupados por inquilinos con dificultades econ��micas, se realiz�� con intervenci��n p��blica. Las enormes dificultades derivadas de la complicada gesti��n y de las incongruencias de las normativas tambi��n se analizan en este trabajo. El autor presenta un dosier de una veintena de trabajos llevados a cobo en el Barrio de Embajadores a lo largo de m��s de 15 a��os de experiencia profesional propia. Se intenta, en primer lugar, evaluar la actuaci��n p��blica en comparaci��n con la privada en cuanto a los modelos propuestos, a las problem��ticas que generan y a los resultados obtenidos. Una segunda l��nea de argumentaci��n se refiere a la relaci��n que se establece entre los instrumentos que se promueven y los que obligan a la conservaci��n y a la rehabilitaci��n de los edificios. Quiz��s el elemento m��s interesante, por su conocida innovaci��n, de la experiencia de la obligaci��n de conservaci��n a cargo de los propietarios y la introducci��n de una revisi��n peri��dica del estado de los edificios (ITE), que conduce a su mantenimiento permanente a lo largo del tiempo. El ultimo instrumento aparecido y de por si el m��s novedoso se refiere a la pol��tica de rehabilitaci��n energ��tica iniciada en los ��ltimos a��os por el Ayuntamiento de Madrid. ABSTRACT Starting from the early experiences of the ���80s and tackling the complex and improved contemporary techniques of development, the present thesis focuses on raising awareness of the conservation of urban heritage and deals with the evolution of rehabilitation policies adopted in the historical center of Madrid. The rehabilitation process has proven to be extremely coherent in terms of its objectives and, consequently, the subject of the instruments has forged ahead a trend of diversification and flexibility. Madrid has used the concept of rehabilitation in a comprehensive manner, encompassing a wide range of actions, which involved on the one hand, direct interventions on buildings and on the other, the appreciation of the public space with its representative edifices and endowments. Confident that the social components have not been neglected during the rehabilitation proceedings, the topic will be analysed in relation to the neighbourhood of Embajadores, an authentic area of the old town. From 1998 onwards, this quarter serves as a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Area under the name of Lavapies. Considering the tradition and popularity of the district, Embajadores represents a challenging case for rehabilitation projects, aiming to improve the severe state of deterioration of buildings and urban structures. Having a heterogeneous sociocultural dynamic, the neighbourhood has always hosted waves of immigrants who come to the capital both from other provinces and abroad. The 1980s in Madrid marked the beginning of concerns with urban regeneration and the first attempts to define feasible restoration techniques. During this period, the district of Embajadores has benefited from various pilot projects. The financial investments have significant effects on the overall environment, so the model of general rehabilitation has been encouraged throughout the years. In the early 90s, left by the dissatisfaction of the results obtained, the authorities proposed to reorganise the strategy and proceed to the full rehabilitation of areas, concentrating efforts geographically and temporally. The idea had already been used ten years before, but never encountered the political force to be implemented. Compared to the old town, the Embajadores neighbourhood has been left for the end of the process, which focused on verifying the methods in more restricted areas that caused fewer disruptions. For the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Area of Lavapies, the various types of administrative implementations from architectural to urban and socio-cultural productions have proved effective. The improvements experienced by the neighbourhood from 1998 are obvious to all. However, while the areas of rehabilitation of the city centre have achieved their objectives and prepare for closure, the administration is still generating new directions and new targets for the ancient surroundings: auctions to encourage the improvement of energy interventions and the sustainability level for the buildings of Madrid. Therefore, the first part of the thesis establishes the premises and introduces some relevant points concerning the entire city. It describes the historical development of urban projects, indicating the events that will echo in the rehabilitation process. This paper then turns to discuss the experience of urban regeneration