Through ecological plans for the resilience of cities, young scientists are pioneering and innovating, changing the global urban landscape. One of our compatriots, an architect-town planner, is in charge of transforming and adapting large cities in the United States and other countries, with the main focus on creating an environmental infrastructure to deal with the effects of climate change. This is Despo Thomas, with studies and distinctions at the Technical University of Athens and Columbia University in New York. Born and raised in Paralimni, experiencing the consequences of semi-occupation very closely, in a homeland that is increasingly threatened by extreme weather events, she does not hide her intense concern for the new climate realities on our island.
In an extensive interview with "F", Ms. Thomas referred to the key aspects that make up the new concept in the field of architectural-urban planning and spoke in particular about the impending swelling of the flood phenomenon in Cyprus, citing a number of suggestions the resilience of the Cypriot villages and towns. "We see that climate change is ultimately a big magnifying glass that brings to the fore the problematic ways in which we have built our cities," he said, noting that "at the same time, however, it is a huge opportunity to reconnect urban areas." with nature, as well as people with their ecosystem. "
- Was the choice of this field for studies and career due to a random event, a certain circumstance or a conscious decision from childhood?
- My mother as a teacher of Biology and Geography had made for the school infinite information leaflets with the Earth personalized, sick and with a thermometer in her mouth. These images, then, in my eyes seemed just like comic children's images, framing student notebooks and nothing more. At the time, I could not have imagined a career path based on climate change and the future of our landscapes and cities. But life has many surprises in store for us. Subconsciously, the fact that I grew up in a house (her parents are Litsa and Loizos Thomas, while she has two twin brothers, George, an officer of the National Guard, a graduate of the School of Guards, and Vasiliki, a practicing lawyer-graduate of the Law School of Athens) full of conversations about our Earth, climate, water and nature definitely played a very important role in the subsequent decisions I made. I think I never made a conscious decision that this was the path I wanted to follow, but each time I chose my next step, I prioritized what I felt was most in line with my own philosophy for our lives and our environment.
- That is, it is not based on the concept of "architecture as a building", but rather on the formation of landscape and social space?
- Yes, something like that. I was always impressed by the fact that on a piece of paper I could create three-dimensional spaces, compose, shape. I was fascinated by geometry and before architecture my biggest love was mathematics and physics. It was not so much the artistic side of architecture that led me to this industry as the ability to rely on morphological elements to create spaces of social and cultural life. Usually, most architects start with a very good artistic background, design and aesthetics. So it seems that I started through a different approach.
I was fortunate to grow up among well-educated people who do not hesitate to ask difficult questions about the great social problems of our country and who will try to find ways in which we can all contribute to possible solutions. This mentality followed me to Athens where I studied Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. There, asking the right and difficult questions about the role of an architect in society played a very important role. The Metsovo School sees Architecture as a field that extends beyond the design of an "object" such as a building, but as a synthetic medium that sensitively looks at society and the environment and tries to reconcile conflicting conditions and lead to problem solving. of urban and social life.
THE "100 Resilient Cities" NETWORK
- You had the opportunity to work with the Rockefeller Foundation's "100 Resilient Cities" network in New York, which aims to take measures for the safety of people by creating conditions of resilience in cities. What were the key elements you gained from this important experience?
- The Rockefeller Foundation's "100 Resilient Cities" network during its many years of operation has played a very important role in defining what it means to be a "Resilient" city. I had lectured on this subject, as I mentioned above, so I was very interested in following closely the ways in which this network helped 100 cities around the world, including Athens. In Greek we would translate the word "Resilient" as resilience, but I would say that the concept should also contain a form of resilience and resilience. One of the key elements I gained is the method by which each city is analyzed and opportunities are identified to increase their resilience. Every city faces some "shocks", ie some sudden and catastrophic events (such as a flood) and some "stresses", ie some chronic situations that constantly reduce the city's ability to recover (such as poor infrastructure or lack of capital). This method has proven to be very useful for the mayors of these cities, who based on this information can make better decisions for investments and projects in their cities and set an effective timetable for the future.
Proposal for the reconstruction of Varos
- On what topic was your dissertation based?
- I studied the urban and local environment of the city of Famagusta, looking for ways in which the gradual and sensitive reconstruction of Varos can play a catalytic role for the survival and resilience of the city or for the "resilience", as mentioned in English. This is a term I have come across many times since, in relation to the resilience of cities to the challenges of climate change.
- Is this an urban-architectural proposal for Varosi in case of a solution?
- In essence, it was not about exactly what will happen in Varosi when a solution is found, but it was about the process of how to reopen Varosi. Basically, the big issue was how to get from a closed to an open city, a whole process that we have to design to be sure of success, as a "game of chance", based on its history and culture city, in the memories and sensibilities of its world, based on scientific, artistic and ecological knowledge. To turn abandonment, desolation and darkness into a challenge of interest and a model for the rebirth of a city of light that simultaneously heals the great drama.
And such a project, such as the general reform of the cities of Cyprus, with the primary concern of dealing with the threats from the phenomenon of climate change, requires above all collectivity. My classmate Zacho Hadjiloukas and I, when we started working on Varosi, relied on the term "resilience" and based on a book that referred to the meaning of this word. Then we recorded the definitions that come mainly from physics and psychology. We relied on various examples of cities that were destroyed or subjected to a severe ordeal, such as Guernica after Franco, Berlin after the fall of the wall, and New York after the terrorist attacks and the fall of the Twin Towers. In the end, we came to the conclusion that the word "resilience" could not only be translated and limited to the meaning of "resilience", but had a broader meaning, including elasticity and adaptability. The study of Varosi was based on these three words.
