67 steps
Basic information
Project Title
67 steps
Category
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
Project Description
Soledad (83 y/o) faces 67 steps to leave her house. With no elevator, many elderly neighbors share this challenge. The project proposes a community-based architecture solution addressing the accessibility and habitability needs, that private and individual interventions cannot meet within a specific dwelling block in Barcelona. Post-project, we continue to research through film and participation gatherings, aiming to ignite change and to highlight a situation that needs urgent action.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Barcelona, Spain
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
“67 Steps” encompasses a common problem within our cities: our aging housing stock fails to meet modern standards for habitability, energy efficiency, and accessibility. The absence of elevators is a common issue, where stairs become a physical barrier for an aging population, primarily low-income elderly residents (mostly women) who struggle to access subsidy systems. These inhabitants frequently experience spatial, social, and emotional isolation.
The starting point is our Architecture Master's Thesis (MT), which offers a community-driven solution to the pressing accessibility and habitability issues in deteriorated dwelling blocks in Nou Barris, Barcelona. We developed a methodology transferable to other contexts.
To address accessibility requirements, we've connected clusters of buildings with shared elements, creating new spaces that increase opportunities for social interaction. The project follows an anti-speculation scheme, outlining stages to secure new public social housing before intervening in existing buildings. This approach adapts to the specific needs of the neighbors, preventing displacement and improving their quality of life. To oversee these new societal models, we've designed a business system that acts as a mediator between the administration and the people. Following the presentation of the project (MT) our aim shifted towards raising awareness among people and institutions regarding the urgent need for the regeneration of these buildings to fight isolation.
The first step involves creating a Documentary Film (DF) that sheds light on the situation. The second action entails implementing Participatory Gatherings (PG) to facilitate the involvement and empowerment of the affected. This encourages multi-level interaction between different social groups within the neighborhood, individuals, and institutions, necessitating a transdisciplinary approach. In the midterm future, this initiative aims to materialize the construction of a prototype.
The starting point is our Architecture Master's Thesis (MT), which offers a community-driven solution to the pressing accessibility and habitability issues in deteriorated dwelling blocks in Nou Barris, Barcelona. We developed a methodology transferable to other contexts.
To address accessibility requirements, we've connected clusters of buildings with shared elements, creating new spaces that increase opportunities for social interaction. The project follows an anti-speculation scheme, outlining stages to secure new public social housing before intervening in existing buildings. This approach adapts to the specific needs of the neighbors, preventing displacement and improving their quality of life. To oversee these new societal models, we've designed a business system that acts as a mediator between the administration and the people. Following the presentation of the project (MT) our aim shifted towards raising awareness among people and institutions regarding the urgent need for the regeneration of these buildings to fight isolation.
The first step involves creating a Documentary Film (DF) that sheds light on the situation. The second action entails implementing Participatory Gatherings (PG) to facilitate the involvement and empowerment of the affected. This encourages multi-level interaction between different social groups within the neighborhood, individuals, and institutions, necessitating a transdisciplinary approach. In the midterm future, this initiative aims to materialize the construction of a prototype.
Key objectives for sustainability
Our Master's Thesis (MT) project, '67 Steps, 1 Courtyard' provides a solution to the problems of accessibility and habitability according to the current parameters of sustainability, also responding to the problems of energy efficiency and climatic comfort of the buildings, through nature-based solutions.
We're reusing existing buildings, rather than replacing them. Although this kind of architecture with no heritage value is usually replaced, the proposal preserves it, thus reducing the production of construction debris. We're also adding features like better insulation, solar protection, and green roofs for energy efficiency. Using eco-friendly materials like wood and ceramics, we're keeping environmental impact low. Lastly, we're improving the inner courtyard for better drainage and greenery integration.
We're reusing existing buildings, rather than replacing them. Although this kind of architecture with no heritage value is usually replaced, the proposal preserves it, thus reducing the production of construction debris. We're also adding features like better insulation, solar protection, and green roofs for energy efficiency. Using eco-friendly materials like wood and ceramics, we're keeping environmental impact low. Lastly, we're improving the inner courtyard for better drainage and greenery integration.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
During the Spanish postwar period and developmentalism, Nou Barris, a district in the north of Barcelona, became one of the main migration absorption areas of working-class people. Nowadays, it encompasses a common problem that exists throughout many neighborhoods within our cities: our aging housing stock often fails to meet modern standards for habitability, energy efficiency, and accessibility. Staircases become barriers, contributing to the physical and social isolation of the elderly or those with reduced mobility, increasing the risk of feeling lonely.
