Infrastructure as a Deeply Integrated Sustainable Urban Project

Abstract

This paper explores infrastructure projects that present a conscious merging between urban transformation, community development, culture, and technology through sustainable design. When urban projects successfully and meaningfully include all these dimensions, we refer to them as "blended infrastructure" projects, since they offer much more than just infrastructure. A literature review pertaining to the rejuvenation and renewal of cities reveals that infrastructure projects have the potential to be at once, smart and ecological as well as cultural and deeply integrated urban interventions. We, therefore, propose that 'blended infrastructure' projects are those that profoundly integrate anthropological and technological dimensions. These two poles are the basis of our analysis method. Our methodology, which includes a mapping tool, is used to cartograph a series of design projects. We select two sets of projects for analysis. First, we select "light infrastructure" projects that are not yet built, still in an imaginary phase, which have a common underlying positive intention of bringing sustainability to the city. Second, we select heavier, already built, infrastructure projects, those subjected to real-world constraints, i.e., economic, political, etc. These polarities (light and imagined vs. heavy and realized) will help test the applicability of this mapping approach on different types of infrastructures. By studying projects on either side of a spatial design spectrum, we aim to understand which types of projects have a potential to be "blended infrastructure" projects-and therefore, deeply integrated sustainable urban interventions, as key contributions to the future of our cities.

Activating Data through Eco-Didactic Design in the Public Realm: Enabling Sustainable Development in Cities

“…Rethinking the urban design project that aims to further the sustainable goals of a city, in a previous publication, we [38] define a "blended project" as a theoretical framework that addresses sustainability and smart cities' concerns at once through cultural developments (Figure 1). In this research, we propose that blended projects can accomplish a multitude of outcomes: (1) They are well integrated within their context; (2) they can effectively manage natural and energy resources; (3) they can improve the quality of life; (4) they can encourage local culture production; and (5), most importantly, they are activated and programmed.…”

“…Figure 1 illustr ship between smart-city and cultural development strategies through th ability, in which their sum is the potential for blended projects. The relations between the sustainability pillars (two approaches to urban renewal: smart city + cultural development and the resulting blended project) (Cucuzzella and Goubran [38]). This current research considers public blended urban design projects as potential enablers for environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability.…”

“…Figure 1. The relations between the sustainability pillars (two approaches to urban renewal: smart city + cultural development and the resulting blended project) (Cucuzzella and Goubran[38]). …”