Lexicon

1 Agriculture

Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock. It includes the preparation of plant and animal products for people to use and for distribution to markets. The products and agricultural methods used, vary from one part of the world to another, depending on climate, terrain, traditions, and technology. Agriculture shapes many of the traditions and values that a country was built on.

Agriculture triggered such a change in society and the way in which people lived that its development has been named the “Neolithic Revolution.” Rather than relying on hunting and gathering, many societies evolved to permanent settlements of growing crops and herding animals. These agricultural villages enabled the production of surplus food. People could use this extra food when crops failed or trade it for other goods. Food surpluses allowed part of the society to work at other tasks unrelated to farming.

Agriculture developed the evolution of the idea of ownership; farmers became attached to land they were cultivating. This lead to disputes, strong leaders and codes of conduct evolved in response.

Over centuries, the rise of agriculture has contributed to the rise of civilisations. It kept formerly nomadic people near their fields and led to the development of permanent villages. These became linked through trade. New economies were so successful in some areas that cities grew and civilisations developed.

In practice, architects and urban farmers incorporate agriculture into the surrounding city environment in very different ways. Agritecture is defined as the art, science, and business of integrating agriculture into the built environment.

2 Boundary

A real or imagined line that marks the limits or edges of something and separates it from other things or places. Boundary most often designates a line on a map. It may be a physical feature, such as a river, or road. Often these lines indicate property boundaries, dividing one property from another. In many cases this property division is translated into a physical boundary. In urban areas, they are usually very hard and clear: high fences, brick walls and thick hedges separate one parcel from another. In rural areas these boundaries become become softer and start to fade away. They are more open for interpretation, they come with a certain degree of transparency.

Boundaries are needed in a trustworthy relationship. They should be chosen carefully, as different kinds of boundaries bring different meanings along with them.

As Roberto Esposito states:

‘An extremely fenced and walled community is a perversion of the idea of community into its opposite.’ *

Besides physical boundaries playing an important role in the community, social boundaries are also needed. They are established rules set by a community, which are considered common because most of the people living in the society agree that they are the standards that people should follow. Setting boundaries guide the actors working together, and can ensure that relationships can be mutually respectful, appropriate, and caring.

*Pali, B. (2019). Restorative Justice and Conviviality in Intercultural Contexts. Verifiche, Rivista Semestrale Di Scienze Umane, no. 2: 166.

3 Bricolage

Bricolage is a French word, first introduced by the French anthropologist Lévi Strauss in 1969. It is derived from the French verb “bricoler”, which translated means ‘to tinker’. However, bricolage is more than just tinkering: it is a way of using all that is available to quickly fix a problem or to adapt what exists when new circumstances arise. Bricolage doesn’t depart from a technique or skill, but relies mostly on the creativity of the individual who is performing it, the bricoleur. The bricoleur is more an artist than a craftsman. No particular skills are needed, no aesthetic end result is expected. This takes the pressure of failure away and improves the creative process.

Or as Colin Rowe describes in his book “Collage City”:

‘The bricoleur is adept at performing a large number of diverse tasks. His universe of instruments is closed and the rules of his game are always to make do with ‘whatever is at hand’, that is to say with a set of tools and materials which is always finite and is also heterogeneous because what it contains bears no relation to the current project, or indeed to any particular project, but is the contingent result of all occasions there have been to renew or enrich the stock or to maintain it with the remains of the previous constructions or destructions.’ * (Rowe, 1984, p. 102-103).

When bringing a diversity of materials that have no relation to the current project together, it results most of the time in a patchwork-like non-architecture. This randomness and mishmash are praised by some. And as a result, some architectural offices today use ‘bricolage’ as a design methodology to achieve a certain aesthetic. However, it is important to be critical in these cases, because if we use bricolage as an aesthetic method, it is limited to an architectural style. And this is not what bricolage is about.

*Rowe, C. (1984). Collage City. Mit Press Ltd.

4 Conviviality

Conviviality is a quality which encourages human interaction and liveliness. The human tendency to feel satisfied and happy exists in living with others. Conviviality turns out to be the very essential social and cultural requirement to provide every individual with a space in the public realm where participation is appreciated.*

The convivial approach focuses on culture and its positive development rather than economistic development. It tends to focus on everyday life of people where free time, free space, convivial technology, convivial organization act as social capital which comes from cultural networks rather than existential resources such as income. Conviviality is not something which can solve serious problems, but it is a way to rise above them by celebration, it can happen when resources are scarce, and its utility rises above economic and political benefits. People want conviviality because it gives them and others a taste of happiness which they could not conjure up on their own. Thus it can be understood as a fundamental element for feeling the sense of community.