In '67 Steps, 1 Courtyard' (MT), in addition to proposing a solution to accessibility and habitability issues, the new communication spaces become outdoor socialization areas. These places can provide emotional benefits to residents, especially those who feel isolated, for two reasons:
- First, they provide access to a domestic-scale outdoor space in homes that generally lack a balcony or terrace. This means access to sunlight, fresh air, a green environment, and views beyond the window, ultimately enhancing residents' quality of life.
- Secondly, these spaces, thanks to their design, encourage interactions among neighbors, potentially forming stronger bonds between them. This, in addition to giving rise to new caring networks, can reduce the sense of isolation for those with reduced mobility, evoking the way of life in the past when they knew everyone in their building.
Furthermore, with the continuation of the research project and the production of the documentary film "67 Steps" (DF), as well as future gatherings (PG), both individual and collective emotional benefits are promoted. This provides the opportunity to share personal experiences in public, fostering a sense of belonging and group cohesion.
In '67 Steps, 1 Courtyard' (MT), in addition to proposing a solution to accessibility and habitability issues, the new communication spaces become outdoor socialization areas. These places can provide emotional benefits to residents, especially those who feel isolated, for two reasons:
- First, they provide access to a domestic-scale outdoor space in homes that generally lack a balcony or terrace. This means access to sunlight, fresh air, a green environment, and views beyond the window, ultimately enhancing residents' quality of life.
- Secondly, these spaces, thanks to their design, encourage interactions among neighbors, potentially forming stronger bonds between them. This, in addition to giving rise to new caring networks, can reduce the sense of isolation for those with reduced mobility, evoking the way of life in the past when they knew everyone in their building.
Furthermore, with the continuation of the research project and the production of the documentary film "67 Steps" (DF), as well as future gatherings (PG), both individual and collective emotional benefits are promoted. This provides the opportunity to share personal experiences in public, fostering a sense of belonging and group cohesion.
Key objectives for inclusion
'67 Steps, 1 Courtyard' (MT) aims to offer an inclusive, economically viable solution that avoids gentrification and minimizes the sense of displacement. It operates on two fronts:
- Socially, the proposal addresses the challenge of energy efficiency, habitability, and accessibility in housing, recognizing the actual subsidy system often requires a minimum income level that most of the inhabitants do not meet. By adopting a communal approach, we can collectively achieve common goals that may be unattainable individually. The project has been developed in collaboration with the local community on both individual and collective levels, resulting in a replicable solution that addresses various situations and challenges. This phased approach allows intervention without necessitating the relocation of residents, enabling them to stay in their homes or on the same dwelling block.
- Economically, a meticulous financial study is conducted, crucial for making the solution affordable for a low-income population. The economic analysis demonstrates that the proposal is more financially beneficial than replacing existing buildings with new ones of similar volume. Additionally, an economic feasibility study, supported by funding opportunities from the Next Generation EU, outlines avenues for securing financing that might otherwise be difficult for affected individuals to obtain.
Furthermore, in the ongoing research and awareness-raising initiative, the documentary ‘67 Steps’ (DF) will offer insights into the lives of four women between the ages of 70 and 94, illustrating the challenges of growing old in these inaccessible buildings. Additionally, the gatherings (PG) with the neighbors aim to compile a report encompassing various facets of the issue and their specific needs, drawing guidelines for future interventions.
- Socially, the proposal addresses the challenge of energy efficiency, habitability, and accessibility in housing, recognizing the actual subsidy system often requires a minimum income level that most of the inhabitants do not meet. By adopting a communal approach, we can collectively achieve common goals that may be unattainable individually. The project has been developed in collaboration with the local community on both individual and collective levels, resulting in a replicable solution that addresses various situations and challenges. This phased approach allows intervention without necessitating the relocation of residents, enabling them to stay in their homes or on the same dwelling block.
- Economically, a meticulous financial study is conducted, crucial for making the solution affordable for a low-income population. The economic analysis demonstrates that the proposal is more financially beneficial than replacing existing buildings with new ones of similar volume. Additionally, an economic feasibility study, supported by funding opportunities from the Next Generation EU, outlines avenues for securing financing that might otherwise be difficult for affected individuals to obtain.
