Cities and urban regions worldwide are threatened by natural disasters. Urban droughts in New Dehli, floods in the Ahr Valley, forest fires in Berlin-Brandenburg, or Hurrican Ian in Florida just to mention a few recent catastrophes of different extent. The numerous factors which impact the ability to withstand, or fall to extreme weather are just as varied as the forms and extent of the destruction. An important strategy for the disaster resilience and restoration of urban life is the organization of planning and design measures in different domains and across scales from region to neighbourhoods to buildings.
How can we design cities and the built environment that survive, thrive, and contribute a positive environmental impact and enable a safe, livable existence and environment for all? The Urban Disaster Studio will focus on disaster preparedness and resilience as well as the regeneration of the built environment in preparation for future disasters. Students will get an understanding of issues in disaster prone areas and acquire theoretical and practical knowledge on disaster resilience and reconstruction, as well as explore woldwide case studies, to derive planning and design strategies.
What can be done at an urban design and architectural scale? How will architects be able to gain a rich understanding of the urban system and interlinkages and connect to it with their designs, ultimately making a positive difference?
This year’s Urban Disaster Studio will set a special focus on Bremerhaven and the costal region of the North Sea. Costal regions generally have one of the largest risk factors as we continue to see temperatures rise, sea levels rise, and the coast erode. These effects can already be measured on the islands and along the coast of the North Sea. By going deeper into specific urban design proposals for Bremerhaven, the studio aims to uncover new potentials for the urban development of the city as part of larger disaster scenarios. Along with developing an understanding of measures and innovations of urban systems to withstand future extreme weather events, students will be asked to rethink Bremerhaven as a resilient center at the North Sea with new modes of working and living together through architectural interventions which consider both, deliberate re-densification of urban areas as well as strategies of improving the natural environment.
