PUARL+BB CONFERENCE 2020
Portland Urban Architecture Research Lab (PUARL), University of Oregon
Building Beauty: Ecologic Design & Construction Process (BB), Sant’Anna Institute, Sorrento
PATTERNS, BEAUTY, REALITY
Originally Planned for September 16 – 20, 2020, Sorrento, Italy
NOW VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM
September 18 and 19, 2020
Due to the coronavirus and the subsequent difficulty of getting visas to Europe and Italy without two weeks quarantine, the PUARL+BB conference organizing committee has decided to postpone this conference until next year around the same time. We are deeply disappointed not to be able to welcome you to Sorrento in the Gulf of Napoli this year, but we do look forward to hosting you there in 2021. For this year, we would like to invite you to join us for a two-day virtual conference workshop (September 18-19, 2020).
WORKSHOP FOCUS: OUR NEW REALITY
In our on-line symposium we want to focus on one of our three previous conference topics that suddenly became extremely real and relevant for our lives and work with the Covid-19 pandemic: This is the question of reality of life on earth. Humanity is facing a crisis that goes far beyond any other crisis that we have experienced, and it reveals old and new problems of all kinds that suddenly affect life on earth. There are two main questions that we want to address in this workshop:
- How does the pandemic affect life on earth, what does it mean for society and people, and how do we need to adjust to continue living well on earth as we know it? How does Covid-19 upset our own daily lives and our work in beauty, sustainability/regenerativity, and social equity, and how can we adjust our work and life in a way to keep safe and stay effective in our effort to improve life and beauty on earth? How can patterns and pattern languages help in these efforts?
- How does Covid-19 affect architecture, urban planning, and urban design where structural and practical changes and adjustments may be needed in order to make life livable again? How do we need to redesign and adjust private and public buildings, parks, streets, neighborhoods, and transportation to get ready for a new normal and new challenges? How can the work with patterns and pattern languages support these endeavors?
Key Events
- Finding a Way Forward in a World of Conflicting Narratives – James Kunstler in conversation with Kate Ledogar [abstract]
- The Importance of Homeostasis as Design Criteria in the Time of Covid-19 – Donald Ruggles [abstract]
- New Bank for Community Ideas and Solutions, Wolfgang Stark [abstract]
- Student Session: UO Design Studio – Regina Coeli Inclusive Neighborhood, Rome Summer 2019; Building Beauty Student work
- Free access to view Nili Portugali’s Film: “And the alley she whitewashed in light blue” and a live Q&A session with the Director [abstract]
- Culture and Cities in post-Covid-19 times – Kurt Andersen in conversation with Duo Dickinson
We still hope to welcome you in person in 2021 in Sorrento as originally scheduled. The conference planned for next year in Tokyo consequently will take place in 2022.
Program Outline
September 18, 2020
Morning Session 1 (8:00-12:00)
| 8:00 – 8:30 | PUARL and BB Introductions |
| 8:30 – 9:20 | 1.1 Finding a Way Forward in a World of Conflicting Narratives, James H. Kunstler in conversation with Kate Ledogar |
| 9:30 – 10:40 | 1.2 Patterns, Refugees and the New Reality |
| 10:50 – 12:00 | 1.3 Wholeness, Beauty, Being and the Ground |
| 12:00 -12:15 | Announcements |
Afternoon Session 2 (16:00-20:30)
| 16:00 – 16:10 | Announcements |
| 16:10 – 17:00 | 2.1: Pattern Languages for Covid-19 Adaptation |
| 17:10 – 18:20 | 2.2: Pattern Language approach case studies |
| 18:30 – 19:00 | 2.3: The Importance of Homeostasis as Design Criteria in the Time of Covid-19, Donald Ruggles |
| 19:10 – 20:20 | 2.4: Extending the reach of the Pattern Language approach |
| 20:20 – 20:30 | Announcements |
September 19, 2020
Morning Session 3 (8:00-12:00)
| 8:00 – 8:10 | Announcements |
| 8:10 – 8:40 | 3.1: New Bank for Community Ideas, Wolfgang Stark |
| 8:50 – 10:10 | 3.2: Cities and Architecture in post Covid-19 times |
| 10:20 – 11:20 | 3.3: Student Session: UO Design Studio, Regina Coeli Inclusive Neighborhood, Rome Summer 2019; Building Beauty Student work |
| 11:30 -12:00 | 3.4 Nili Portugali, live Zoom Q&A about her film: “And the alley she whitewashed in light blue” [Free access for watching the film will be provided after registration between September 15-19] |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Announcements |
Afternoon Session 4 (16:00-19:30)
| 16:00 – 16:10 | Announcements |
| 16:10 – 17:00 | 4.1: Culture and Cities in post-Covid-19 times, Kurt Andersen with Duo Dickinson |
| 17:10 – 18:30 | 4.2: Case Studies of Living Process |
| 18:40 – 19:30 | 4.3: Closing Discussion, Final Comments and Announcements |
| 19:30 | Farewell |
All Times are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) for the times in your time zone see here:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingtime.html?iso=20200918&p1=224&p2=215&p3=771&p4=248
Register
You can register for the full symposium ($50), or for only two sessions ($30). Please go to the registration page. Students may register for free.
The symposium will be run on the Zoom platform. You’ll receive the links to the sessions after registration.
PS: See also FYI: Community Bank for Ideas and Solutions: European Community Psychology Association http://www.ecpa-online.com/new-bank/
POST SCRIPTUM: Given the very incredible recent events surrounding the death of the black American George Floyd, we cannot other but include the very progressive and social justice seeking movement of ‘Black Lives Matter’ into our deliberations of ‘Our New Reality’ workshop.
Hajo Neis, Susan Ingham, Yodan Rofe, PUARL+BB Organizing Committee
Conference website: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/puarlbb2020/