'Prototyping Residential Subdivisions' (R-9076)

In Flanders, the 80% of the total housing stock consists of one-family houses, of which 42% is a detached house (SVR, 2010). Characterized by low density, absence of services, car dependency, and by an ageing population, the typical Flemish residential subdivision is facing major challenges: ecological, economic and social. The research starts from the hypothesis that durable transformations in residential subdivisions require processes of capacity building through which residents, local authorities and organisations can learn from each other and develop the collective capabilities able to foster more sustainable future alternatives. "Prototyping Residential Subdivisions" aims at developing an operational framework for initiating processes of Capacity Building in the context of residential subdivisions starting from the existing everyday patterns of dwelling of residential subdivisions to empower their actors to reflect about how they dwell and collectively envision more sustainable alternatives while developing the capacities to sustain this transition. To achieve this goal the research advances participatory design methods such as experiential learning and in particular "collective prototyping" to involve the actors of existing residential subdivisions to map, unveil and get inspired by their everyday patterns of dwelling and in this way disclosing and debating possible alternatives for residential subdivisions.

Keywords:sustainability

Disciplines:Urban and regional planning policy, instruments and legislation, Urbanism and regional planning