Furthermore, in the ongoing research and awareness-raising initiative, the documentary ‘67 Steps’ (DF) will offer insights into the lives of four women between the ages of 70 and 94, illustrating the challenges of growing old in these inaccessible buildings. Additionally, the gatherings (PG) with the neighbors aim to compile a report encompassing various facets of the issue and their specific needs, drawing guidelines for future interventions.
How Citizens benefit
In the initial phase of the project "67 Steps, 1 Courtyard" (MT), contact was established with individuals on the streets and in local community centers, through surveys and informal interviews. Additionally, an initial connection was forged with projects in the neighborhood assessing similar needs.
In the phase of data collection within the block, a relationship was established with at least one person from each building, conducting interviews and visiting their homes to carry out the study. Finally, an evaluation session of the project was conducted with the residents.
Based on all this information, the project (MT) was developed with an academic focus, and did not involve a conventional participatory process.
For the production of the documentary "67 Steps" (DF), numerous interviews have been initiated, followed by visual ethnography dynamics with the documentary's protagonists. Additionally, a community cinema dynamic has been incorporated, where some of the women film themselves in their daily routines. Part of the soundtrack is also being recorded with the neighborhood choir.
We have also enlisted professionals in social work, who have guided us in the design of the gatherings (PG). In this way, we propose the development of sessions that, through various participatory dynamics and the use of artistic languages, facilitate the involvement and empowerment of the affected. They also will allow us to validate and address the identified needs as well as gathering further information and drawing some guidelines. All of this will be documented in the final report that aims future future people-based interventions.
In the phase of data collection within the block, a relationship was established with at least one person from each building, conducting interviews and visiting their homes to carry out the study. Finally, an evaluation session of the project was conducted with the residents.
Based on all this information, the project (MT) was developed with an academic focus, and did not involve a conventional participatory process.
For the production of the documentary "67 Steps" (DF), numerous interviews have been initiated, followed by visual ethnography dynamics with the documentary's protagonists. Additionally, a community cinema dynamic has been incorporated, where some of the women film themselves in their daily routines. Part of the soundtrack is also being recorded with the neighborhood choir.
We have also enlisted professionals in social work, who have guided us in the design of the gatherings (PG). In this way, we propose the development of sessions that, through various participatory dynamics and the use of artistic languages, facilitate the involvement and empowerment of the affected. They also will allow us to validate and address the identified needs as well as gathering further information and drawing some guidelines. All of this will be documented in the final report that aims future future people-based interventions.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
The whole “67 steps” project and research, with its three components (MT, DF and PG), takes an innovative approach for various reasons.
The architecture project (MT) presents an innovative solution for four reasons:
1. It starts with an extensive fieldwork process, creating detailed cartography of inaccessible buildings.
2. The architectural solution is collective, moving away from the individual building as a unit incapable of addressing accessibility issues. Instead, it expands the scope of the block, blurring the boundaries between buildings and allowing various elements (dwellings, staircases, courtyards) to connect.
3. It begins with a thorough study of the people residing in the block, designing the solution that assess their housing needs.
4. To address this complex issue, the project expands beyond the conventional boundaries of architecture. It questions regulations, proposes modifications, considers existing management structures, and explores potential funding sources to create a new business and government system that mediates between the residents' communities and the administration.
The documentary (DF) follows an innovative creative process for two reasons:
1. It employs techniques from visual ethnography: video tours, reenactments, handing the camera to the protagonists, spatial recognition, and body-mounted cameras.
2. It encourages a connection among the affected women, intertwining their experiences, and potentially leading to meaningful encounters. The documentary itself becomes place that gives opportunities for social interaction.
The gatherings (PG) will be innovative for three reasons:
1. They facilitate connections among those with similar stories, fostering the creation of a network of the affected.
2. They raise awareness within the neighborhood and institutions about a situation that often remains private, creating a space for dialogue.
3. They utilize artistic and audiovisual languages to share stories
The architecture project (MT) presents an innovative solution for four reasons:
1. It starts with an extensive fieldwork process, creating detailed cartography of inaccessible buildings.
2. The architectural solution is collective, moving away from the individual building as a unit incapable of addressing accessibility issues. Instead, it expands the scope of the block, blurring the boundaries between buildings and allowing various elements (dwellings, staircases, courtyards) to connect.
3. It begins with a thorough study of the people residing in the block, designing the solution that assess their housing needs.
4. To address this complex issue, the project expands beyond the conventional boundaries of architecture. It questions regulations, proposes modifications, considers existing management structures, and explores potential funding sources to create a new business and government system that mediates between the residents' communities and the administration.
