Bloom Again

Cross-Mediterranean perspectives on the ecological transition

Nature Addicts! Fund Academy 2017

Nicholas Anastasopoulos, PhD Researcher, Lecturer, School of Architecture | National Technical University of Athens nanastasopoulos@arch.ntua.gr

22—27 MayEleusis, Greece

URBAN RESILIENCE

URBAN RESILIENCE

Nicholas Anastasopoulos, PhD Researcher, Lecturer, School of Architecture | National Technical University of Athens nanastasopoulos@arch.ntua.gr

HABITAT IIIDRAFT NEW URBAN AGENDA

18 July 2016

The global context

Global Urban Population

1976: 37.9%

1996: 45.1%

2016: 54.5%

Cities take up 2% of the space but are responsible for:

70% of global economy

60% of energy consumption

70% of gas emissions responsible of climate change

70% of waste

Anthropocene

An urbanized planet

Source: From the exhibition Τhe City of 7 Billion: A Constructed World, School of Architecture, Yale, 11/2015. http://architecture.yale.edu

An urbanized planet

Source: From the exhibition Τhe City of 7 Billion: A Constructed World, School of Architecture, Yale, 11/2015. http://architecture.yale.edu

Πηγή: www.footprintnetwork.org

Resource overconsumption

Source: Weatherbell AnalyticsSource: weather.msfc.nasa.gov

Climate change

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/

Ecological footprintOn a practical level, the Ecological Footprint shows us how carbon emissions compare and interact with other elements of human demand, such as our pressure on food sources, the quantity of living resources required to make the goods we consume, and the amount of land we take out of production when we pave it over to build cities and roads. The carbon Footprint is 54 percent of humanity’s overall Ecological Footprint and its most rapidly growing component. Humanity’s carbon Footprint has increased 11-fold since 1961.

A linear vs a closed system

Closed system Linear system

Πηγή: Story of Stuff storyofstuff.org

A linear vs a closed system

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Medical_Physiology/Basic_Biochemistry/Metabolic_Integration https://www.zerowasteeurope.eu

Diagram showing the material changes during the course of its life the shell of which survives on average through seven generations (30Χ7=210), ένα διάστημα δηλαδή δύο αιώνων. (Source: McDonough & Braungart, Green Architecture for the Future, Exhibition catalog Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2009).

Sustainability

Resilience

Sustainability

Preguntas sobre

(Birkeland 2002, 2008)

Sustainability

Sustainability is viewed by some as whole systems change

Now it is clearer that moving towards sustainability is more of a processthan a state of being. It is a social challenge that entails internationaland national law, urban planning and transport, local and individuallifestyles and ethical consumerism.

Sustainability was born as a concept in late twentieth century, to indicate the capacity of being maintained in existence without interruption or diminution

Sustainable development is a process for meeting human development goals while sustaining the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depends.

Do you believe in Sustainable development?

Environmental

SocialEconomic

Political

Multiple levels of sustainability

Diagram: Nicholas Anastasopoulos

Sustainability may be understood through a complexity approach and as a characteristic of systems.

Sustainability theories COMPLEXITY

Development as we know it is unsustainable

Degrowth is an advocate against development and downscaling of production and consumption—the contraction of economies—arguing that overconsumption lies at the root of long term environmental issues and social inequalities.

Sustainability theories

Connecting the dots

Climate change

Consumer life stylesFossil fuel

based energy production

Linear Production methods

Economic models based on perpetual growth/ Capitalist

economy

Post-colonial geopolitical structures

Diagram: Nicholas Anastasopoulos

Political Ecology understands all environmental problems as essentially political problems. They can be explained as conflicts of power and control over resources.

Political ecology attempts to provide critiques as well as alternatives in the interplay of the environment and political, economic and social factors. Robbins asserts that the discipline has a “normative understanding that there are very likely better, less coercive, less exploitative, and more sustainable ways of doing things” (2012).

Sustainability theories

Source: Scientific American

People careFair share

Sustainability theories

A philosophy and practices of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.

Ecuador, as an Andean country, began to re-interpret human, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights based on a concept and vision of the world born in the ancient societies of the South American Andes region: Sumak Kawsay. P16

Sustainability theories

Buen Vivir

Objetive 1: “Consolidate the democratic state and the construction of popular powerObjetive 2: “Encourage equality, cohesion, inclusion and social and territorial equity in diversity ".Objetive 3:"Improve the quality of life of the population".Objetive 4:“Strengthen the capacities and the potential of citizens”.Objetive 5:“Build spaces for common meeting and strengthen national identity,

diverse identities, plurinationality and interculturality”.Objetive 6: “Consolidate the transformation of justice and strengthen integral

security, in strict respect for human rights”.Objetive 7: “Guarantee the rights of nature and promote territorial and global

environmental sustainability”.Objetive 8: Affirm and strengthen national identity, diverse identities, plurinationality and interculturalityObjetive 9:Guarantee the validity of rights and justiceObjetive 10: Ensure access to public and political participationObjetive 11: Establish a social, solidary and sustainable economic systemObjetive 12: Building a Democratic State which promotes the principles of Good Living

Resilience

The ability of a system to cope with change.

The power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.

The ability to recover from illness, depression, adversity.

Resilience

New York (Steady) StateResearch project examining methodologies for turning New York into a closed system of resources (water, nutrition and energy management)(Source: Terreform/ http://www.terreform.info)

Food and water resilience

Pro-active Urban farming collective| Vrilisia, Athens2011-

Urban

Social resilience

Communal house Indigenous community Tola Chica, Tumbaco Quito, Ecuador

Energy resilience

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/

Συγκριτικός πίνακας χαρακτηριστικών πράσινης ανάπτυξης και πρωτοβουλιών μετάβασης

ΣΥΜΒΑΤΙΚΗ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ ΠΡΑΣΙΝΗΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ

ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΜΙΑΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΒΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΕΤΑΒΑΣΗΣ

Δεν προσθέτει ανθεκτικότητα Προσθέτει ανθεκτικότηταΣυγκεντρωτική ανακύκλωση Οικιακή / τοπική κομποστοποίησηΑισθητική φύτευση δέντρων Παραγωγική φύτευση δέντρωνΕισαγόμενα «πράσινα» υλικά και αγαθά Προτεραιότητα σε τοπικά υλικά και αγαθάΣυμβατική λογική καταναλωτισμού Μείωση κατανάλωσης, ανταποδοτικότητα και

επαναχρησιμοποίησηΔιανομή οργανικών προϊόντων από τη διεθνή αγορά

Ενεργός υποστήριξη τοπικής παραγωγής και ειδικά σε αναδυόμενες και νέες επιχειρήσεις

Conventional Ecology Strategies of the transition movement

Pesonal behavior Collective behavior

problem as a specialized issue Holistic approach to the problem

Pressure tools: protests, campaigns, political pressure Change tools: public participation, eco-psychology, cultural and creative education

Theoretical tool: Sustainable development Theoretical tool: Resilience / adaptability and restoration at the local level

The average person as the problem The average person as the solution

Prevailing psychology: Fear, guilt and shock as dominant emotions that motivate mobilization

Prevailing psychology: Hope, optimism and willingness to take initiative as dominant feelings that motivate mobilization

Campaigns-umbrellas on general issues Targeted collective interventions

One level engagement Multiple level engagement

Source: The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience, Rob Hopkins & Richard Heinberg, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008.

The Transition Movement

New York (Steady) State

https://www.facebook.com/geitonia.svolou/

Thank you!