Urban Science (Journal)

Description

Guest Editor: Special Issue of Urban Science on:
Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism: Transformations, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Cities worldwide have been witnessing rapid transformation processes due to continuously changing environmental, economic and social conditions. Architecture has played an important role in defining contemporary urbanism due to its direct impact on place-making, housing dynamics and the ecological performance of our urban environments.

This Special Issue aims to offer a platform for integrating a wide spectrum of examples in contemporary design practice, theory and education in the context of recent urban transformation worldwide. In general, five main types of transformation can be observed: (a) emerging economies, such as knowledge economies and urban manufacturing including informal sectors; (b) demographic changes due to migration; (c) recent lifestyle changes resulted from on-going digitalization; (d) new forms of governance to stimulate urban growth; and (e) climate change and its impact on policies and developments.

Within these transformation processes, both architects and urban designers have been challenged to respond to new urban conditions. Unlike certain eras in the past, recent globalization dynamics and the focus on attracting growth have led to more and more standardized and replaceable forms of urbanism. Thus, both professionals and academics have been engaged in identifying the future role of architecture.

Architecture and contemporary urbanism need to be discussed from various scientific angles. As a form of space production, architecture can reflect environmental and socio-cultural challenges, as well as economic realities. Beyond other subjects engaged in redefining the built environment, both architecture and urban design can fundamentally change how places are used, perceived, and eventually assessed.

Possible paper topics and issues of exploration include:

Advancing the theory of architecture and urbanism, including discourses on space production;
Empirical case studies of how architecture has been reflecting and/or changing contemporary urbanism;
Methodological approaches of how to study the impact of the built environment on environmental, economic and social realities, and vice versa;
Emerging economies and the role of architecture in accommodating new developments;
Demographic changes (e. g. migration) and the importance of creating responsive urban environments;
Lifestyle tendencies and housing dynamics;
The role of architecture in redefining urban identities;
The role of contemporary policies and regulations in redefining architecture and urbanism.

Period	1 Jan 2018 → 30 Dec 2018
Type of journal	Journal
ISSN	2413-8851
Degree of Recognition	International