Collective rituals such as eating can be a good cause to generate conviviality, eating alongside others in public spaces is an activity in which good times are spent. In a well-designed and well managed public space, the regression of daily life can be kept aside for a while. Being with people different from oneself responding to the same setting similarly creates a temporary bond. Such bonding resonates into increase in a feeling of having good times with strangers.** - by Marta Wisniewska

*Ivan Illich, “Tools for conviviality” 1973.

**International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-8 Issue-5, January 2020

5 Defensible Space

Defensible spaces are residential environments whose physical characteristics – building layout and site plan – function to allow inhabitants themselves to become key agents in ensuring their security. It is a concept that relies on self-help rather than on government intervention. It depends on the involvement of the resident to take control of their neighbourhoods, to reduce crime and remove the presence of criminals.

The concept of defensible space was first explicated by Oscar Newman. He states that architectural and environmental design play an important role in increasing or reducing criminality. ‘Defensible space programs have a common purpose: restructuring the physical layout of communities to allow residents to control the areas around their homes. This includes the streets and grounds outside their buildings, and the lobbies and corridors within them.’ *

A good design can help the resident feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for the area around them, which will encourage them to defend it. The more space that is under the control and influence of the residents, the less there is for a criminal to operate in. The effectiveness of defensible space depends largely on the willingness and particularly the ability of the people in control of it.

There are four key concepts in his theory and design principles: territoriality, surveillance, image, and milieu.

There have been very few tests of Newman’s defensible space theory in its entirety. Much of the criticism on Newman’s defensible space was directed at his neglect of basic social, psychological and behavioural processes as critical underlying mechanisms in the creation of defensible space.

*Newman, O. (1996). Creating Defensible Space. DIANE Publishing.

6 Inclusion

The word inclusion is borrowed from the Latin verb ‘includere’ (nominative: inclusion) which means: a shutting up, a confinement. Strangely, the original meaning of the word has a totally different undertone than its modern meaning. The word ‘inclusion’ nowadays is perceived in a positive way: the act of including someone or something as part of a group, list, etc. and thereby excepting his/her differences. Or differently said: the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded. Since it concerns social groups, we can call this ‘social inclusion’.

In our current democratic era inclusion is seen as a universal human right. All people, irrespective of

Age – Gender - Sexual orientation – Education – Income – Religion - Cultural beliefs – Ethnicity – Language - Mental health

should be heard and should be given equal rights and opportunities. Inclusion is a popular term, used easily nowadays. This means we have to remain critical: although appearing to be inclusive, sometimes the intentions can be unethical. In this case, inclusion is nothing more than hidden tokenism.

As architects we have to aim for inclusive design. The main purpose of this design attitude is to strive for a building where everyone can enjoy the same experiences and that creates no separation, but participation. There are general rules architects can follow in order to make a building accessible for people who have a disability, children etc. But more importantly is having a participative attitude during the design process. To ensure you support all the involved parties (neighbours, users of the new space, visitors etc.) it can be useful to do a wide research beforehand with an open, inclusive conversation.

7 Normal

ordinary, regular, conventional, typical, standard, as expected.

Or differently said: not deviated from the norm. Normality can emerge feelings of comfort, familiarity and sometimes even boredom. It is predictable and part of the known.

When things/persons/situations are considered normal, we must be aware that it’s not definitive: normality differs in time and space, and is highly subjective. A previously unfamiliar or atypical situation can later on become standard, usual, or expected. It becomes the new normal.

Norm-al, as the word reveals, floats around the norm. In reality, it is sometimes unclear who determines this norm: society, statistics, politicians, scientists, individuals? From a statistical and scientific viewpoint something that deviates from the norm, is seen as bad. It is divergent and should be brought back to what is normal. E.g. when your cholesterol values are above average, most patients feel an urge to bring it back to normal. This striving to be normal, is more and more visible in society, yet seems in today’s life more difficult to achieve than ever.