in Spain, emphasising the case of Madrid with reference to models of approach, legislative frameworks and appreciation of the old structures. The second part reveals an in depth case study of the district of Embajadores. At first, the thesis provides insights into the neighbourhood: location, general data on representative buildings and propagated trends, urban, historical data on training, building typologies and characteristics. The section introduces some demographic data to complete the portrait of the elaborate social problems encountered in this district, also outlining the first experiences of rehabilitation: two pilot projects on housing intervention made in the 80s, one private and one public. The central part of the thesis deals with the intensive phase of rehabilitation developments launched in the year '98 when Embajadores joined the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Area. It analyses the goals of rehabilitation and the instruments of administrative, regulatory and governing legal proceedings of the neighbourhood. The following chapter addresses the privately and publicly founded plan of residential rehabilitation that constituted the main model conducted by the authorities. It describes the entire process: deciding the type of restoration, subsidies and technical solutions as well as the degree of rehabilitation for special buildings, which either have a high level of degradation or require public intervention when tenants face financial difficulties. The administrative difficulties caused by the enormous bureaucratic machinery and the inconsistencies in regulations are also discussed in this paper. Thus, a just evaluation of the public and private performances regarding the proposed models of rehabilitation, along with the problems they generate and the results obtained is desired throughout the thesis. A second line of argument concerns the relationship established between the instruments that are promoted and requiring conservation and the building restoration. Perhaps the most interesting and innovative element of the new rehabilitation policies is the owners' obligation to preserve their properties and the introduction of a periodic review for the state of the buildings (ITE). These thorough and meticulous regulations lead to an ongoing maintenance of constructions, preventing them from severe or sudden deteriorations.

Implicaciones de la accesibilidad configuracional en la movilidad peatonal. El caso de Madrid = The implications of configurational accessibility in pedestrian mobility. The case of Madrid

- Resumen La hip��tesis que anima esta tesis doctoral es que algunas de las caracter��sticas del entorno urbano, en particular las que describen la accesibilidad de su red de espacio p��blico, podr��an estar relacionadas con la proporci��n de viajes a pie o reparto modal, que tiene cada zona o barrio de Madrid. Uno de los puntos de partida de dicha hip��tesis que el entorno urbano tiene una mayor influencia sobre los viaje a pie que en sobre otros modos de transporte, por ejemplo que en los viajes de bicicleta o en transporte p��blico; y es que parece razonable suponer que estos ��ltimos van a estar m��s condicionadas por ejemplo por la disponibilidad de v��as ciclistas, en el primer caso, o por la existencia de un servicio fiable y de calidad, en el segundo. Otra de las motivaciones del trabajo es que la investigaci��n en este campo de la accesibilidad del espacio p��blico, en concreto la denominada ���Space Syntax���, ha probado en repetidas ocasiones la influencia de la red de espacio p��blico en c��mo se distribuye la intensidad del tr��fico peatonal por la trama urbana, pero no se han encontrado referencias de la influencia de dicho elemento sobre el reparto modal. De acuerdo con la hip��tesis y con otros trabajos anteriores se propone una metodolog��a basada en el an��lisis emp��rico y cuantitativo. Su objetivo es comprobar si la red de espacio p��blico, independientemente de otras variables como los usos del suelo, incluso de las variables de ajenas entorno no construido, como las socioecon��micas, est�� o no relacionada estad��sticamente con la proporci��n de peatones viajes en las zonas urbanas. Las t��cnicas estad��sticas se utilizan para comprobar sistem��ticamente la asociaci��n de las variables del entorno urbano, denominadas variables independientes, con el porcentaje de viajes a pie, la variable dependiente. En t��rminos generales, la metodolog��a es similar a la usada en otros trabajos en este campo como los de CERVER�� y KOCKLEMAN (1997), CERVER�� y DUNCAN (2003), o para los que se utilizan principalmente en la revisi��n