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How can we design and continue to build architecture and urban spaces that support the social and ecological practice of caring? Which spaces and buildings promote and demand caring communities?
Human (co)existence needs care. Caring for one another is an essential part of human coexistence and central to the functioning of our society - especially in view of ageing, isolation, loneliness and polarization.
In addition to social concerns, caring also includes ecological aspects: Caring for an intact environment, ecosystems and habitats, caring for the livelihoods of future generations. Caring as a social and ecological practice is a transformative force and driver of the building turnaround!
In caring communities, care work, care and ecological lifestyles can be organized collectively. This not only offers social benefits through individual relief and more robust structures, but also a sufficient use of spaces and resources (principle of sharing, sharing models, commons).
In the seminar, we will deal with caring communities in different spatial scales (shared housing, neighborhood, neighborhood). Using literature, basic knowledge from the sustainability discourse on sufficiency and circularity, from planning and architectural sociology and feminist concepts will be reviewed and discussed. Using case studies from architecture, cities and open spaces ("good practice"), we will explore which spatial design principles, usage modules, building and space types, actors and processes can support, promote and make visible the social and ecological goals of caring. The findings of the seminar are summarized in an agenda / guidelines, illustrated in a reader with a collection of good practices and applied in a final task.
The seminar is aimed at Master's students and can be taken as an in-depth seminar (D-2.0-41 ST-A). The results will be used in the Urban Design profile project in WS25/26. Depending on the number of participants, the seminar may also be open to Bachelor students. Pre-registration/expression of interest via Moodle is possible and desired.
The seminar "Caring Communities. Neighborhood Analysis + Microarchitecture" led by Dr. Christiane Feuerstein will take place at the same time. Attendance is recommended, but not mandatory.
The seminar takes place against the background of the so-called WIA 2025 - "Women in Architecture" Festival. It is the first nationwide festival that aims to make the achievements of women* from A, S and L visible. As part of FB06's contribution to the festival, various teaching formats will highlight the achievements of female planners and the topic of diversity in building culture.
