The Perivàllonistic Manifesto

Project

268861

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Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS RISING STARS : concepts or ideas submitted by young talents (aged 30 or less)

Project title

The Perivàllonistic Manifesto

Full concept/idea title

Description

The manifesto lays down sustainable urban strategies and new values for society. These are based on democratic values to ensure equal rights for all species. Munich will serve as a template for the implementation in a concrete urban context.

Where is your concept/idea being developed or intended to be implemented in the EU?

Please provide a summary of your concept/ idea

In light of the fact that the society of the Capitalocene is doomed to fail, we see it as our responsibility to herald in the era of the Perivàllocene (Greek περιβάλλον [perivallon] = the environment). We are convinced that a new, global way of thinking and living in harmony with nature is essential to sustain existing and future generations, as well as other species on the planet. To achieve this state of harmony, we believe a fundamental change in social values and norms is crucial. It is therefore our duty to create an urban and social premise on the road to the Perivàllocene. It is time to rethink and reshape the old city ring of Munich. Our goal is to free the heart of the city from its oversized ring road and implement sustainable and liveable urban situations. The inner city of Munich is the heart of the city. It is vital, full of socio-cultural offerings and of the highest identity-creating significance for the city and its inhabitants. Not only social life in public spaces, cooperative living and sustainable mobility are important issues, but also the creation of freedom of movement for people and species in the form of a green city ring. Based on the planning envelope, our ideas for a perivàllonistic city can be applied. An experimental urban laboratory based on perivàllonistic approaches is being created. Here we present spatial and social changes that can be implemented in other districts or cities using the same template.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of sustainability and how these would be met

We believe that the two most pressing issues of our time are the climate crisis and the extinction of species. A fundamental shift of social norms and values is therefore imperative to guarantee the survival of life as we know it. Efforts to combat high land consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are indisputably key strategies to herald in this transition, but in light of all the social problems we face, they merely seem to treat the symptoms of the problem. Giving all species the same equal rights is the basis of our manifesto – and we stand by what we say. The preamble and first chapter of the manifesto are therefore built on the strong democratic foundation of the German constitution, which is then expanded upon to accommodate the fundamental rights for all species on the planet: “the dignity of (all species) is sacrosanct”, and “all species are equal before the law...” emphasize our commitment to the democratic core beliefs, on which we base our ideas. In the exemplary application of our vision, the transformation of the inner city of Munich, it becomes very clear on which scale our ideas will have an impact on society and the built environment. At the same time, the outcome of the design encourages us to look towards the future with high hopes, as we noticed that such a transformation is not only necessary but feasible. Now is the time to quickly follow words with deeds and spread our ideas around the globe. It is imperative, to emphatically bring this planning approach to the attention of the general public, planners and architects. Step by step, it can be adopted in our cities and regions to give nature back what was once taken from it.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these would be met

City planning is an essential tool to transfer perivàllonistic ideas into practice, questioning the roles of traditional planning processes by encouraging more participatory bottom-up methods. Through this approach, the needs of individuals or members of a joint building venture can be tailored to reach sustainability goals, while planners become supporting advisors. The stakeholders create social ownership structures for new cooperative housing models. Common amenities both inside and outside the building are used for social activities and shared equipment, tools and appliances. Buildings in existing cities will receive additional floors in order to accommodate more people, while relinquishing sparsely populated areas will give vulnerable space back to nature. It is the duty of society to cultivate agricultural land outside of urban centers sustainably and in harmony with nature. Within the city, new buildings are to be constructed with local and sustainable materials and only placed on soil, which has already been sealed before unless absolutely necessary. If old buildings cannot be reused or repurposed, the ground has to be restored and all materials reused or recycled. Existing buildings will be retrofitted with green technologies or rooftop gardens and farms.Structural change, gentrification and segregation can be prevented by the smart redevelopment of land and realizing a "city of short distances" by putting all relevant services within walking distance. Public spaces inside urban areas are considered multi-functional. While being accessible for all species, these inclusive spaces are primarily designed for human interaction. Therefore, it is crucial to offer spaces with a welcoming atmosphere, where an interplay of both urban and natural ways of life is made possible. Near-natural situations within the urban fabric will result in a high acceptancy towards every natural process on our planet, opening up new ways for communication and exchange.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of inclusion and how these would be been met

The key element of perivàllonism is human awareness of all species. In the first article, we proclaim that “the dignity of all species is sacrosanct”, but it is up to us humans, equipped with the rationality and knowledge necessary for the task to take up the responsibility in the spirit of universal brotherhood. All our basic needs and a minimum level of prosperity have to be provided in order to be able to take responsibility for others and bring about change. It is also crucial to go this path on equal footing so that every nation, ethnic group and individual will be given the same opportunities to reach the final stage of Perivàllonism at their own pace. As with all aspects of this manifesto, this guiding principle is once again defined in the articles at the end of the book. In this particular case, article 14, paragraph 1 states that „All nations will receive the same opportunities for education, technology and resources”. Education plays a significant role in society’s transformation process to the final state of the Perivàllocene, which will be reached after multiple phases and generations and has to be adapted to current conditions as time progresses. This adaptability is in itself another key element of the manifesto, because future generations should not be limited in their action because of obsolete rules which were set in the past.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept/ idea

In view of the current pandemic and climate crisis, professionals and students around the world seek to challenge the established norms and values, as they are deemed inadequate for the challenges we face in the Anthropocene. For many people, this change is considered a hardship and a struggle standing in the way of their personal development, as it involves the transformation of nothing less than our entire society. And while drastic measures will certainly play a huge role in order to rethink society from the ground up, we, as authors of the Perivàllonistic Manifesto see it as our duty to inform others not only about the threat of what lies ahead, but also by showcasing what some of the innovative ideas could actually lead to: a juster future, which is worth living in – in harmony with nature. Both title and appearance of this text are deliberately chosen to have a bold impression on the reader. But none of the ideas presented in this proposal are extremely radical or hard to achieve, many of them exist today in one form or another as best practice solutions. The final stage of Perivàllism will most likely never be reached, at least not to the extent shown in this work. It is designed to be a vision showcasing what could possible an ideal future, because all it takes to really change the world could simply be keeping what already works best – our democratic constitutions - and enhance this single great idea even further to make it accessible for all species of the planet.

Please detail the plans you have for the further development, promotion and/or implementation of your concept/idea, with a particular attention to the initiatives to be taken before May 2022

The Perivàllonistic Manifesto was selected to be one of ten academic works to be displayed at the HUMAN SCALE REMEASURED exhibition in Berlin, curated by ANCB, the Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory until May 20, 2021. Furthermore, plans are taking shape for the creation of a boulevard or “central park” around the area of the old city ring of Munich. This summer, various stakeholders (planners, artists, citizens) will be able submit their ideas and the Perivàllonistic Manifesto would be an excellent candidate, as it deals with exactly this location. It is also our strong belief, that we as future professionals in the field of urban planning, will internalize and apply everything we learned in the process of writing this work in all conscience. The whole manifesto can be found on the project's website its original German version. The translation into other languages, such as English, as well as a publicly available PDF for download is in the making.

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed concept/idea has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars Awards more than once in the same category.