general de TRB (2005) o, m��s recientemente, en ZEGRAS (2006) o CHATMAN (2009). Otras opciones metodol��gicas, como los m��todos de preferencias declaradas (ver LOUVIERE, HENSHER y SWAIT, 2000) o el an��lisis basado en agentes (PENN & TURNER, 2004) fueron descartados, debido a una serie de razones, demasiado extensas para ser descritas aqu��. El caso de estudio utilizado es la zona metropolitana de Madrid, abarc��ndola hasta la M-50, es decir en su mayor parte, con un tama��o aproximado de 31x34 Km y una poblaci��n de 4.132.820 habitantes (aproximadamente el 80% de la poblaci��n de la regi��n). Las principales fuentes de datos son la Encuesta Domiciliaria de Movilidad de 2004 (EDM04), del Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid que es la ��ltima disponible (muestra: > 35.000 familias,> 95.000 personas), y un modelo espacial del ��rea metropolitana, integrando el modelo para calcular los ��ndices de Space Syntax y un Sistema de Informaci��n Geogr��fica (SIG). La unidad de an��lisis, en este caso las unidades espaciales, son las zonas de transporte (con una poblaci��n media de 7.063 personas) y los barrios (con una poblaci��n media de 26.466 personas). Las variables del entorno urbano son claramente el centro del estudio. Un total de 20 ��ndices (de 21) se seleccionan de entre los m��s relevantes encontrados en la revisi��n de la producci��n cient��fica en este campo siendo que, al mismo tiempo, fueran accesibles. Nueve de ellos se utilizan para describir las caracter��sticas de los usos del suelo, mientras que otros once se usan para describir la red de espacios p��blicos. Estos ��ltimos incluyen las variables de accesibilidad configuracional, que son, como se desprende de su t��tulo, el centro del estudio propuesto. La accesibilidad configuracional es un tipo especial de accesibilidad que se basa en la configuraci��n de la trama urbana, seg��n esta fue definida por HILLIER (1996), el autor de referencia dentro de esta l��nea de investigaci��n de Space Syntax. Adem��s se incluyen otras variables de la red de espacio p��blico m��s habituales en los estudios de movilidad, y que aqu�� se denominan caracter��sticas geom��tricas de los elementos de la red, tales como su longitud, tipo de intersecci��n, conectividad, etc. Por ��ltimo se incluye adem��s una variable socioecon��mica, es decir ajena al entorno urbano, para evaluar la influencia de los factores externos, pues son varios los que pueden tener un impacto en la decisi��n de caminar (edad, g��nero, nivel de estudios, ingresos, tasa de motorizaci��n, etc.). La asociaci��n entre las variables se han establecido usando an��lisis de correlaci��n (bivariante) y modelos de an��lisis multivariante. Las primeras se calculan entre por pares entre cada una de las 21 variables independientes y la dependiente, el porcentaje de viajes a pie. En cuanto a los segundos, se han realizado tres tipos de estudios: modelo multivariante general lineal, modelo multivariante general curvil��neo y an��lisis discriminante. Todos ellos son capaces de generar modelos de asociaci��n entre diversas variables, pudi��ndose de esta manera evaluar con bastante precisi��n en qu�� medida cada modelo reproduce el comportamiento de la variable dependiente, y adem��s, el peso o influencia de cada variable en el modelo respecto a las otras. Los resultados fundamentales del estudio se expresan en dos modelos finales alternativos, que demuestran tener una significativa asociaci��n con el porcentaje de viajes a pie (R2 = 0,6789, p <0,0001), al explicar las dos terceras partes de su variabilidad. En ellos, y en general en todo el estudio realizado, se da una influencia constante de tres ��ndices en particular, que quedan como los principales. Dos de ellos, de acuerdo con muchos de los estudios previos, corresponden a la densidad y la mezcla de usos del suelo. Pero lo m��s novedoso de los resultados obtenidos es que el tercero es una medida de la accesibilidad de la red de espacio p��blico, algo de lo que no hab��a referencias hasta ahora. Pero, ��cu��l es la definici��n precisa y el peso relativo de cada uno en el modelo, es decir, en la variable independiente? El de mayor peso en la mayor parte de los an��lisis realizados es el ��ndice de densidad total (n �� residentes + n �� puestos de trabajo + n �� alumnos / Ha). Es decir, una densidad no s��lo de poblaci��n, sino que incluye algunas de las actividades m��s importantes que pueden darse una zona para generar movilidad a pie. El segundo que mayor peso adquiere, llegando a ser el primero en alguno de los an��lisis estad��sticos efecturados, es el ��ndice de accesibuilidad configuracional denominado integraci��n