- After your studies at the Technical University of Athens, what are the main stations that marked your student and professional course?
- A defining milestone in my career as an architect was my postgraduate studies (in architecture and urban design) at Columbia University in New York. Columbia University was my first choice because it was located in New York, which was a challenging city I wanted to meet and live in. There, the highly collaborative and collective nature of design played a key role in transforming the way of thinking of both me and a new generation of designers approaching the city with a deeper understanding of nature and ecology, always of course in conjunction with traffic systems. , transaction and housing that contribute to the formation of the respective urban space.
Before I started studying, this particular program (Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design) was based on housing, based on the idea that the house is the building block of a city. But when I started, it was Kate Orff's first year as head of the program, who came up with a new and innovative concept for urban design that emphasizes two issues: what we call "water urbanism," which is water design. and in "urban storytelling", ie in creating and composing narratives of a place through animation, cinema and documentaries.
A second big and decisive step in my career was the opportunity to work on some of the first and largest projects to protect Manhattan from climate change and in particular from rising sea levels and coastal floods from future , stronger and more intense hurricanes. Through the Dutch office ONE Architecture & Urbanism in New York I had the opportunity to work with the office Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on the final design and implementation of the first phase of the innovative proposal "The BIG U", which proposes the reconstruction of its coastline Lower Manhattan and the elevation of parks, roads and other open spaces to protect neighborhoods and New York's largest financial center on Wall Street. This project has undoubtedly brought to the surface the importance of design as a synthetic element for problem solving and the explanation of difficult concepts such as climate change to the general public. For months we have worked extensively with various parts of the city, such as the transport department and the environment department, to come up with solutions that better serve the purpose of coastal protection and at the same time the solutions can strengthen the transport and environmental systems. This is perhaps for me the most important aspect of climate change projects: the opportunity for reconstruction and development, while adapting to rising sea levels and flood protection.
EXPERIENCES HELP
- The fact that you come from a small country, with studies in a different educational system (Cyprus and Greece) and with completely different elements that make up your cultural background, how did it affect your effort to stand out in a highly competitive environment, such as that of America?
- I would say that he had and still has a very important role. New York is a multicultural social and professional landscape that is constantly looking for new ideas, new perceptions and different models. So coming from a small country, with another language and with initial studies in a different education system, allows me to bring to the table a slightly different point of view. Perhaps coming from a country like Cyprus, I can more easily see some issues from the perspective of smaller social groups and offer a little more humane and practical solutions. Many of my colleagues realize the need to look for examples in urban landscapes with lower population densities and a closer relationship with their environment. Therefore, my experiences help me a lot.
The example of Boston
- You work at the award-winning SCAPE Landscape Architecture studio, founded and run by your Manhattan-based Columbia professor Kate Orff. Its basic theory is the creation of sustainable infrastructure in urban landscapes and public spaces. Which of his works have stood out so far and in what particular field is your contribution focused?
- At the moment I have the pleasure of working as a Senior Designer in SCAPE studio, a studio of landscape architecture and urban design that has as a basic principle the belief that design can bring positive changes in communities through the creation of natural and artificial infrastructure that coexist and enhance the natural and urban landscape. The studio has 4 basic principles, which give it an activist and anti-acquis character: 1) Coexistence with other and different people, but also with animals and plants. 2) Climate change-oriented design. 3) The revitalization of natural systems that have been lost through intense urbanization. 4) Building educational and meaningful relationships with local communities. These principles define a very productive work environment. The emphasis of my own contribution is on urban planning, climate change and communication with local communities.
Last year, the studio partnered with the city of Boston to create a vision of the future, where the city with a series of projects will adapt to sea level rise and build beach parks and other infrastructure to protect communities from future hurricanes. . The project, titled "Resilient Boston Harbor Vision" and under the auspices of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, led to the Boston office's next project, "Climate Ready Dorchester," which I am delighted to be heading at this time. .
- On what basic ideas is the development of the project based?
- The Climate Ready Dorchester project focuses on developing proposals for ways in which the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts can rebuild the very low points of the Dorchester coastline to protect residents while creating a vision for what the city will look like in 2100. One of the most important aspects of the project is the emphasis our team has placed on meaningful communication with local communities. Through interactive and educational activities we try to explain difficult concepts, such as climate change, to the inhabitants of the area. We use tools such as interactive models, maps and virtual reality to explain to young and old when and how part of their neighborhood can be flooded. This helps us understand what is a priority for residents and what they will want to improve in their communities, a method that has proven to be extremely effective for the success of large projects like this.
- Among your diverse professional activities, you have led interdisciplinary project development teams and projects for large urban centers in the US (New York, Boston, San Francisco), but also in Southeast Asian cities, such as the city of Semarang in Ind. What is your philosophy for Architecture, what is the role of bioclimatic in your designs and what is the basic concept that governs your work?
- Having led interdisciplinary teams in San Francisco for the Resilient By Design Bay Area Challenge and in Indonesia for the Water As Leverage Resilient Cities Asia program I have concluded that design is one of the most useful tools at our disposal. To solve such problems, designers, engineers, architects, urban planners, ecologists, politicians, sociologists, citizens and so many others must come to the table. Everyone has their own language and their own priorities. This is where a designer can offer his or her synthetic skills and help this team better understand each other and find unanimous and complete solutions. That is why I believe that due to climate change, the role of architects and designers has taken on a very useful and necessary function.
Source: Philenews