The documentary (DF) follows an innovative creative process for two reasons:
1. It employs techniques from visual ethnography: video tours, reenactments, handing the camera to the protagonists, spatial recognition, and body-mounted cameras.
2. It encourages a connection among the affected women, intertwining their experiences, and potentially leading to meaningful encounters. The documentary itself becomes place that gives opportunities for social interaction.
The gatherings (PG) will be innovative for three reasons:
1. They facilitate connections among those with similar stories, fostering the creation of a network of the affected.
2. They raise awareness within the neighborhood and institutions about a situation that often remains private, creating a space for dialogue.
3. They utilize artistic and audiovisual languages to share stories
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The project adopts a transdisciplinary approach right from its inception. As architects, we extend our focus beyond the conventional realms of construction, composition, and aesthetics. Throughout the development of the Master's Thesis (MT), the social perspective played a pivotal role. We conducted sociograms to pinpoint the most vulnerable groups in the neighborhood, mapping individuals affected by the situation, and gaining insight into ongoing social initiatives. Consequently, our solution encompasses social, economic, emotional, regulatory, and ecological dimensions.
Opting to continue the research through a documentary film (DF) holds significant importance. This medium enables us to reach a much broader audience, thus enhancing the visibility of this issue. To execute this, we have assembled a small team consisting of two directors of photography and a sound technician. Employing visual ethnography methodologies in the filming and research process, we collaborate with social workers and psychologists. This partnership empowers us to approach the issue with both rigor and sensitivity. The project's soundtrack will be crafted by a music producer and a choir comprised of elderly individuals from the neighborhood, which is a meaningful choice as it not only enables residents to share their music through new media like film but also allows them to share their own narratives.
Lastly, prioritizing social inclusion and participation of affected local communities are two of our central objectives in organizing the proposed gatherings (PG). To facilitate these, we will have the support of a psychologist, a social worker, an architect specializing in participation and mediation and a visual artist.
,
The active involvement of experts from various fields will bring a more profound understanding of the situation, culminating in the final report that will lead us to future
co-design, decision-making and implementation processes.
Opting to continue the research through a documentary film (DF) holds significant importance. This medium enables us to reach a much broader audience, thus enhancing the visibility of this issue. To execute this, we have assembled a small team consisting of two directors of photography and a sound technician. Employing visual ethnography methodologies in the filming and research process, we collaborate with social workers and psychologists. This partnership empowers us to approach the issue with both rigor and sensitivity. The project's soundtrack will be crafted by a music producer and a choir comprised of elderly individuals from the neighborhood, which is a meaningful choice as it not only enables residents to share their music through new media like film but also allows them to share their own narratives.
Lastly, prioritizing social inclusion and participation of affected local communities are two of our central objectives in organizing the proposed gatherings (PG). To facilitate these, we will have the support of a psychologist, a social worker, an architect specializing in participation and mediation and a visual artist.
,
The active involvement of experts from various fields will bring a more profound understanding of the situation, culminating in the final report that will lead us to future
co-design, decision-making and implementation processes.
Methodology used
For the architecture project (MT), we have a community-driven approach, following two steps:
1. Site Approach:
- Cross-referencing various parameters to identify areas of maximum vulnerability within the city blocks.
- Mapping accessible and inaccessible buildings.
- Community Engagement: Getting to know affected individuals and their stories, conducting interviews, and mapping social agents working on related issues to explore potential synergies.
- Normative Testing: Evaluating existing regulations as a diagnostic tool and source of opportunities.
- Economic Situation: Investigating the economic and management status, along with available grants.
2. Solution Search:
- Reconstruction and documentation of buildings, including detailed surveys of individual residences within the city block.
- Typology and Normative Analysis of the block.
- Community Engagement: Building relationships with residents to pinpoint individual needs.
- Design and Planning: Based on identified physical, social, economic, regulatory, and management needs.
Then, for the film (DF), we create a methodology:
- Identifying Affected Individuals: Establishing trust-based relationships.
- Seeking Allies.
- Forming a Multidisciplinary Team. - Social, Cultural, and Historical Research with a Critical Perspective.
- Crafting a Liquid Script as the foundational structure, incorporating visual ethnography.
- Recording and Editing: Interwoven processes.
- Community Presentation and Dissemination.
For the Participation Gatherings (PG):
-Interacting with residents and local entities, receiving support from our allies for event promotion.
- Workshop and Participation Dynamics Design and Planning.
