Integrative Spatial Quality: A Relational Epistemology of Space and Transdisciplinarity in Urban Design and Planning

Assessing a simplified procedure to reconcile distributed renewable and interactive energy systems and urban patterns. The case study of school buildings in Rome

“…They make it possible to operate in an alternative and more efficient way; and more importantly, to do new things (Sibilla and Kurul 2018;Zeleny 2012) The novelty of this research is its conceptualization of the process through which the DRI systems are organized. Spatial design may play a key role in this process, and new reflections on spatial qualities are necessary for the evolution of the energy infrastructure (Khan et al 2014). These new reflections specifically considered the relationships between the spatial organization of the urban environments and the components of the future energy network.…”

“…Research has so far tended to focus on Urban Patterns mainly in terms of energy consumption. The role of Urban Design in energy infrastructure evolution has been overlooked (Khan et al 2014), due to two main reasons. Firstly, these studies lacked a systematic understanding of how DRIs work and interact within Urban Patterns.…”

Conceptualising Quality in Spatial Planning

“…When looking at visions for regional and urban planning like the "European city of tomorrow" (European Commission 2011), new urbanism4, eco-cities (Newman/Jennings 2008), decentralised concentration (Motzkus 2002), transit-oriented development (Dittmar/Ohland 2003) and the vision for integrated spatial and energy planning (Stöglehner/Neugebauer/Erker et al 2016), there seems to be a consensus that sustainable spatial development can be based on a limited number of design principles: compactness, sustainable transport (walking, cycling, public transport), density, mixed land uses, diversity, passive solar design, and greening (Jabareen 2006). Even though other models of integrative spatial quality suggest a relational and transdisciplinary understanding (Khan/Moulaert/Schreurs et al 2014), there seems to be a relatively clear picture of what sustainable development should mean for the physical side of spatial planning (Stöglehner/Neugebauer/Erker et al 2016). The extent to which these basic design principles are fulfilled could serve as an evaluation standard for the content dimension of planning quality.…”

Curating complexity: An artful approach for real-world system transitions

“…Participatory planning approaches often place the emphasis on problem solving through practical or analytical methods with less consideration or focus on developing new meaning around relationships (social and socio-technical) or artefacts (Segers et al, 2013;Loeckx, 2004). Discourses on coproduction (Albrechts, 2013;Miciukiewicz et al, 2012;Mitlin 2008;Hamdouch and Moulaert, 2006;Ostrom, 1996;Swyngedouw, 2005) and meta-frameworks for the co-creation of theory (Moulaert et al, 2011;Moulaert and Van Dyck, 2013;Khan et al, 2013Khan et al, , 2014Segers et al, 2013) resonate with curatorial principles-namely, the utilisation of multiple forms of input, media and stimuli along with the recognition, acceptance or instrumentalisation of subjectivities, such as 'meaning' or significance systems in order to bridge difference. Planning-based metaframeworks, such as constructed by the SPINDUS project (Segers et al, 2013) recognise that the context cannot be analysed independently from the meaning that the communities of that context attach to it-creating an interwoven co-production of knowledge-and-values.…”