Marios Phocas, Demetris Economides, Andreas Savvides University of Cyprus, Faculty of Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus 407
... at the Urban and Community Scale...
For the architecture student involved in studio coursework at the scale of urban and
community planning and development there needs to be a comprehensive under-
standing of the cultural and socioeconomic factors embedded in the site under
analysis. Examining the financial, administrative, political and participatory dimen-
sions of designing at this scale should aim at developing an informational database
that brings together qualitative and quantitative analysis and visual information.
Furthermore, incorporating environmental issues in the design process also requires
an interdisciplinary and inclusive dialogue. To achieve this cohesion, widely used
existing technologies have been adopted and can be adapted for use in fostering
increased understanding of the complexities involved in informed design and in
enhanced interdisciplinary participation. Interdisciplinary student teams can use
these available technologies to create simple but efficient online frameworks so that
they may collaborate with their colleagues and with their consultants and clients.
For example, through following discussion threads in online forums and free website
hosting services, both students and their target communities can collect information
utilizing readily available online survey tools to solicit opinions and ideas. Through
the utilization of online proofing tools they may also be able to get direct feedback
and markups on their proposed designs and to remain pertinent and informed in the
advancement and evolution of their design proposals. Moreover, they can access
socioeconomic and cultural data from governmental, as well as professional and
non-profit organizations and they can overlay and apply qualitative, quantitative and
visual data in relation to maps, to form a simple but dynamic and readily accessible
source of layered information.
MetroPortals and the BAC experience
A methodology for interdisciplinary studio coursework and pilot research projects,
at the Boston Architectural College and Center for Design Informatics respectively
and it could be used as a precedent for the formulation of proposed coursework at
the University of Cyprus. More specifically, the use of readily available open source
software could enhance the pedagogical combination of including various pertinent
disciplines in finding more informative ways of planning for the development, pres-
ervation and enhancement of the built environment. This could occur through the
use of a common online platform that caters to the interdisciplinary requirements
mentioned above. An example of such a platform was used for the setup of the online
collaboration interface MetroPortals conceived at the Center for Design Informatics
(CDI) (Figure 4). This combined a number of online tools, many of them freeware,
to facilitate the stakeholders involved in a pilot project to analyze, understand and
influence the variety of forces – social, economic, cultural, legal, political, ecological
and aesthetic, as well as to better inform the students in the evolution and develop-
ment of their proposed design solutions.
This online interdisciplinary platform was utilized as a pedagogical tool by allow-
ing the studio instructors to map out the project review and development process,
which was a great learning experience for the students involved in the workshop
and an invaluable lesson in the facilitation of urban and community development.