de radio 5. Se trata de una medida de la accesibilidad de la zona, de su centralidad, a la escala de, m��s un menor, un distrito o comarca. En cuanto al tercero, obtiene una importancia bastante menor que los anteriores, y es que representa la mezcla de usos. En concreto es una medida del equilibrio entre los comercios especializados de venta al por menor y el n��mero de residentes (n �� de tiendas especializadas en alimentaci��n, bebidas y tabaco / n �� de habitantes). Por lo tanto, estos resultados confirman buena parte de los de estudios anteriores, especialmente los relativas a los usos del suelo, pero al mismo tiempo, apuntan a que la red de espacio p��blico podr��a tener una influir mayor de la comprobada hasta ahora en la proporci��n de peatones sobre el resto de modos de transportes. Las razones de por qu�� esto puede ser as��, se discuten ampliamente en las conclusiones. Finalmente se puede precisar que dicha conclusi��n principal se refiere a viajes de una sola etapa (no multimodales) que se dan en los barrios y zonas del ��rea metropolitana de Madrid. Por supuesto, esta conclusi��n tiene en la actualidad, una validez limitada, ya que es el resultado de un solo caso ��� Abstract The research hypothesis for this Ph.D. Thesis is that some characteristics of the built environment, particularly those describing the accessibility of the public space network, could be associated with the proportion of pedestrians in all trips (modal split), found in the different parts of a city. The underlying idea is that walking trips are more sensitive to built environment than those by other transport modes, such as for example those by bicycle or by public transport, which could be more conditioned by, e.g. infrastructure availability or service frequency and quality. On the other hand, it has to be noted that the previously research on this field, in particular within Space Syntax���s where this study can be referred, have tested similar hypothesis using pedestrian volumes as the dependent variable, but never against modal split. According to such hypothesis, research methodology is based primarily on empirical quantitative analysis, and it is meant to be able to assess whether public space network, no matter other built environment and non-built environment variables, could have a relationship with the proportion of pedestrian trips in urban areas. Statistical techniques are used to check the association of independent variables with the percentage of walking in all trips, the dependent one. Broadly speaking this methodology is similar to that of previous studies in the field such as CERVERO&KOCKLEMAN (1997), CERVERO & DUNCAN (2003), or to those used mainly in the general review of T.R.B. (2005) or, more recently in ZEGRAS (2006) or CHATMAN (2009). Other methodological options such as stated choice methods (see LOUVIERE, HENSHER & SWAIT, 2000) or agent based analysis (PENN & TURNER, 2004), were discarded, due to a number of reasons, too long to be described here. The case study is not the entire Madrid���s metropolitan area, but almost (4.132.820 inhabitants, about 80% of region��s population). Main data sources are the Regional Mobility Home Based Survey 2004 (EDM04), which is the last available (sample: >35.000 families, > 95.000 individuals), and a spatial model of the metropolitan area, developed using Space Syntax and G.I.S. techniques. The analysis unit, in this case spatial units, are both transport zones (mean population = 7.063) and neighborhoods (mean population = 26.466). The variables of the built environment are clearly the core of the study. A total of 20 (out of 21) are selected from among those found in the literature while, at the same time, being accessible. Nine out of them are used to describe land use characteristics while another eleven describe the network of public spaces. Latter ones include configurational accessibility or Space Syntax variables. This is a particular sort of accessibility related with the concept of configuration, by HILLIER (1996), one of the main authors of Space Syntax, But it also include more customary variables used in mobility research to describe the urban design or spatial structure (here public space network), which here are called geometric characteristics of the such as its length, type of intersection, conectivity, density, etc. Finally a single socioeconomic variable was included in order to assess the influence non built environment factors that also may have an impact on walking (age, income, motorization rate, etc.). The association among variables is worked out using bi-variate correlation analysis and