One wall, one dream
Competition: Neighbourhoods for Generations - Dec 2022
Qi Li | Yilin Li | Yi Shi | Wenxuan Zhang | Zhaoxi Zhang
Eco-driven transition to a healthy, cooperative and diverse intergenerational community
We are rethinking the problems left over from post-war housing machines, recognising that a new approach that emphasises the human, social and physical environment is needed to achieve transition within the community. We opt for an Eco-driven transition that embraces environmental and social ecology to promote healthy relationships, cooperative living and diverse opportunities in a community.
What is Eco-driven transition? The mission is to create harmony between environmental ecology and social ecology. Two dimensions: environmental ecology includes not only built elements and constructions, but also landscape, including urban agriculture, recreational gardening, and living organisms, such as animals and insects. Second, social ecology means a holistic system, not limited within individuals, but also between people and society, the built environment and the natural environment.
HØJE GLADSAXE
HØJE GLADSAXE is a close match to the Eco-driven concept. The five modern high-rise buildings, which look like a "wall", cut off the visible and invisible connections with city, creating an imaginary wall between the people who live here and Danish society. In our design, we hold a dream that the "wall" will become a container for all ecological possibilities, a landmark for a sustainable future and a symbol for ecological transited social housing.
Three strategies to promote environmental ecology at the physical level: 1) use the mobility hub to free up the open space at street level 2) add multi-functional "boxes" horizontally and vertically for community life 3) form multi-scale and diverse forms of ecosystem, such as urban farming and cultivation. Besides, with the aim of promoting social ecology in a mutually supportive way, we design a multi-level (i.e. personal, group, community and organisation) cooperation system and to encourage public participation and business development (e.g., job opportunities, economic products, eco-services, technology), bracing a mature Eco-driven future.
Which challenge(s) does the idea relate to?
Passive civil society and limited civic participation
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With declining interest in volunteering, civic engagement and civil society can only attract a small and fixed group of people, making it difficult to deal with the conflict of interest and power among the majority of people. It is essential to draw energy and fresh blood from the neighbourhood to rebuild the social ecology. This design seeks to explore the mechanism for meaningful coexistence of different lifestyles, collective efforts and a harmonious atmosphere of autonomy.
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Emotional isolations and the pursuit of true happiness
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As global urbanisation continues to challenge the health burden of the environments in which we live, WHO advocates 'making mental health a global priority'. Negative emotions such as loneliness, depression, and anxiety affect people of all generations. Compare to seeking support from professionals, a more practical, economical and sustainable way is to seek emotional support and spiritual solace from the neighbourhood. We care about people's wellbeing, mental health and happiness, aiming to maintain an ongoing therapeutic landscape to encourage active physical activity and emotional resilience in the neighbourhood through the Eco-drive transition.
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Segregation and unequal distribution of resources
The segregated relationship between city and neighbourhood not only leads to an unequal distribution of resources (e.g. energy, water, land, jobs, investment, culture), but also limits personal growth and value creation within the community. The basic idea of Eco-drive transition is to bridge the gap between city and neighbourhood in terms of human resources, urban functions, circular economy, technology and business development at neighbourhood level. The ambitious goals are not only to circulate resources within the community, but also to highlight the potential and value of a healthy, cooperative and diverse community in achieving the goal of sustainability.