- Creating spaces for dialogue, building networks, and archiving individual situations.
- Results Dissemination through a dossier.
- Assessing the network of affected individuals and the dossier's impact, analyzing opportunities for architecture project implementation.
1. Site Approach:
- Cross-referencing various parameters to identify areas of maximum vulnerability within the city blocks.
- Mapping accessible and inaccessible buildings.
- Community Engagement: Getting to know affected individuals and their stories, conducting interviews, and mapping social agents working on related issues to explore potential synergies.
- Normative Testing: Evaluating existing regulations as a diagnostic tool and source of opportunities.
- Economic Situation: Investigating the economic and management status, along with available grants.
2. Solution Search:
- Reconstruction and documentation of buildings, including detailed surveys of individual residences within the city block.
- Typology and Normative Analysis of the block.
- Community Engagement: Building relationships with residents to pinpoint individual needs.
- Design and Planning: Based on identified physical, social, economic, regulatory, and management needs.
Then, for the film (DF), we create a methodology:
- Identifying Affected Individuals: Establishing trust-based relationships.
- Seeking Allies.
- Forming a Multidisciplinary Team. - Social, Cultural, and Historical Research with a Critical Perspective.
- Crafting a Liquid Script as the foundational structure, incorporating visual ethnography.
- Recording and Editing: Interwoven processes.
- Community Presentation and Dissemination.
For the Participation Gatherings (PG):
-Interacting with residents and local entities, receiving support from our allies for event promotion.
- Workshop and Participation Dynamics Design and Planning.
- Creating spaces for dialogue, building networks, and archiving individual situations.
- Results Dissemination through a dossier.
- Assessing the network of affected individuals and the dossier's impact, analyzing opportunities for architecture project implementation.
How stakeholders are engaged
The Technical School of Architecture of el Vallès at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia supported the project’s location in Nou Barris and provided guidance and mentoring throughout the development of our project "67 Steps, 1 Courtyard" (MT).
Engagements with local stakeholders such as Plà Comunitàri de Verdum, the Neighborhood Council, the Verdum Neighborhood Association, and the Nou Barris Neighborhood Association offered us a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by residents in the area, as well as the various facets of the issue. Presenting the project in the neighborhood generated significant interest in its methodology and proposed solutions.
The project has also received national recognition, winning the First Prize at the 2022 OTIS-FAyS Awards for Universal Accessibility in Architecture and Urban Environments. In an European level, it was nominated for the EU Mies Awards Young Talent.
The Barcelona Institute of Culture from the city council, granted us the Barcelona Crea Scholarship 2022 for the preliminary research of the documentary film “67 Steps” (DF). Subsequently, the Francesca Bonnemaison Women's Culture Center, La Bonne, provided support through a residency and the provision of editing workspace, along with mentoring. Additionally, we collaborate with local social organizations like Fins Ara, which provide comprehensive home care services and facilitate city access for individuals with limited or no mobility who reside in buildings without an elevator or with stepped sections.
For the participatory gatherings (PG), we partner with Plà Comunitari de Verdum, the Verdum Neighborhood Association, and the Verdum Community Center. This forms a transdisciplinary team consisting also of architects, a social integrator, a psychologist, and a cultural mediator. By the diffusion of the report we are planning to expand relations both in a national and European level.
Engagements with local stakeholders such as Plà Comunitàri de Verdum, the Neighborhood Council, the Verdum Neighborhood Association, and the Nou Barris Neighborhood Association offered us a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by residents in the area, as well as the various facets of the issue. Presenting the project in the neighborhood generated significant interest in its methodology and proposed solutions.
The project has also received national recognition, winning the First Prize at the 2022 OTIS-FAyS Awards for Universal Accessibility in Architecture and Urban Environments. In an European level, it was nominated for the EU Mies Awards Young Talent.
The Barcelona Institute of Culture from the city council, granted us the Barcelona Crea Scholarship 2022 for the preliminary research of the documentary film “67 Steps” (DF). Subsequently, the Francesca Bonnemaison Women's Culture Center, La Bonne, provided support through a residency and the provision of editing workspace, along with mentoring. Additionally, we collaborate with local social organizations like Fins Ara, which provide comprehensive home care services and facilitate city access for individuals with limited or no mobility who reside in buildings without an elevator or with stepped sections.
For the participatory gatherings (PG), we partner with Plà Comunitari de Verdum, the Verdum Neighborhood Association, and the Verdum Community Center. This forms a transdisciplinary team consisting also of architects, a social integrator, a psychologist, and a cultural mediator. By the diffusion of the report we are planning to expand relations both in a national and European level.
