• Aibéo, Pedro Esteves Galvão
• Filz, Günther H.
• Singh, Vishal

Abstract

Architectural Democracy is an ongoing doctoral research at Aalto University proposing aconceptualframeworkforastructuredexplorationoftherelationshipbetween Architecture (exemplified as the life cycle of a building) and Democracy (defined here as the assurance of every person’s rights and freedoms, that every person can access <br/>information and is able to use one’svoice inthe process ofdecision making). It aims to create a common ground for diverse stakeholders to better understand the complexity of cities and to participate more actively in the urban planning processes.For concept development and testing the usefulness of the proposed framework, three characteristicsforbothArchitectureandDemocracyarecrisscrossedasbeingthe minimalpossibleonestocharacterizeboth,inordertoreducethecomplexityofthe matrixandthus guaranteethe readability forthe user.Forarchitecture these characterics areitsbirth(acquisition,designandconstruction),life(operations)and death(recyclingorrenovation).Fordemocracythe maincharacteristics are the civil rightsandliberties,informedcitizensandparticipation.Bycrisscrossingthese,a3by3 matrix arises, in which bilateral questions are asked. These questions are answered by the stakeholders affected. Theauthorsarguethatthisframeworkevaluatesthequalityofbotharchitectureand democracy as it provides a reference on how to measure a standard, not by its similarities butbycontextualizingitssocietaloutreach.Thispaperhighlightstherelevanceofthis research by showcasing onecase study of the city of Helsinki.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy