Institut de recherches sociologiques

The recognition of the fragile body in the city: An interdisciplinary perspective on European fundamental values.

A series of workshops will be organised focusing on democratic experiments of inclusion of the fragile body in the urban realm and policy-making. These interdisciplinary interactions will frame a common orientation and groundwork, thereby uniting approaches from anthropology, urban sociology, history, political science and architecture. Each workshop unfolds with a different pedagogical approach, and takes place in the selected sites of the involved universities. It is possible to join each of them online prior to registration. 

Preliminary program

 


 

1. November, 26.11.2024

Workshop 1. “The fragile body in architecture

Organised by Geneva University, Sandro Cattacin, Fiorenza Gamba, Nikolena Nocheva and the

4EU+ partners of the project : Henriette Steiner (University of Copenhagen), Mark Vacher (University of Copenhagen) Tomàš Karásek (Charles University)

Invited Speakers: Cristina Bianchetti (Polytechnic of Turin), Paolo Fusi (Hafen City University – Hamburg)
Discussants: Panos Mantzarias (Fondation Braillard Architects) Francesco Della Casa (Canton de Genève)

 

How could architects design the city for the fragile body? This question is at the centre of the first dialogue of our 4EU+ European University Alliance project "The recognition of the fragile body in the city: An interdisciplinary perspective on European fundamental values”. Two architects will launch the discussion on “the fragile body in architecture”.

On the one side, Cristina Bianchetti, professor of urban planning at the Polytechnic of Turin, deals with contemporary urban design criticism. Her work on the relation between space and bodies permits to focus on the agency of bodies. Her view on the body as an intermediary between space and person leads to read the sharing of experiences in housing, in the use of the public space, in the everyday encounters at the forefront of an architectural intervention.

On the other side, Paolo Fusi, professor of urban design at the HafenCity University in Hamburg, tries to introduce the topic of multiplicity in (historically established) design and in use of the same spaces. Cities characterised by this double multiplicity deserves care, says Fusi, even more care than we are used to applying to our own private living environments.

Panos Mantzarias, architect, director of the Braillard Fondation Architects (Geneva) and partner of the project and Francesco Della Casa, cantonal architect of Geneva canton will comment on how cities of differences can be designed.

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend  :

1) In-person at the Fondation Braillard Architectes, Rue Saint-Léger 16, 1205 Genève

2) Online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.

 


 

2. January, 14.01.2025

Workshop 2.“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: conflicts over artistic restoration of public spaces

Organised by Charles University, Tomàš Karásek, Nikolena Nocheva

and the 4EU+ partners of the project : Henriette Steiner (University of Copenhagen), Mark Vacher (University of Copenhagen), Sandro Cattacin(Geneva University), Fiorenza Gamba, (Geneva University).

 

Intersecting dialogue by various experts working in the field of public space transformation.

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend  :

1) In-person at: U Kříže 8, Prague 5 – Jinonice.

2) Online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.

 


 

3. February,  19.02.2025,

Workshop 3. “#CallsFromThePublic: Introducing a methodology to listen to voices from the margins of the cityworkshop 1”

Organised by the University of Copenhagen: Henriette Steiner, Mark Vacher, Kristin Veel

and the 4EU+ partners of the project :  Sandro Cattacin (Geneva University), Fiorenza Gamba Geneva University, Tomàš Karásek (Charles University), Nikolena Nocheva (Charles University)

 

  • Introduction by Henriette Steiner (Professor in Landscape Architecture), Mark Vacher (Professor in Archaeology, Ethnology, History and Greek and Latin), Kristin Veel (Professor in Modern Culture)  from Copenhagen University of the methodology #CallsFromThePublic - a tool through which to listen to voices of citizens may be marginalized in different ways.
  • Think-pair-share exercise in break-out-rooms for participants to adopt the methodology
  • The exercise will be implemented by participants and explored in the next workshop

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.

 


 

4. March, 19.03.2025,

Workshop 4. “#CallsFromThePublic: Introducing a methodology to listen to voices from the margins of the city – workshop 2”

 

  • Introduction by Henriette Steiner (Professor in Landscape Architecture), Mark Vacher (Professor in Archaeology, Ethnology, History and Greek and Latin), Kristin Veel (Professor in Modern Culture)  from Copenhagen University
  • Think-pair-share exercise in break-out-rooms for participants to discuss and prepare their presentation of the material they have collated
  • Collective discussion of participatory findings

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.

 


 

5. April, 29.04. 2025

Workshop 5. “Participation of fragile and marginalised people in the urban decision-making process”

 Organised by Charles University, Tomàš Karásek, Nikolena Nocheva

 and the 4EU+ partners of the project : Henriette Steiner (University of Copenhagen), Mark Vacher (University of Copenhagen), Sandro Cattacin (Geneva University), Fiorenza Gamba, (Geneva University).

 

  • Intersecting dialogue by various experts working with questions of marginalisation in the urban space.

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.

 


 

6. May, 20.05.2025

Workshop 6. “The fragile body in urban planning

 Organised by Geneva University, Sandro Cattacin, Fiorenza Gamba, Nikolena Nocheva and the

4EU+ partners of the project : Henriette Steiner (University of Copenhagen), Mark Vacher (University of Copenhagen) Tomàš Karásek (Charles University)

 

Interventions by: Sandro Cattacin (Professor in Urban Sociology), Fiorenza Gamba (Professor in Urban Anthropology) and Olivier Waeber (Candoc) from Geneva University
Discussants: Panos Mantzarias (Fondation Braillard Architects), Bernard Debarbieux (Professor of Political and Cultural Geography, Geneva University)

 

The event takes place at 5 – 7pm

It is possible to attend  :

1) In-person at the Fondation Braillard Architectes, Rue Saint-Léger 16, 1205 Genève

2) Online via Zoom, subject to prior registration on the following link.