multivariate-analysis. Correlations are calculated among the 21 independent variables and the dependent one, the percentage of walking trips. Then, three types of multi-variate studies are run: general linear, curvilinear and discriminant multi-variate analysis. The latter are fully capable of generating complex association models among several variables, assessing quite precisely to what extent each model reproduces the behavior of the dependent variable, and also the weight or influence of each variable in the model. This study���s results show a consistent influence of three particular indexes in the two final alternative models of the multi-variate study (best, R2=0,6789, p<0,0000). Not surprisingly, two of them correspond to density and mix of land uses. But perhaps more interesting is that the third one is a measure of the accessibility of the public space network, a variable less important in the literature up to now. Additional precisions about them and their relative weight could also be of some interest. The density index is not only about population but includes most important activities in an area (n�� residents + n�� jobs+ n�� students/Ha). The configurational index (radius 5 integration) is a measure of the accessibility of the area, i.e. centrality, at the scale of, more a less, a district. Regarding the mix of land uses index, this one is a measure of the balance between retail, in fact local basic retail, and the number of residents (n�� of convenience shops / n�� of residents). Referring to their weights, configurational index (radius 5 integration) gets the higher standardized coefficient of the final equation. However, in the final equations, there are a higher number of indexes coming from the density or land use mix categories than from public space network enter. Therefore, these findings seem to support part of the field���s knowledge, especially those concerning land uses, but at the same time they seem to bring in the idea that the configuration of the urban grid could have an influence in the proportion of walkers (as a part of total trips on any transport mode) that do single journey trips in the neighborhoods of Madrid, Spain. Of course this conclusion has, at present, a limited validity since it���s the result of a single case. The reasons of why this can be so, are discussed in the last part of the thesis.

Passing or stopping by: meeting points on the fly

In traditional nomadic societies, social life was created around mobile points rekindled in different places each time. After the settled urbanization period, where social life centred on fixed attractions, we are opening a new era, where thanks to technology, we are able to create meeting points on the fly. Contemporary public space for passer-by users will be again based on traces instead of lines, reflecting current reality far more accurately.

Strategies and good practice for sustainable and liveable cities of tomorrow

This contribution deals with the question, what makes cities sustainable and integrative, and suggests an approach for "liveable cities of tomorrow" designed to sustain mobility. The liveable city of tomorrow needs to meet both ecological and social requirements in an integrative approach. To design urban patterns appropriate or ���sustainable mobility��� based on a concept of mobility defined as the number of accessible destinations (different to that for ���fossil mobility��� defined as the ability to cover distances) is a key element of such an approach. Considering the limited reserves of fossil fuels and the long lifetime of the built structure, mobility needs to rely on modes independent of fossil fuels (public transport and pedestrians) to make it sustainable and the urban pattern needs to be developed appropriately for these modes. Crucial for the success of public transport is the location of buildings within the catchment area of stops. An attractive urban environment for pedestrians is characterised by short distances in a compact settlement with appropriate/qualified urban density and mixed land use as well as by attractive public space. This, complemented by an integrative urban development on the quarter level including neighbourhood management with a broad spectrum of activity areas (social infrastructure, integration of diverse social and ethnic groups, health promotion, community living, etc.), results in increased liveability. The role of information technology in this context is to support a sustainable use of the built structures by organisational instruments. Sustainable and liveable communities offer many benefits for health, safety and well-being of their inhabitants.