Lastly, what is normal architecture? Two possible meanings: (1) Normal architecture as everyday architecture, that supports the daily, ordinary routine without being too present for its user. As Koolhaas describes so: generic and easily replaceable. (2) “Normal architecture exists between two extremes. One end of the spectrum is occupied by a generic architecture which is nothing but the pragmatic acceptance of norms and standards: circumstantial normality. The other end consists of architecture which is generic by choice, where norms and standards are used as means to achieve an ideal, intentional normality, a sublimation of the ordinary. In between these extremes sits the architecture which reflects an ambition of sorts but falls within the standard deviation limits of what is considered normal in a particular place and time.” Hans Ibelings

8 Protected Cultivation

Protected cultivation is a unique and specialised form of agriculture. It is a process of growing crops in a controlled environment: temperature, humidity, light and such other factors can be regulated as per requirement of the crop. They are protected from rain, wind, high temperatures and minimises the damage of insect pests and diseases. This results in a healthier and larger production of crops, during an extended growing season for plants. Crops can be grown where otherwise they could not survive. This method of cultivation works effectively compared to open cultivation. But, sometimes these systems do not perform optimally because they are not sufficiently adapted to the conditions of the region. Protected cultivation involves the use of structures such as the greenhouse, insect-proof net house, plastic tunnel and drip irrigation; or protection such as windbreaks and irrigation.

There is a large and sustained demand of fresh vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants throughout the year in almost every large city. These big cities also experience the need of off-season and high value crops. Protected cultivation helps meet city requirements of these crops. It is a concept that emerged due to globalisation of markets, shrinking of available land and climate change. On the other hand, the resources required to produce the crops, such as fossil fuel, affect climate change. This puts protected cultivation producers under high pressure, as they are required to adopt environmentally friendly production strategies.

Protected cultivation is a concept which can be used for integrating agriculture in an urban setting, as a sustainable alternative to industrial scale farming.

9 Subsistence

Subsistence means having the bare minimum you need in order to stay alive. For humans we could define those basic resources as food, water, shelter and clothing.

In today’s Western culture, where capitalism and over consumption reign supreme, we couldn’t live further from subsistence living. However before urbanisation we mostly all lived in a subsistence economy, not driven by the market but by individual survival. This means an economy with almost no profit, but one that relies on natural resources to provide for basic needs through hunting, gathering, and agriculture. Economy surplus is minimal and only used to trade for basic goods. In today’s climate, subsistence economy is mostly found in developing countries, where industrialisation and high profits can not be achieved.

Most familiar is subsistence farming, where in the first place farmers grow foods in order to feed themselves, their families and maybe a small community. Although from a Western point of view, it can be seen as unprofitable and too dependant on the whims of nature. It also has its benefits: resulting in a more biodiverse agriculture, decreased using of pesticides and making farming a more socio-cultural activity instead of solely economic.

Lastly, what is subsistence architecture? It can be loosely defined as architecture that meets the minimal domestic needs. It supports subsistence activities, such as cooking, sleeping, washing, eating, maybe farming etc. Impossible to define this without being subjective, we must be aware that this type of architecture will vary on culture, place, time, environment and individual needs.

10 Trust

The confidence in the honesty or goodwill of others. It is to believe that something is safe and reliable.

According to psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, the development of basic trust is the most important period of a child’s life. It is the first stage of psychosocial development occurring, or failing, during the first two years of life. Success result in feelings of security, trust, and optimism, while failure leads towards insecurity and mistrust.

Trust is not something that is immediately acquired, it is built up over time. It requires proof of ones reliability expressed in actions or words. When trusting someone, there is a tendency to think about it in terms of all or nothing: a person is trusted, or is not, but there is no in between.

Trust is a central part of relationships among individuals, groups and other components of society. It is often seen as an element that holds society together. It makes people feel eager to be part of a relationship or group, with a shared purpose and willingness to depend on each other. But, it can also break a group apart. It involves the risk that people we trust will not pull through for us, we risk the loss of valuable things that we entrust to others. It is an emotional act, where you expose your vulnerabilities to people, believing they will not take advantage of your openness. Trust is hard to define, but we do know when it’s lost.

This is not a Prison Farm

A studio by Sabrina Puddu & Jesse Honsa KU Leueven Faculty of Architecture Campus Ghent, Master 1, 2021

A book by Astrid De Mazière & Julia Ceuppens