Global challenges
Undesired loneliness has become a global issue, affecting not only the elderly but also, adults, children and teenagers. Our exploration of the Nou Barris district confirmed our impressions, aligning with the official surveys conducted by the Barcelona City Council on loneliness within the population. The Municipal Strategy Against Loneliness 2020-2030 document outlines factors contributing to loneliness in old age, such as mental health conditions, physical limitations, declining health, loss of a partner and close social relationships, as well as reduced social activities.
Notably, the document does not address the impact of architectonic obstacles like stairs, steps, handrails, or steep inclines. The absence of elevators in buildings hinders social interactions for the elderly, exacerbating physical isolation. Without a nearby care network, feelings of loneliness may arise.
This is a common issue in our cities: aging housing does not meet modern standards of accessibility, energy efficiency, and habitability. The lack of elevators is widespread, and stairs pose a physical barrier for an aging population, predominantly low-income women experiencing physical, social, and emotional isolation.
With the arrival of the Next Generation European funds, it is time to address and seek solutions, beyond the academic realm (MT), for these complex issues, involving local stakeholders. To create a network of affected individuals and drive economically viable projects that enhance the quality of life for those affected citizen, it is crucial to advance the development of the documentary (DF) and awareness-raising gatherings (PG). Additionally, disseminating the final dossier will shed light on the reality with a proactive approach.
Notably, the document does not address the impact of architectonic obstacles like stairs, steps, handrails, or steep inclines. The absence of elevators in buildings hinders social interactions for the elderly, exacerbating physical isolation. Without a nearby care network, feelings of loneliness may arise.
This is a common issue in our cities: aging housing does not meet modern standards of accessibility, energy efficiency, and habitability. The lack of elevators is widespread, and stairs pose a physical barrier for an aging population, predominantly low-income women experiencing physical, social, and emotional isolation.
With the arrival of the Next Generation European funds, it is time to address and seek solutions, beyond the academic realm (MT), for these complex issues, involving local stakeholders. To create a network of affected individuals and drive economically viable projects that enhance the quality of life for those affected citizen, it is crucial to advance the development of the documentary (DF) and awareness-raising gatherings (PG). Additionally, disseminating the final dossier will shed light on the reality with a proactive approach.
Learning transferred to other parties
The architecture project (MT) is designed to be highly replicable in other neighborhoods, even in different cities facing similar challenges. The following elements are especially conducive to replication:
- Methodology: The methodology is replicable. However, if applied in the development of a project that is to be constructed, individual encounters with the residents should be complemented by participatory workshops facilitated and designed by the transdisciplinary team for co-designing, co-implementing, and co-monitoring.
- Products: The main strategy of the project, 'from individual problems to collective solutions,' can be extrapolated to other contexts facing similar issues. Additionally, by studying the typologies and regulations of new contexts, the four strategies of the project—Enter, Connect, Perforate, and Inhabit—could be tested. Furthermore, the management mechanism mediating between residents and the administration, as well as the financing scheme, could also be replicable.
While the documentary film (DF) is not intended to be replicable, the practices of visual ethnography employed could be replicated to further research the emotional effects of physical isolation due to architectural barriers in the elderly. We also believe that the atherings (PG) could potentially be replicated in other places facing the same issue, emphasizing the need for a transdisciplinary approach to addressing this problem.
- Methodology: The methodology is replicable. However, if applied in the development of a project that is to be constructed, individual encounters with the residents should be complemented by participatory workshops facilitated and designed by the transdisciplinary team for co-designing, co-implementing, and co-monitoring.
- Products: The main strategy of the project, 'from individual problems to collective solutions,' can be extrapolated to other contexts facing similar issues. Additionally, by studying the typologies and regulations of new contexts, the four strategies of the project—Enter, Connect, Perforate, and Inhabit—could be tested. Furthermore, the management mechanism mediating between residents and the administration, as well as the financing scheme, could also be replicable.
While the documentary film (DF) is not intended to be replicable, the practices of visual ethnography employed could be replicated to further research the emotional effects of physical isolation due to architectural barriers in the elderly. We also believe that the atherings (PG) could potentially be replicated in other places facing the same issue, emphasizing the need for a transdisciplinary approach to addressing this problem.
Keywords
Housing stock regeneration
Accessibility
Aging population
Participatory gatherings
Documentary Film