Sensing Aeropolis. Urban air monitoring devices in Madrid, 2006-2010

Esta tesis examina las implicaciones t��cnicas, pol��ticas y espaciales del aire urbano, y en concreto, de la calidad del aire, para tenerlo en cuenta desde una perspectiva arquitect��nica. En oposici��n a formas de entender el aire como un vac��o o como una met��fora, este proyecto propone abordarlo desde un acercamiento material y tecnol��gico, trayendo el entorno al primer plano y reconociendo sus m��ltiples agencias. Debido a la escasa bibliograf��a detectada en el campo de la arquitectura, el objetivo es construir un marco te��rico-anal��tico para considerar el aire urbano. Para ello el trabajo construye Aeropolis, una met��fora heur��stica que describe el ensamblaje sociotecnico de la ciudad. Situada en la intersecci��n de determinadas ramas de la filosof��a de la cultura, los estudios sobre ciencia y tecnolog��a y estudios feministas de la ciencia este nuevo paisaje conceptual ofrece una metodolog��a y herramientas para abordar el objeto de estudio desde distintos ��ngulos. Estas herramientas metodol��gicas han sido desarrolladas en el contexto espec��fico de Madrid, ciudad muy contaminada cuyo aire ha sido objeto de controversias pol��ticas y sociales, y donde las pol��ticas y tecnolog��as para reducir sus niveles no han sido exitosas. Para encontrar una implicaci��n alternativa con el aire esta tesis propone un m��todo de investigaci��n de agentes invisibles a partir del an��lisis de sus dispositivos epist��micos. Se centra, en concreto, en los instrumentos que miden, visualizan y comunican la calidad del aire, proponiendo que no s��lo lo representan, sino que son tambi��n instrumentos que dise��an el aire y la ciudad. La noci��n de ���sensing��� (en castellano medir y sentir) es expandida, reconociendo distintas pr��cticas que reconstruyen el aire de Madrid. El resultado de esta estrategia no es s��lo la ampliaci��n de los espacios desde los que relacionarnos con el aire, sino tambi��n la legitimaci��n de pr��cticas existentes fuera de contextos cient��ficos y administrativos, como por ejemplo pr��cticas relacionadas con el cuerpo, as�� como la redistribuci��n de agencias entre m��s actores. As��, esta tesis trata sobre toxicidad, la Uni��n Europea, producci��n colaborativa, modelos de computaci��n, dolores de cabeza, kits DIY, gases, cuerpos humanos, salas de control, sangre o pol��ticos, entre otros. Los dispositivos que sirven de datos emp��ricos sirven como un ejemplo excepcional para investigar infraestructuras digitales, permitiendo desafiar nociones sobre Ciudades Inteligentes. La tesis pone especial atenci��n en los efectos del aire en el espacio p��blico, reconociendo los procesos de invisibilizaci��n que han sufrido sus infraestructuras de monitorizaci��n. Para terminar se exponen l��neas de trabajo y oportunidades para la arquitectura y el dise��o urbano a trav��s de nuevas relaciones entre infraestructuras urbanas, el medio construido, espacios dom��sticos y p��blicos y humanos y no humanos, para crear nuevas ecolog��as pol��ticas urbanas (queer). ABSTRACT This thesis examines the technical, political and spatial implications of urban air, and more specifically "air quality", in order to consider it from an architectural perspective. In opposition to understandings of the air either as a void or as a metaphor, this project proposes to inspect it from a material and technical approach, bringing the background to the fore and acknowledging its multiple agencies. Due to the scarce bibliography within the architectural field, its first aim is to construct a theoretical and analytical framework from which to consider urban air. For this purpose, the work attempts the construction of Aeropolis, a heuristic metaphor that describes the city's aero socio-material assemblage. Located at the intersection of certain currents in cultural philosophy, science and technology studies as well as feminist studies in technoscience, this framework enables a methodology and toolset to be extracted in order to approach the subject matter from different angles. The methodological tools stemming from this purpose-built framework were put to the test in a specific case study: Madrid, a highly polluted city whose air has been subject to political and social controversies, and where no effective policies or technologies have been successful in reducing its levels of pollution. In order to engage with the air, the thesis suggests a method for researching invisible agents by examining the epistemic devices involved. It locates and focuses on the instruments that sense, visualise and communicate urban air, claiming that they do not only represent it, but are also instruments that design the air and the city. The notion of "sensing" is then expanded by recognising different practices which enact the air in Madrid. The work claims that the result of this is not only the opening up of spaces for engagement but also the legitimisation of existing practices outside science and policymaking environments, such as embodied practices, as well as the redistribution of agency among more actors. So this is a thesis about toxicity, the European Union, collaborative production, scientific computational models, headaches, DIY kits, gases, human bodies, control rooms, blood, or politicians, among many others. The devices found throughout the work serve as an exceptional substrate for an investigation of digital infrastructures, enabling to challenge Smart City tropes. There is special attention paid to the effects of the air on the public space, acknowledging the silencing processes these infrastructures have been subjected to. Finally there is an outline of the opportunities arising for architecture and urban design when taking the air into account, to create new (queer) urban political ecologies between the air, urban infrastructures, the built environment, public and domestic spaces, and humans and more than humans.

Material, espacio y color en Mies van der Rohe. Caf�� Samt & Seide: Hacia una Propuesta Estructural

La aparici��n de varias fotograf��as del Caf�� Samt & Seide no publicadas hasta 2008 en las que se observaba la luz natural de la exposici��n; los planos a escala de la nave donde se realiz�� la exposici��n textil; y los croquis in��ditos de la instalaci��n de la seda localizados durante el transcurso de la Tesis Doctoral por el doctorando en el plano de la Sala de Cristal, han sido las principales aportaciones de la b��squeda documental que ha tenido por objeto el conocimiento espacial e interpretaci��n gr��fica del proyecto expositivo realizada durante el transcurso de la Tesis Doctoral para poder profundizar en el alcance de la propuesta protoarquitect��nica y, a trav��s de ella, en la obra y pensamiento de Mies van der Rohe. Material, espacio y color son elementos propuestos como cap��tulos que estructuran la disertaci��n y que son empleados por Mies van der Rohe como factores de una nueva expresi��n espacial en la exposiciones como ensayos identificados con su idea de arquitectura. En el Caf�� Samt & Seide, Mies van der Rohe y Lilly Reich proponen una sensibilidad en el empleo del material y color trasladada al espacio mediante una atm��sfera r��tmica y en movimiento de superficies abstra��das e iluminadas. La estructura visual de opuestos nace del doble material textil de la exposici��n despleg��ndose en un orden espacial y constructivo de elementos independientes iniciado en los apartamentos de la Colonia Weissenhof y Sala de Cristal de Stuttgart 1926-1927, y que ser�� trasladado desde los espacios experimentales de 1927 a las series de m��rmoles y cristales del Pabell��n Alem��n 1928-1929. La s��ntesis intelectual (arte-ciencia-filosof��a) gu��a el proceso de formalizaci��n y la t��cnica en una intenci��n que ser�� trasladada a su arquitectura en el empleo de la tecnolog��a. La creatividad y repercusi��n de las vanguardias en la instalaci��n muestra la voluntad integradora de la exposici��n y arquitectura como arte total. Los aspectos interpretativos de las artes pl��sticas, visuales y musicales se integran como criterios y sensibilidades aplicadas a las estructuras yuxtapuestas material, espacial y de color. Modernidad y tradici��n tect��nica convergen en este espacio construido cuyas superficies cubren un armaz��n met��lico oculto. La construcci��n m��nima textil ser�� incorporada como idea de forma en la futura construcci��n del pilar met��lico, la pared flotante de sus viviendas y pabellones abiertos a la naturaleza, y la gran fachada tecnol��gica del espacio p��blico de sus agrupaciones en la ciudad. El espacio total del Caf�� Samt & Seide dentro de la gran nave de Berl��n anticipa las exposiciones art��sticas e industriales realizadas junto a Lilly Reich en el interior de las espaciosas salas de estructura met��lica como instalaciones conceptuales de gravedad y luz antecedentes de los pabellones de grandes dimensiones y espacio universal. Arquitectura, construcci��n y lugar son integrados en la instalaci��n por el principio estructural como propuesta de una idea de arquitectura que es desarrollada en las exposiciones. Oscilador y bastidor son construcciones escaladas dentro de la gran nave iluminada, expresando el conjunto un orden de partes que reflejan un todo integrado en la naturaleza y lo universal. Las m��ltiples relaciones espaciales, constructivas y conceptuales de la exposici��n con su arquitectura desvelan al Caf�� Samt & Seide como un exponente y antecedente de su obra e idea a la que defini�� como una propuesta estructural. La estructura, entendida como un conjunto de valores culturales y medios t��cnicos, es el concepto con el que Mies van der Rohe identifica la s��ntesis intelectualtecnol��gica de su tiempo, constituyendo la finalidad de su expresi��n material, espacial y de color. ABSTRACT The unpublished pictures of the Caf�� Samt & Seide appeared in 2008 in which the natural light in the exhibition can be seen; the scaled plan of the nave where the textile exhibition was held; and the unpublished sketches of the silk exhibition located by the doctoral candidate while preparing his dissertation have been the main input of the data search aiming at a better understanding of the space and a graphic interpretation of the exhibition project made by the doctoral candidate during the dissertation as a basic requirement to deepen in the scope of this protoarchitectural proposal and, though it, into Mies van der Rohe���s work and thinking. Material, space and colour are the elements put forward as the chapters structuring this dissertation and were used by Mies van der Rohe as factors of a new spatial expression in expositions as tests identified with his idea of architecture. In Caf�� Samt & Seide, Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich present material and colour sensitivity transferred to space though a rhythmic and moving atmosphere made up by abstracted and lit surfaces. Such a visual grammar and oppositions unfolds into a space and constructive order of independent elements originated with the apartments of the Weissenhof Colony and Glass Room in Stuttgart 1926-1927, and which were transferred these test spaces 1927 to the series of marble and glass in the German Pavilion 1928-1929. The intellectual and formal will (art-science-philosophy) guides the technical expression, which is transferred to architecture through technology. The creativity and impact of avant-gardes in the installation reflects exhibition and architecture���s will to integrate as a Total Art. The interpretative aspects of plastic, visual and musical arts are part of a sensitivity applied to the overlapped structures of material, space and colour. Tectonic modernity and tradition converge in this space built with surfaces covering a hidden metal framework. The minimal textile construction is integrated as a shape idea in his subsequent construction of the metal pillar, floating wall in his housing and pavilions open to nature, and the great technological fa��ade of the public space of his urban clusters. The total space of the exhibition inside the great nave in Berlin anticipates the artistic and industrial exhibitions done together with Lilly Reich inside the spacious Halls built with exposed metal structures as conceptual installation of gravity and light prior to the big-dimensioned pavilions and universal space. Architecture, construction and place are integrated by the structural principle. Oscillator and framework are scaled constructions integrated inside the great, lit nave, and the whole conveys order of its parts reflecting a whole integrated in nature and the universal. The many conceptual, space and constructive link of the textile exhibition to his European and American architecture add a greater knowledge of the time when Mies van der Rohe stated he gained a ���new awareness��� 1926, revealing Caf�� Samt & Seide as a valuable example and the experimental precursor of his work and idea defined by himself as a ���structural proposal���. The structure, understood as a set of cultural and material values expressed by architecture, is the notion used by Mies van der Rohe to identify the intellectual-technological synthesis as the idea of a time and which is the goal of its material, space and colour expression.